The Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ekene Ogugua has urged teachers to pay greater attention to pupil’s reading skills, describing the ability to read words and sentences as a basic foundation for academic success.
Represented by the Special Assistant to the Governor on Education, Mrs. Obiageli Chiegboka while monitoring the level of compliance and pupils’ return to classrooms after weeks of vacation, noted that pupils who struggle with reading at the primary level could face difficulties throughout their academic journey.
During the interaction, the teachers where urged to ensure that children acquire the necessary reading skills at the foundational stage.
At Udodinma Primary School, Nodu-Okpuno, the team met a calm atmosphere, with pupils and teachers already engaged in academic activities when it arrived at about 8:45 a.m.
“When a pupil is unable to pronounce words or read a full sentence, how can the child read the questions and answer them?” she asked.
Chiegboka encouraged teachers to adopt innovative approaches to make reading more engaging for pupils, suggesting group reading sessions, where stronger readers could lead others, as well as reading competitions to stimulate interest.
She also urged head teachers to look beyond the regular updating of lesson notes when assessing teachers’ effectiveness, saying greater attention should be paid to their impact on pupils’ ability to read and write.
The Headmistress of the school, Mrs. Rose Chidekwe-Udeh, said most pupils had returned, while the school expected full attendance from the following week.
She added that all teachers had resumed duties and that the school had recorded 28 new enrolments since the beginning of the session.
Chidekwe-Udeh disclosed that the shortage of teachers remained a major challenge, noting that several teachers had recently been posted out of the school without adequate replacements, thereby leaving the school with fewer teachers to cater effectively to the pupils.
The highlight of the visit was an interactive session between Chiegboka and the pupils, during which their reading ability and word-pronunciation skills were assessed.
