Jigawa fights against illiteracy with Jolly Phonics

As part of efforts to boost education as well as promoting quality education in the state, the Jigawa State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) launched the second year of Jolly Phonics Literacy Project in partnership with International not-for- profit organization Universal Learning Solutions.
In a statement by the Project Manager Universal Learning Solutions Victor Poluektoff, said, currently under this year launching of Universal Learning Solutions in Jigawa State, over 640 Primary 2 teachers, head teachers and officials have been trained and resourced in the top International literacy tool ‘’Jolly Phonics’’, stressing that ‘’this comes on the top of over 1,000 primary 1 teachers and officials trained Jolly Phonics last year.
According to the statement, the publisher of Jolly Phonics has donated more than 125,000 free pupil books to Jigawa state pupils over the course of two years, as well as paying for the cost of 4 expert trainers in order to further boost this initiative. ‘’Jolly Phonics is a fun and interactive teaching tool that uses the synthetic phonics literacy teaching methodology. This teaches the 42 letter sounds of English using songs and stories. The Method is mandated by government around the world because of the way that it quickly provides children with the skills needed to read and write’’.

The Technical Director at Universal Learning Solutions UK Mr. Naomi Foxcroft, however, thanked the Jigawa State Governor Muhammad Abubakar Badaru and the State SUBEB Chairman Alhaji Salisu Zakari for initiating the programme, and shared a message to Jigawa State teachers.
‘’We are delighted and grateful to the Governor of Jigawa state Muhammad Abubakar Badaru for his initiative in the programme and allow us to be working in Jigawa state to train, resource and mentor its teachers in Jolly Phonics. I would also like to thank the Jigawa state SUBEB chairman for his wisdom, strength and initiative also in inviting us to work in Jigawa state to partner with SUBEB’’.
The statement however, maintained that the teachers are the key to the project and therefore every primary 1 and 2 teacher must put all their efforts into this new approach in order to ensure a brighter future for children in Jigawa state.
‘’Universal Learning Solutions urges teachers, parents and all education stakeholders to support Jolly Phonics in schools, and to ensure its frequent use in schools. It has been proven to dramatically improve the reading age of children within a short period, and so will be a great addition to education initiatives in Jigawa State’’, the statement concluded.