MINISTER of Education, Adamu Adamu, has attributed the rising incidence of drug abuse, juvenile delinquency, examination malpractice, cultism, armed robbery, human trafficking, kidnapping, communal clashes and terrorism to mass illiteracy in Nigeria.
He stated this in his address at the opening of a five-day literacy conference organised by the Department of Adult Education, University of Ibadan, entitled: “Literacy for Sustainable National Development and Empowerment”, on Tuesday.
Adamu, represented by Executive Secretary, National Mass Literacy Commission, Professor Habba Hiladu, bemoaned that Nigeria had the highest number of out-of-school children with over 60 million adults and youth illiterates.
“As we are aware, no nation can rise above the standard of its education, because it is education that serves as the catalyst for every kind of development. If education is weak or dysfunctional, the society and its structures will also be weak and dysfunctional.
“Little wonder, then, that our society is plagued with endemic problems such as low productivity, poverty, insecurity, unemployment, communal conflicts, and poor health among others.
“This situation needs to urgently change for the better. We must do our utmost to create opportunities for children, youth and adults, give them the opportunity to have access to quality and functional literacy skills in order to improve their lives and livelihoods.
“As the Federal Ministry of Education is vigorously planning for an impending mass literacy programme, we hope that some of the recommendations arising from this seminar would be important inputs into the mass literacy programme.
“The present administration is vigorously pursuing a number of intervention programmes in this regard, within a rejuvenated national mass literacy programme.
“A literate and inclusive Nigeria cannot be built by the government alone. Tackling illiteracy should be on everyone’s agenda. The basic education statistics show how much work that remains to be done in order to achieve some degree of acceptable equity in access to education and the improvement in the quality of education in general,” Adamu said.
Speaking, Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka, prayed the nation has a renewed vision of literacy to foster cultural identity, democratic participation and citizenship, tolerance and respect for others.
The Dean, Faculty of Education, Professor Julius Ademokoya, emphasized the need for tertiary institutions to work towards taking more Nigerian children off the streets.
