KPMG Nigeria Unveils Initiative to Improve Child Literacy

Nume Ekeghe

International professional services company, KPMG has kick-started its KPMG’s Family for Literacy (KFFL) programme in Nigeria, in its bid to combat child illiteracy in the country.

The move, it said, is part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR).

KFFL is the firm’s flagship Citizenship programme with a mission to eradicate childhood illiteracy by putting new books into the hands of children in need and developing the next generation of young leaders through reading also transited into a reading session with KPMG top management staffs.

Speaking at the maiden outreach in St Jude’s Nursery and Primary School Oyingbo, the Global Head of Citizenship, KPMG International, Lord Michael Hastings stressed the importance of reading and its benefit as well as presented the school reading materials. The team also extended this outreach to St Mary Primary School wednesday.

Hastings said: “The books we are going to give today are yours; they are our gifts to you. We want you to keep, read them over and over again with your friends and family so you can keep your mind rich.”

“The reason we are here is because KPMG launched this literacy programme in the United States of America and now we have spread it to Mexico, China, Kenya, Uganda Tanzania and we have also spread it to South Africa, India, Europe and here we are now in Nigeria which we are launching in Nigeria today.”

On his part, the National Senior Partner, KPMG in Nigeria, Mr. Kunle Elebutu said: “This school is the first school in Nigeria where we are going to launch the KPMG family for literacy programme.

“We would be giving the school today some science, maths, image books and also we would have some volunteers from KPMG who would read to you as well.”

He urged the pupils to read consistently, saying KMPG would be doing follow ups with the school and students to ensure they read as well as pledged to give more books if the grades improve.