Early child experts visit indigent children

By Kofoworola Belo-Osagie

A group of early childhood education specialists, the Organisation Mondiale Pourl’ Education Pre-Scolaire (OMEP), spent Children’s Day with children in Makoko, Yaba and Badia, Ijora communities of Lagos teaching them preventive measure for COVID-19.

The group, whose English name means World Organisation for Early Childhood Education, also donated face masks, sanitisers and food packs to 200 children in Makoko, and 300 children in Badia.

Led by the OMEP Lagos State President, Mrs Khadijat Adenmosun, the group taught the children to observe five rules to prevent COVID-19.

The rules coined “Do the Five,” are: hands – wash them often; elbow – cough into it; face – don’t touch it; space – keep safe distance; home – stay if you can. Handbills containing the rules were distributed with the packs.

The group, affiliated to the UN through its agencies, UNESCO and UNICEF, also visited the Director-General, Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), Mrs. Abiola Seriki-Ayeni at the Ministry of Education in Alausa, where it handed over 500 packs of its face masks, sanitisers and IECs.

Praising OMEP, Mrs. Seriki-Ayeni called for closer collaboration with the group in view of its 72-year experience in early childhood education (in Nigeria, OMEP is 40 years old).

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“We will like to forge future and positive relationship with your organisation with a view to drawing from your experience locally and worldwide.  Given the need and knowing fully well that Early Childhood Education (ECE) is the foundation of education for the child, it will really be great that we have a working relationship, especially when your concentration is primary and early childhood education,” she said.

OMEP National President, Mrs. Tokunbo Doherty threw more light on the group’s activities, including teacher training; e-learning; and handwashing campaign against COVID-19.