Education Today for Sustainable Development Initiative (ETSDI), a non governmental organisation (NGO), has enrolled over 9000 learners into non-formal education and Life Skills programme in Ebonyi.
Mr Morris Ogbe, Programme Director of ETSDI told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abakaliki.
According to him, the organisation with support from the European Union and United Nations (EU-UN) SpotLight Initiative has intervened in state’s Non-formal education sector to offer flexible and free second chance to adult learners.
He said that the group has developed a literacy by radio programme which was currently been aired on Ebonyi Broadcasting Corporation (EBBC) 98.1FM Abakaliki as an education sector response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on literacy programme in the state.
Ogbe added that ETSDI has developed a Family Life Health Education and Life Skills facilitation manual under the Spotlight Initiative project to enable facilitators in non-formal education teach the necessary skills that would empower women and girls.
He said that knowledge acquired would enable them to make well informed decisions about their sexual, reproductive health rights, and overcome Gender Based Violence and Harmful Practices (GBVHP) in the state.
“He said: “The EU-UN Spotlight Initiative through ETSDI is supporting non-formal education in Ebonyi because it offers flexible and free second chance education to our target learners, particularly women and girls who have never been to school.
“It also offers opportunity to those who left because of early and unintended pregnancy and child marriage.
“Non-formal education through our literacy by radio programme currently airing in EBBC with support from the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative happens to be one of the available and easier pathways of providing literacy for people in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are supporting women and girls with writing materials and primers to enable them engage adequately in sanitary and COVID-19 personal protective materials to aid contact sessions with facilitators as key for a successful literacy programme.
“The ETSDI recently donated books, instructional manuals and other materials meant for distribution to adult literacy and non-formal education centres across Ebonyi.”
NAN reports that ETSDI has been intervening in Ebonyi Adult and Non-formal Education sector since 2019. (NAN)
