The Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said half of the children in the state cannot read nor solve simple mathematics.
Onyia made this disturbing revelation on Thursday on the occasion of the quadrennial convention of the Old Boys Association of Union Secondary School in Awkunanaw, Enugu while delivering a keynote address titled, Smart Basic Education and the Future of Africa.
“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,” he said.
He added that the situation went beyond the state saying, “In Nigeria, three out of four children who completed basic education lack numeracy and literacy proficiency. The World Bank, UNICEF, and UNESCO have defined this as ‘the Nigerian Learning Crisis.’”
