By Aliyu Baba Mohammed
The Katsina State Universal Basic Education Board has praised the Jolly Phonics programme for improving pupils’ reading and writing abilities across primary schools in the state after a decade of partnership.
Dr Kabir Magaji Gafiya, Executive Chairman of Katsina SUBEB, made the commendation during an executive monitoring visit to assess how teachers are implementing the phonics-based literacy approach in classrooms. He expressed satisfaction with the results observed during the visit.
Jolly Phonics as we know has been a partner with the Katsina State government, particularly with SUBEB, for about a decade, and they have helped us in training teachers with the Jolly Phonics initiative and introducing them to ways of teaching pupils how to read with ease – Dr Magaji
He stated that the programme has produced a strong team of teachers who are performing excellently in schools;
From what we can understand, the teachers are doing very well and the students are understanding. Starting from Primary 1, 2 to 3, the pupils can read letter sounds, two, three and four letter sound words. They can read and comprehend what they have read, and they can write. When you ask them in their mother tongue, they can translate the meaning of the words
The executive chairman described the collaboration with Jolly Phonics as yielding good results and thanked the project team and participating teachers for their efforts and support. He announced that the state government plans to provide additional teaching and learning materials in the coming term and expand the programme to more local government areas.
We are looking at the avenue of expanding the programme into other areas. Because now, as it is, we are piloting and we are having a test project. We are looking at a way of leveraging the resources with this test project to expand to other LGAs – Dr Magaji
He revealed that the state government is committed to ensuring every learner in Katsina has at least one textbook, particularly for English and mathematics at primary level, and for English, mathematics and basic science at junior secondary level.
Tanimu Mu’azu, Director of Public Relations Services at Katsina SUBEB, who also participated in the monitoring exercise, praised the teaching approach used in Jolly Phonics. He highlighted how the method engages pupils actively in learning. He emphasized that the programme’s impact on children is tremendous because it ensures full participation rather than teacher-dominated instruction.
What we have seen on the ground is quite excellent. The pupils are exposed to five basic skills in Jolly Phonics: learning the letter sound, letter formation, blending, sounding and tricky words. If you have been witnessing this kind of exercise in Jolly Phonics, you will be convinced that this is the best approach in teaching literacy. There is no dominance of teachers in the classroom. The pupils are involved in each of the steps. They are involved in learning the letter sound, letter formation, blending, sounding and tricky words. In other words, all the kids are carried along in the lesson delivery – Mu’azu
Mu’azu contrasted this with traditional teaching methods, noting that in Jolly Phonics, children remain active at every stage with no one left behind;
You will see that the kids are quite active in each stage, they were not left behind, unlike in the old teaching method that is talk and chalk method. But here all the kids are involved, no one is left behind. It is quite excellent
He encouraged teachers to maintain their excellent work, describing the Jolly Phonics approach as the best method ever for teaching literacy.
Umaru Musa Dankama, Director of Teacher Development, highlighted the importance of joyful teaching in primary schools. He explained how the fun-filled nature of Jolly Phonics makes learning more effective.
Joyful teaching is very essential in primary schools because with the joyfulness, pupils are able to read and say the sound of letters very well. This is not like the ordinary teaching of English as usual, but with the help of Jolly Phonics, our learners are able to say the sound correctly and make sentences – Dankama
He stated that the programme’s effect has been tremendous because pupils are eager to learn due to the engaging nature of the Jolly Phonics approach.
The Jolly Phonics programme uses a systematic approach to teaching reading and writing through phonics. Children learn the sounds that letters make rather than just letter names, which research shows helps them decode words more effectively when learning to read.
The programme is currently being piloted in select local government areas in Katsina State, with plans for expansion based on the positive results observed. Teachers receive specialized training in delivering the phonics lessons and are monitored regularly to ensure quality implementation.
The monitoring visit by Katsina SUBEB leadership demonstrates the state government’s commitment to ensuring that literacy programmes are properly implemented and achieving their intended outcomes. The officials observed actual classroom sessions to assess teacher performance and pupil engagement firsthand.
The positive assessment from Katsina SUBEB officials suggests that investment in evidence-based literacy programmes and teacher training can produce measurable improvements in early grade reading outcomes. The state’s plan to expand the programme and provide additional teaching materials indicates recognition of the programme’s value.
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