By Bianca Iboma
House of Rammah Foundation gave hope to the less-privileged students, recently, when it gave out educational materials that include exercise books, storybooks, textbooks and teachers to indigent pupils and teachers of Local Government Primary School in Ikotun, Lagos State.
The convener of the initiative, Mrs. Riskat Adeola, who revealed that the gesture was in line with the International Book Giving Day, noted that the writing and reading materials were meant to help develop the pupils as well as assist indigent parents to purchase necessary books for their wards.
Adeola said that they have been committed to taking out-of-school children back to school and giving street children or orphans who cannot continue with their education scholarship to further their education, since the initiative began some years ago.
She said that schoolchildren in poor communities need support from NGOs and other corporate bodies, adding that the initiative was established in order to cater for such poor children by providing them with educational materials.
Urging the government to emphasize the importance of reading in public schools she promised to compliment and encourage more public schools to dedicate their time to learning. She advised that pre-schoolers need to be encouraged with pictorial books as this will cultivate learning culture in them.
The education secretary of Alimosho Local Government, Hon Irat Alamu, who was represented by Mr. Kolade Makonjuola commended the efforts of the foundation in developing good learning skills through its literacy project. “The goal of Lagos State government is to see every child get education no matter where they are,” he said.
Makonjuola added that the state government plans to distribute school uniforms and sandals to pupils of primary school because it has noticed that, owing to the recession, some parents do not care whether their wards’ school uniforms are torn or not.”
The Headmistress, Local Government Primary School, Ikotun, Mrs. Fola Falae, while receiving the books for the school library encouraged the pupils to inculcate the reading and learning spirits.
Falae who called on other well-meaning Nigerians to participate in equipping schools with needed materials added that the foundation gesture is something that will linger in their hearts for a long time.