ABIA PRIMARY SCHOOLS TEACHERS END 3-DAY TRAINING ON JOLLY PHONICS* Task To Impact Knowledge To Pupils.

By Steve Unegbu

The Abia state Primary School Teachers Have ended 3 -Day Capacity Building Workshop On Jolly Phonics ,with promise to transfer and impact what they have learnt to Children in Primary Schools in the State.

Speaking with Newsmen during the training,the Abia state coordinator of Universal Basic Education Commission, Uniyme Umoette charged all the participants in the Jolly Phonics training to ensure that they impact their knowledge to the learners and their colleagues as well.

Umoette who made this charge during the Abia state primary school capacity building workshop on Jolly Phonics held at School Road primary school Umuahia, said , ” I think it is one thing to learn and another thing for you to impact ,it is not enough for them to come and be trained ,we are expecting them to go and train not only the learners but also their colleagues,who are not here for this particular training”

She explained that UBEC is in partnership with the ASUBEB and the universal learning solution initiative to train these teachers , noting that the core mandate of Universal Basic Education Commission is to deliver basic education to Nigerians

, ” so we intervene in Basic Education in schools , especially the Early childhood care development,the primary schools and everything that has to do with basic education.

We intervene in several areas , that is our mandate and one of it is this training we are organizing” she said.

She pointed out that UBEC found out about this program and saw that it was helpful and yield positive results for Children to be able to read and write and they adopted the program,so basically jolly Phonics helps Children to read ,write and speak ,they have different ways to help them.They have songs, tell stories with sounds that help the child to remember , that is what jolly Phonics is all about” she said.

Speaking on future training, she noted that ,the training is a continuous process , ” if you ask them , they were some that have been trained before now , another set is being trained ,that means ,we train them every year ,it is a continuous process”

She however, called on Abia state government to continue to support the program outside the UBEC fund , suggesting that the government can synergize with the board so that

,”we will be able to have a larger turn out ,so that Abian child , will be able to read ,write and speak well, even as she appeal to the children to also practice whatever they are being taught for them to be useful to their communities and the nation , adding that ,” Education for all is the responsibility of all us , including the learners,hence they have responsibility, not just to learn ,but also to understand what they learn and put them into practice”

In the same vein ,a Director in Abia state universal Basic Education Board, Mrs Uzoma Ugwa , explained that ,” UBEC provided the fund and the ASUBEB is the one organizing the training, making sure that the right teachers are there ,our target this year ,we are training about 500 Head teachers, primary 1 , primary 2 , and primary 3 teachers and the ECCD teachers too and we are doing it in the 3 senatorial zones “

She declared that,” This jolly Phonics is really working,they teach them how to blend and any child that is properly trained can compete with any other global child outside because it is all about sound”

According to her , ” ASUBEB is embracing this strategy in line with Governor Ikpeazu ‘s vision for the Abian child, without his support we can not achieve this .

” We have formidable team in Abia state,we have our monitors who we train to monitor the teachers, and we are training 2675 teachers” she said.

Interacting with Newsmen during the training ,the Project Manager of Universal Learning Solution Initiative for Jolly Phonics in SouthEastern States and Training Manager in Abia Jolly Phonics Training 2021 , Engr. Chief Innocent Nwosu , described Jolly Phonics Training as a very unique and special training that are given to teachers in Early Childhood Care and Development classes ,then Primary 1 , primary 2 and primary 3 .

According to him , ” We teach them the Jolly Phonics strategies to teach English literacy ,which enable children to read , assimilate the things and read with it very well and fast ,as well as write also very effectively “

” They can read and write beyond what we call their reading age ,like children that is about six years, can read more than somebody that is about 10 years, because of this strategies .In the past Children can finished primary school without knowing how to read and write,if you go through this strategies there is no way you can not read and write very well , after finishing primary 1 and 2 “

He revealed that the strategies involved the use of sensory approach, using all the five senses , playing , singing ,actions to make them remember.

Nwosu , said it was Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) that saw where the thing was piloted and saw the tremendous result and decided that this strategy be replicated all over Nigeria ,that is how it is now being implemented into the 36 states of Nigeria and the capital territory Abuja.

He said , ” We are training 2675 participants , including officials ,who will be empowered ,resourced and given all the skills to monitor the teachers ,we do not train and leave ,we have a team of mentors and monitors who go round these Schools to know whether they are implementing the strategy and the state government is very interested in making sure it is so .

The teachers know that they must go and impact the knowledge,they have learnt .

He advised, the teachers to go and implement it after receiving the training, saying there are provision of hotline , applications and teachers Network in the various local government areas ,which support them , while noting that the training require constant improvement.

In his speech,the Director Junior seconday schools in Abia state and a member of the Monitoring team,Mr Nwaigwe Innocent disclosed that his members are well prepared for the task ahead .

In their separate reactions, some of the Resource persons expressed confidence and optimistic that the trainees have been thoroughly tutored ,some of the Resource persons include, Lady Delphin Chioma ,Nkeseabasi Jacob Unaam ,Nwafor Ijeoma ,Justina Inemesit Pedro Inyang ,Juliet Udeze ,Obasi Ukamaka

,Oluchi Abasirim ,Ezealaji Ifeanyi ,Ibelegbu Chinyere ,Mary M . Harrison,Esther Enukucho , Magdalene Ogbemudia ,Dike Ezinne Olivia,

Nwachukwu Michael pleasure,Nsikan-Abasi Inyang , Priscilla Chiajular Ukoh ,Ajaegbu Elizabeth

,Mona Lizzy Solomon among others

In similar vein,the different class monitors commended the Abia state Governor ,Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, the UBEC , ASUBEB and the Universal Learning Solution Initiative for the capacity building workshop training on Jolly Phonics, while promising to transfer and impact what they learnt to the pupils as well as their colleagues who were not present.

Some of the class monitors include:Ngozi Oruonye , Nnochiri Nneks Okoro , Orji Nkechinyere Ikeaha , Ogbonna Rosana ,Ikoro Margaret , Elekwachi Emenike Innocent, Ezeoma Chinyere Joy ,