One hundred teachers from public primary and secondary schools in Bayelsa are currently undergoing a three-day training on imparting reading skills, structured phonics and literacy.
The programme, which is ongoing at the Saint Jude’s Girls Secondary School, Amarata, Yenagoa, is facilitated by the Bayelsa State Education Development Trust Fund (EDTF) in partnership with the Bridge Academy International and Teachers Training, Registration and Certification Board (TTRCB).
The workshop, which has 70 teachers from primary schools and 30 from secondary schools in attendance, has as its theme “Building Strong Readers”.
The commissioner for education in Bayelsa, Gentle Emelah, represented by the permanent secretary, Simon-Peter Okene, while declaring open the training programme, commended the EDTF for the initiative and urged the teachers to make the best use of the opportunity to impart the knowledge gained to their pupils and students.
The chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Education, Charles Daniel, who harped on the importance of a sound foundation in the English language, emphasised the need for constant training for teachers to enhance their proficiency.
The executive secretary of the Bayelsa State Education Development Trust Fund (EDTF), Ebimieowei Etebu, noted that with 75 per cent of pupils and students in the country unable to read and understand age-appropriate text, it was imperative to train teachers on structured phonics and literacy.
Mabel Joel, founder and executive director of Bridge Academy International, a special education expert, said the training programme was put together to ensure that every child has the opportunity to become a confident reader.
Mrs Joel, who also served as resource person, explained that teachers become more effective because they have practical tools used every day. According to her, schools achieve stronger outcomes because instruction is intentional, systematic and grounded in research.
The chairman of the EDTF subcommittee on development partners, Alice Atuwo, said the training would enhance the capacity of the teachers to groom pupils and students on structured phonics and literacy.