The Jigawa state government has introduced a new literacy by radio programme for adult learners, to boost the state’s literacy level, according to Dr Abbas Abubakar, the Executive Secretary, Jigawa State Agency for Mass Education.

Abubakar, who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse, on Sunday, added that the programme was aimed at eradicating illiteracy in the state, particularly among adults in rural areas.

He explained that a solar-powered radio set had been given to each of the 1,000 adult learners targeted under the programme.

Apart from the radio sets, Abubakar said the state government had also provided instructional materials, learners’ primers and memory cards for the smooth take-off of the programme.

According to him, the government had also paid Radio Jigawa to air the programme for six months, as well as the facilitators’ allowance, trainings and the monitoring of the facilitators.

Abubakar further disclosed that the state’s 18 local government areas were expected to benefit from the programme, which had been scheduled to commence on Oct.4 and end in March 2022.

The programme was introduced to complement the efforts of the National Commission for Mass Literacy, Adult and Non-formal Education (NMEC), in boosting mass literacy in the state.

The NMEC recently donated 307 radio sets and other instructional materials as part of its efforts at boosting mass literacy in state.

The instructional materials included 307 memory cards, 52 Compact Disks (CDs) Master, 307 2A, 2B and 2D exercise books each, 307 pencils, 307 sharpeners, 300 Forms C, 290 literacy by radio learners primers, and 6 registers.

The radio sets were distributed to 300 learners and seven facilitators at six literacy centres, in Dutse, Birnin kudu, Kaugama, Kafinhausa, Taura and Gumel Local Government Areas.

The benefitting centres are Limawa in Dutse, Kangire in Birninkudu, Yalo in Kaugama, Jabo in Kafinhausa, Majiya in Taura and Garin Gambo in Gumel.

Also as part of the support by NMEC were the full payment for three months’ air time to Radio Jigawa for the programme, full payment of six facilitators’ stipends for three months, as well as training the facilitators, the executive secretary said.

“This support from NMEC will surely improve the literacy status of the state. You may wish to note that literacy by radio refers to teaching of reading, writing and calculations to youths and adult learners in their mother tongue or any other language, through radio.

”The advantage of the programme is that one radio teacher can reach many adult learners at once. The adult learners don’t have to go anywhere, they can learn in their own locality.

“Also, the programme saves a lot of costs and logistics. It also improves the literacy status of communities,” the executive secretary further said.

Jigawa, is being supported by the NMEC along with six other states in the country, NAN learnt.