Okorocha Calls for Better Utilisation of Women, Local Languages to End Illiteracy

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

Former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has emphasised that in reducing the number of out-of school children in which 70 per cent are girls, there is the need to engage more house wives and women in general.
Okorocha who stated that in the fight against illiteracy, women should assigned with specific duties, said women will take up the education of their children as a project and will ensure that no child is left behind.

He stated this yesterday when the Rochas Foundation hosted the annual celebration of the International Day of the Girl-Child and highlighted the importance of empowering young girls through education, leadership, and vision.
In considering the 2024 theme, ‘Girls’ Vision for the Future’, the former governor said the incorporation of indigenous languages in schools is a welcome idea as this will lead to better teaching from the teachers and assimilation from the students.

Stating that the Foundation has continued to nurture students from 22 countries for the past 25 years, Okorocha said issues surrounding education cannot be tackled by the government alone and went ahead to encourage volunteers and well meaning Nigerians to step into the gaps.

He said: “Of course, I’m a feminist and everyman should be a feminist because theirs no life without a woman. Women are the greatest gist of nature and they are nurturers and are the ones that organise things. Take for example the issue of education, hand it over to housewives and it will become a project and none of their children will be at home anymore.
“We have not made the best of our women and Nigeria should do better and they should be given specific duties and assignments and they’ll do their best for society.
“Out of the 13 million out of school children, 70 percent are girls. For cultural reasons, the kids are not given the opportunity to discover who they are.

“With our local languages, we will achieve more in terms of education. Education is not understanding the English language as it has no difference with other languages. With indigenous languages, students will understand their teachers better and will assimilate quickly compared to when taught in english. So Nigerians should see English as a language and not education.”
On his part, former President of  Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, in his address to the students of the Foundation who are mostly girls, said statistics have been pronounced all over in great meetings concerning the challenges of girls, but when it comes to actualising things, it’s important to think and reflect on problems.

He noted that even where there seems to be seeming bliss, the problem of poverty, limited access to education, health, and general challenges of climate change and gender issues with limitations have continued to surface.

While remarking that with the Africa’s  arable land, the continent has capacity to feed the world through innovations, he charged the students to believe in themselves and have confidence and self determination.

He said: “We use this moment to reflect on the challenges faces by the girl-child. They face general challenges of climate change, education, health and gender issues. There are benefits and high statistics in educating the child-child.

“Statistics have been pronounced all over in great meetings, but when it comes to actualising things, it’s important to think and reflect that we have great problems. Even where there seems to be seeming bliss, we have problem if poverty, limited access that will give opportunities.

“In all of this, it is about your belief, self confidence and determination. These are things you need to know. If you develope that strength and belief in you, the sky will become the limit. As you celebrate, you have to continue to challenge yourself. The multiplier effect of this opportunity will give hundreds of thousand benefits not to talk about this in terms of the economy.

“With arable land, we can feed the rest of the world and this will be possible only when you have translated what you have learnt into innovations.”