NCRRD

By Fatima Badawi

Scholars, educators and policymakers converged at Bayero University, Kano this week for the 5th International Conference of the Nigeria Centre for Reading Research and Development (NCRRD). Held under the theme “Reading Research and Practice: The Implication of Artificial Intelligence,” the conference examined how AI-driven technologies are reshaping reading instruction, literacy assessment, publishing and access to texts across Nigeria and the larger Global South.

The opening session featured a keynote address delivered in absentia by Dr. Aminu Maida, who was represented on the platform by Dr. Isma’il Adegbite. Dr. Maida, who currently serves as a leading figure in Nigeria’s technology and telecommunications space, set the tone by urging researchers and practitioners to treat AI as both an opportunity and a responsibility: a tool that can expand access to reading materials and personalized learning, but one that must be governed by inclusive policy and literacy-centred design.

The conference’s intellectual programme was anchored by lead papers from eminent figures in Nigerian education and development. Professor Sadiya Daura, Director General of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI), presented her lead paper on teacher preparation for AI-enhanced classrooms, arguing that pre-service and in-service teacher education must integrate digital literacies and critical appraisal of algorithmic tools. Professor Mohammed Laminu Mele, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, addressed infrastructure and equity, highlighting that without targeted investment in connectivity and localized content, AI risks widening existing literacy gaps in underserved communities.

Furthermore, in her remarks, Professor Amina Adamu, Director of the Nigeria Centre for Reading Research and Development, framed the conference’s aims around actionable outcomes: stronger university–school partnerships, pilot programmes that deploy AI tools for mother-tongue reading instruction, and an ethics working group to develop guidelines for the use of automated assessment and adaptive reading platforms. In her remarks Professor Adamu emphasised the Centre’s commitment to research that is directly useful to classrooms and communities in Northern Nigeria. She also commended and thanked all the partners who are always there for the Centre right from its inception to date. Some of the International and Local partners who participate in the conference include; QEDA, Ubongo, NERDC, UBEC, Plain, USAID among many others.

Some of the panel discussions explored concrete applications: on how AI-assisted text-to-speech and speech-to-text for low-resource languages; automated item generation for formative reading assessments; and data-driven reading interventions that preserve local genres and oral traditions rather than replacing them. Most of the papers presented during the event stressed that technology pilots must be accompanied by teacher coaching, community engagement and open-access content.

Participants included university academics, representatives from teacher education institutions, ministry officials, civil society literacy advocates and publishing professionals. The conference closed with a call for a multi-stakeholder roadmap: investment in localized datasets and annotated corpora for Nigerian languages, professional development pathways for teachers, and research ethics protocols to ensure that AI systems amplify, rather than marginalize, local knowledge and reading practices.

Organisers said the 5th NCRRD conference will feed into pilot projects and policy briefs to be shared with educational authorities and development partners. Delegates left with a clear message: AI’s promise for reading and literacy is real, but realising it will require literate design, purposeful investment and a sustained partnership between researchers, teachers and communities.

By Muhammad Aliyu Gombe

The Centre for Reading, Research and Development (NCRRD) Bayero University Kano, Nigeria, has organized its Fourth National Conference on the promotion of reading culture among students and researchers. The event which took place at Ɗangote Business School, New Site, (BUK) was a 5 day even which included a Pre-Conference Workshop which aims at sensitizing the participants on the new methods of improving teaching especially from the basic level. The theme of the conference reads ‘Children’s Books and The Teaching of Early Grade Reading in Nigeria.’

The Director of the Centre Professor Talatu Musa Garba, during her speech, says that, as part of the mandate, of the Centre, it “had instituted the annual conference in 2019 to provide a platform for teachers, researchers and other educationists to share ideas on the best practices for the promotion of teaching of reading in Nigeria.” The Director, together with the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, commissioned the Centre’s resource room which is named Rebecca Rhodes Resource Room. The room has a modest collection of books and e-resources. It is open to researchers, teachers and students as a reference library.

It has been noted by various participants during the occasion that reading culture is past dying not only in Nigeria but across the globe. There is a huge need to revive it through practical methodologies which will guarantee and assist young readers to be taken right from the tender age.

Some of the participants, especially students and other invited guests, showed their appreciation and happiness with these gigantic efforts which the center is putting to revive reading culture in Nigeria.

By Muhammad Sulaiman Abdullahi

It has been widely confirmed and unanimously agreed by academics and other educational stakeholders that the culture of reading is fast dying across the globe, especially in Nigeria. This may be the reason why Bayero University, Kano, in collaboration and support of Florida State University, USA, established “The Nigeria Centre for Reading Research and Development” at Bayero University, Kano.

The Centre’s main aim is to encourage, support and upgrade the nature of reading and revive the reading culture, which, according to experts, is the only way and key to development of any nation.

The Director of the Centre, Professor Talatu Musa Garba, disclosed this development today during the opening ceremony of the 3rd National Conference on Children’s Book and the Teaching of Early Grade Reading in Nigeria.

Garba added that “It is my pleasure to announce that the Centre is now focused to develop various courses, in collaboration with the Department of Education, Bayero University, Kano, following the expiration of its collaboration with Florida State University earlier this year.

The Postgraduate Diploma in the Teaching of Reading approved by the university and advertised on the BUK official website has already commenced this academic year, which opened last week, on 1st November, 2021. The Centre has also concluded arrangements to offer the Certificate in the Teaching of Reading beginning in July 2022″.

BUK Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas, revealed that the Nigeria Centre for Reading, Research and Development is now entirely under Bayero University, Kano. He further added that “We in the management pledge to support its operation fully. In this regard, I  am pleased to inform the conference that the construction of the permanent building for the Centre has reached an advanced stage, as the physical structure is currently being furnished and equipped, accordingly. What remains is the landscaping, and the university is making provision for that before the end of the year.

The conference is still ongoing, and it will dwell and deliberate on “Children’s books as tools for the effective teaching of reading skills in the early grade in Nigeria”.