The Oando Foundation announced that it has partnered with the Plateau State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) to promote the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) programme in ten schools across the state.
This strategic intervention tackles important gaps in early childhood education by improving infrastructure, providing grade-appropriate instructional aids, and building teacher capacity.
Early childhood development is crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4.2.1, which aims to ensure that by 2030, all children have equitable access to quality early childhood development and learning opportunities.
In Nigeria, ECCD confronts severe obstacles such as insufficient finance, teacher capacity gaps, and poor implementation of national policies on integrated early childhood development.
According to Nigeria’s National Population Commission, only 10% of children aged three to five have access to pre-primary education, underlining the critical need for increased assistance and investment in early childhood development.
Tonia Uduimoh, Programmes Manager at the Oando Foundation, stated that the foundation’s assistance is intended to bridge these gaps by establishing a firm foundation for young learners.
“We aim to support young learners with the right learning environment and necessary learning tools to thrive,” she said.
According to her, this is essential as the first five years of a child’s life are vital for cognitive development and their experiences through these early years form the foundation for lifelong learning.
“As a Foundation, we believe that Nigeria’s ability to capitalise on the prosperity embedded in its people requires focused investments in human capital, starting at the early years as a critical foundation.”
She added that “leveraging strategic partnership with Plateau SUBEB, the Foundation has expanded the reach of its ECCD intervention to 10 schools across the state, including Obasanjo Model Schools A – C, Army Children School, Pilot Science Primary school, Our lady of Fatima Primary School, Jos Kufam Primary School, among others.
“The schools have been upgraded with fully functional ECCD classes, including interactive literacy and numeracy corners, gross motor skills sections, instructional materials, among others. Through an immersive training experience, educators were equipped with the tools, strategies, and pedagogical approaches needed to foster quality early childhood learning.”
To date, the Oando Foundation has upgraded 21 early childcare facilities, helping approximately 4,851 children. This initiative is part of the Foundation’s larger LEARNOVATE strategy, which prioritises innovation and investments in foundational learning to improve life possibilities for children and youth through fair, high-quality, and climate-sensitive education.