INNOVATIVE TEACHING OF READING IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN NIGERIA

Basic or primary education is the foundation level of education which a child undergoes before progressing to other educational levels. It is a stepping stone for the child’s educational journey beginning from 6 to 14 years of age. For this level, the Federal Government of Nigeria in the National Policy on Education has spelt out the aims to include, among others, the inculcation of permanent literacy and numeracy and the ability to communicate effectively. This emphasizes the importance of language. Reading is one of the important language skills which allows an interaction between the writer and the reader. Therefore, this paper takes a look at the present situation of reading instruction in primary schools. It identifies some of the challenges facing reading instruction in schools to include lack of access to reading materials, use of ineffective teaching methods, preponderance of untrained teachers, social distractions among others. The paper also proffers innovative strategies emphasizing the need to shift from the traditional method of teaching reading to a cognitive one, by encouraging professional development of teachers and providing the needed motivation for students’ sustained attention and interest in reading and teachers’ love for teaching reading in particular and the language in general.