The Centre for Innovative and Pragmatic Development Initiative (CIPDI) has called on the Federal Government to invest more in early childhood education.
The President of CIPDI, Mr Ifeanyi Nwanoro, made the call in his address at an event to mark this year’s International Day of the African Child (DAC) in Owerri on Thursday.
CIPDI, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) marked the event with pupils selected from five nursery, primary and secondary schools in Imo.
Nwanoro noted that the African child was resilient, intelligent, beautiful, creative, innovative, eager to learn and lead.
He stressed the need to give African children the tools to soar high.
“We need to give them opportunities to win and lead us to the next stage.
“We need to ensure that they are well educated by equipping their schools with modern technology and tools that make learning easy.
“We call on the government and stakeholders to be serious with the funding of public schools and invest in early childhood education,” he said.
Nwanoro said that the organisation held the event commemorating the Day of the African Child in Jigawa, Enugu, and Imo.
He explained that the motive was to adopt some public schools in the states to initiate programmes that would impact on their lives positively for the future.
“In the coming days, we shall roll out reading and literacy programmes, basic computer programmes, financial and entrepreneurship literacy programmes and many more at those selected schools,” he said.
In his remarks, Mr Sunny Okoroma, the Chief Orientation/Mobilisation Officer of National Orientation Agency (NOA), Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area of Imo, emphasised the rights of the African Child to education, healthcare, water and food.
Okoroma urged members of the society to act against harmful practices affecting children such as drug abuse, child trafficking and early marriages.
The theme for this year’s commemoration is, “Eliminating harmful Practices Affecting Children”.