More public secondary and primary schools in Rivers State are benefitting from the Rotary International support for education for all children, and literacy for children and adults, through its Basic Education and Literacy projects around the world.
The Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Mid Town joined her counterparts in parts of Rivers State to donate over one thousand note books, texts books and writing materials to pupils of community secondary school Nkpolu, Oroworukwo.
President of the Rotary club of Port Harcourt Mid Town, Mae Wendy Ofili, who led members of the club for the exercise, said “More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. That’s 17 percent of the world’s adult population. Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy”.
The Project Service Director of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Mid Town Wally Jackson added that, “Basic education and literacy is one of The Rotary Foundation’s six areas of focus. We know that basic education and literacy are essential for reducing poverty, improving health, encouraging community and economic development, and promoting peace. If all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty, which would be equivalent to a 12% cut in world poverty.”
The Principal of the Community Secondary School Nkpolu, Oroworukwo, d/Line, said the children are overwhelmed with joy and the teachers are elated over the donations. She said majority of the pupils are house helps who have little or no access to basic writing materials because they couldn’t get it from their guardians. She said the donations will boost and encourage the children to study well, as well as improve the teachers’ ability to teach.
Our correspondent Precious Ovie reports that reading; career talks, guidance and counseling sessions were part of the activities carried out during the project by members of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt Mid-Town, which includes, the President, Mae Wendy Ofili, Clement Ikaye, Osato Enomayo and Bello-Ososo Jeremiah, the President-Elect.
Our correspondent also reports that the exercise books donation was in partnership with Honorable Barrister Ekpenisi Omorotionmwan, a former commissioner of Education in Edo State.
