Determined to improve the knowledge of pupils through reading, Rotarians from Gowon Estate, Egbe, Egbeda and Ipaja New Dawn, under Cluster 2, Zone 6 of Rotary Club District 9110, have donated books, water, sanitation and hygiene materials to Ebenezer A/C Primary School, Egbeda, Lagos.
Rotarian Chinyere Madueke Onwo, president of the Rotary Club of Gowon Estate, District 9110, who spoke on behalf of Club Cluster 2, Zone 6, at the presentation ceremony, said the donation and reading exercise are part of the activities of the club to celebrate basic education and literacy month.
She said the aim of the reading was to inspire students to embrace the culture of reading, which is a sure way to groom the next generation of leaders.
Onwo explained that the celebration of the global event allows the club to encourage the culture of reading among primary school pupils. She added that education in Nigeria was on a downward spin.
“Rotary District 9110 under Rotary International is observing this activity all over the world across different locations. We celebrate this special day because we see it as an opportunity to encourage children to do the needful, one of which is to ensure that they read books as often as possible,” she said.
Onwo further stated that by intervening at the primary school level, the club wants to get to the root cause of illiteracy, adding that when the pupils are equipped to read, they will be better children today and better adults tomorrow.
Aside from the reading exercise, the four Rotary clubs also donated books for the school library, and water, sanitation and hygiene materials such as water tanks and waste bins to ensure that the school environment is clean.
Mrs Bosede Ajibola Ige, the headmistress of Ebenezer A/C Primary School, lauded the Rotary Club for the donations and called on other well-meaning organisations to support the growth and development of the education sector.
