50% of pupils in Enugu can’t read, says SSG

Enugu State SSG, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia


The Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, has revealed that 50 per cent of the pupil population in the state can neither read in English nor solve simple mathematics questions.

He stated that the shortcoming was discovered in its Baseline Assessment of primary schools in the state, conducted in November 2023.

Onyia said this while giving his keynote address titled, “Smart Basic Education and the Future of Africa” at the quadrennial convention of the Old Boys Association of Union Secondary School, Awkunanaw, on Thursday in Enugu.

“Our findings were shocking. After six years of primary school, 50 per cent of our children cannot read a single word in English and those who can read struggle with comprehension.


“50% of our children cannot solve simple subtraction challenges. What we found out in Enugu State is written large across our nation,” he said.

The state scribe, however, disclosed that the Governor Peter Mbah administration had made deliberate efforts to reform the education system of the state to meet the changing global demands.
He further revealed that the state government education policy has been repositioned to integrate innovative technologies into education, particularly at the basic education level, with the goal that it would drive industrial growth.

The Governor Mbah said his administration will spend 30 per cent of the state’s 2024 budget on the educational sector.




He added that he was determined to ensure that the poorest child in the remotest parts of the state would receive quality education.


Kindly share this story: