Kano:A literacy intervention programme conducted over three months has significantly improved the reading skills of 120 Almajiri children across six Local Government Areas in Kano, reducing the percentage of those unable to identify letter sounds from 78 percent to zero.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Mubarak Haruna, the Programme Manager of the Advancing Children’s Rights Initiative (ACRI), announced that the programme was implemented in collaboration with Universal Learning Solutions and the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education, utilizing the Jolly Phonics approach.
The assessment results revealed notable progress, with 33 percent of the children able to identify at least 31 English sounds after the intervention, a significant increase from none before the programme. Additionally, the proportion of children unable to read any English words decreased from 86 percent at the start to 35 percent by the end. By the conclusion of the programme, 17 percent of the children c
ould read a minimum of 31 English words.
The skills acquired were showcased at the National Literacy Challenge for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children on September 19 at Baba-Ahmed University in Kano. The children demonstrated their abilities in letter-sound recognition, word segmentation and writing, sound blending, identification of tricky words, and shared reading.
The event also included government representatives, education stakeholders, development partners, civil society organisations, teachers, and community representatives. It featured a presentation of the Jolly Phonics pilot, a keynote address, a Child Voice Session, and a panel discussion on Mallam and community engagement in children’s education.
To support ongoing learning, 650 books and other educational materials were provided. Schools, teachers, and School Support Officers involved in the programme were acknowledged for their contributions.
Haruna emphasized the importance of evaluating not only enrollment and participation but also the s
kills children acquire. He advocated for stronger collaboration among government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, education practitioners, researchers, foundations, the private sector, and communities to expand literacy interventions for underserved children. He stressed the need for sustained investment in literacy programmes to ensure foundational skills for children excluded from formal education.