The Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, has revealed that half of the students in the state struggle with both English reading and basic mathematics problem-solving skills.
Professor Onyia revealed this information during his keynote address, titled “Smart Basic Education and the Future of Africa,” at the quadrennial convention of the Old Boys Association of Union Secondary School, Awkunanaw, held on Thursday in Enugu.
He explained that the government identified this deficiency through its Baseline Assessment of primary schools in the state, which was conducted in November 2023.
“Our findings were shocking. After six years of primary school, 50 per cent of our children cannot read a single word in English and those who can read struggle with comprehension.
“50% of our children cannot solve simple subtraction challenges. What we found out in Enugu State is written large across our nation.”
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He noted that in Nigeria, three out of every four children who finish basic education do not possess adequate proficiency in numeracy and literacy.
“The World Bank, UNICEF, and UNESCO have defined this as ‘the Nigerian Learning Crisis’.
“On top of this, our children suffer a “Skills Gap” because existing modes of teaching do not equip children with scientific, technological, productive, and digital competences,” Onyia added.