The Ogun State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has announced plans to deploy teachers who undergo specialised phonics training to foundation classes from Kindergarten 1 to Primary 2 in public primary schools across the state.
Chairman of the Board, Evang. Olalekan Ifede, disclosed this while declaring open a two-day Capacity Development Programme on Phonics Masterclass Workshop for teachers in public primary schools across the state.
The workshop, held at Imo Methodist Primary School, Oke-Yeke, Abeokuta, had the theme, “Empowering Teachers with Effective Phonics Strategies for Improved Literacy Outcomes.”
Ifede explained that the initiative was designed to strengthen early childhood literacy and improve pupils’ reading abilities, noting that effective application of phonics strategies would enable pupils to attain proficient reading skills before progressing to Primary 3.
He urged participants to pay close attention to the training and translate the knowledge acquired into effective classroom practices, stressing that they were also expected to share the skills with other teachers in their respective schools.
According to him, the ultimate goal of the programme was to achieve measurable improvements in teaching and learning outcomes across public primary schools in the state.
The SUBEB chairman said the state government had continued to invest substantially in basic education, particularly in teacher development and the provision of infrastructure. He, however, urged headteachers and teachers to reciprocate the government’s efforts by maintaining high standards of professionalism, including appearing neat and presentable whenever they attend school.
Also speaking, Permanent Member IV of the Board, Rt. Hon. Akeem Balogun, challenged the participants to make the training interactive and purposeful, urging them to return to their various schools better equipped to improve learning outcomes.
The first resource person, Mrs. Bamidele Ifede, Proprietress of Frontliners Kiddies Nursery and Primary School, Ilishan-Remo, described phonics as a method of teaching learners to read by helping them understand the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent.
She emphasised the need for teachers to group pupils according to their abilities and monitor their progress continuously to ensure that every learner improves.
Ifede also highlighted the importance of tracing, drawing and painting activities in developing the learning abilities of kindergarten pupils, while urging teachers to pay particular attention to the correct pronunciation of letter sounds.
She took participants through key aspects of phonics, including pronunciation, sound and letter identification, consonant and vowel blending, proper letter formation and techniques for developing pupils’ capacity to read independently.
The second resource person, Mrs. Toyin Odusote, a lecturer at Sikiru Adetona College of Education, Omu-Ijebu, exposed the participants to various handwriting methods and patterns, with emphasis on the correct formation of upper- and lower-case letters using two-dimensional exercise books.
Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mrs. Oluwakemi Otemoye of Wesley Primary School, Ode-Remo, Remo North, and Mr. Adisa Adeola of Ipokia Local Government Primary School, Igbodoroju, expressed appreciation to SUBEB for organising the training.
They pledged to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the workshop to improve teaching and learning in their respective classrooms.
For sponsorship and advert contact:
Post a Comment