Lagos Celebrates Children’s Day, Launches ‘Read Aloud Lagos’ Initiative

Lagos State Government has launched an initiative, “Read Aloud Lagos,” to create and stimulate the interest of school children in reading.

This was disclosed on Wednesday May 27, 2020, by the state Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

He wrote on his Facebook page, “Today to celebrate #ChildrensDay, I will be launching Read Aloud Lagos and every child can join.

“Children are our hope for a brighter future and we must empower them with the values, skills and opportunities to achieve their dreams.”

“This year, #COVID19 has changed the lives of our children. Many of them do not understand why they have to stay at home and not see their friends. As we celebrate #ChildrensDay, let us pay special attention to their mental health, physical capacity and their important needs.

“Let us encourage and empower them to hold on to their aspirations and dreams because every child has the potential to be the catalyst that transforms our society for the better and this is the point where we sow the seeds for a brighter future generation,” he added.

While speaking about the initiative, Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, stated that the initiative was aimed at encouraging all children within the primary school age bracket in the state.

She added that the initiative would not only foster the culture of reading among the children, it would also increase their knowledge and improve their comprehension.

“As an education quality assurance person, I was moved by the conviction that children perform better when they are led in the act of reading by someone else.

“Therefore, Read Aloud Lagos initiative is expected to be the most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success,” she said.

While condemning the inadequate time allocated to reading during and after school hours, Mrs Seriki-Ayeni explained that the programme was introduced to bridge the identified reading gap among school pupils.

She affirmed that with this initiative, the reading ability of children would greatly improve, especially when they have role models to look up to.

“Children should have role models that will guide them on how to pronounce words, read books and think critically,” she added.