FCT BOOSTS BASIC EDUCATION WITH 3,530 TEXTBOOKS AND EXPANDED DIGITAL LEARNING DRIVE
By: Hauwa Mahmud Madugu, Shulamite Nkemdilim and Gladys Enoch
In a major push to sharpen foundational reading skills and narrow the digital gap in public education, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Education Secretariat has flagged off the distribution of 3,530 “Let’s Read” textbooks across 35 public primary schools.
The event, which was held on Wednesday 10th of November at Government Secondary School, Life Camp, also marked the rollout of the second phase of the EIDU Digital Learning Programme, eight months after its initial launch.
Speaking at the occasion, the Mandate Secretary for Education, Dr. Danlami Hayyo, described the initiative as a strategic intervention aimed at addressing foundational learning challenges and preparing children to thrive in an increasingly digital world
“We aim to address foundational learning challenges head-on and prepare our children to thrive in an increasingly digital world,” Dr. Hayyo said.
He disclosed that the initiative currently supports over 10,000 learners across FCT schools, adding: “The program, which officially kicked off its first phase eight months ago, now supports over 10,000 young learners with 357 customized digital learning devices deployed across participating classrooms.”
Dr. Hayyo commended EIDU and its development partners for their steadfast support of the FCT education sector, emphasizing the vital role of sustained collaboration in expanding access to quality education and improving learning outcomes.
In her opening remarks, the Director of Quality Assurance (DQA), Hajiya Hajarat Tililayo Alayande, commended the partners and underscored the importance of maintaining high educational standards, while ensuring that these resources translate into measurable improvements in teaching and learning.
She also emphasized the need for effective monitoring and accountability throughout implementation.
Similarly, the Acting Director of the FCT Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), Mr. Nsu Rabo, commended the partners for their commitment to strengthening basic education and stressed the value of collaborative efforts in raising the quality of learning across public primary schools in the Territory.
Femi Awoyinfa, EIDU’s Director of Global Partnerships and Growth, expressed gratitude to the FCT Administration for the seamless collaboration.
“We are very excited about this partnership with the FCT Administration, and I want to appreciate the administrative team for working with EIDU.
“Our goal is to see that every single child in public primary schools, from Primary 1 to 3, can read, write, comprehend sentences, and perform basic math through the EIDU initiative.”
Expanding on the technical aspect, Mr. James of the EIDU team revealed that 641 schools are actively participating in the programme, demonstrating its growing reach and impact across the FCT.
He explained that the EIDU model combines Digitized Personalized Learning (DPL) for pupils with Structured Pedagogy (SP) for teachers, incorporating interactive resources such as phonetics, rhymes, and educational games.
A major highlight of the ceremony was the official flag-off of the textbook distribution by Dr. Danlami Hayyo, signaling the commencement of the exercise across beneficiary schools.
This was followed by a symbolic presentation led by the Permanent Secretary for Education, Mrs. Joy Chinwe Okeke, who handed the Let’s Read textbooks to representatives of the beneficiary schools.
The ceremony also featured a reading demonstration by pupils, who showcased their abilities using the new materials.
Sharing their experiences, Mrs. Esther Bulus of LEA Primary School, Mpape, and Dinah Yakubu of China-Assisted Primary School, Nyanya, highlighted the tangible benefits of digital learning and structured pedagogy in boosting classroom engagement. However, they also called for continuous teacher training to sustain the gains recorded so far.
