New community library to bridge literacy gaps

As part of After God’s Heart Inc. (AGH’s) commitment to community development and youth capacity enhancement, the Association of Mass Communication Students (AMACOS 94/99 set) received an award to set up a community library for high school students in the Abeokuta North Local Government. This duplicates prior projects aimed at establishing libraries in two secondary schools in Osun and Kwara states. According to the proposal, there is an urgent need to address the persistent decline in students’ academic performance in Ogun State, Nigeria.

According to the awarded proposal, one of the major factors affecting students’ performance in external examinations, such as WAEC, NECO, and JAMB, is prevalent within the Abeokuta North Local Government Area, as it is in many others across the country. The lack of functional, accessible libraries contributes to learning decline because many students lack essential textbooks, reference materials, and conducive reading environments required for academic excellence. This gap, they said, has contributed significantly to declining motivation and poor learning outcomes.

To address this challenge, AGH awarded a grant to the Association of Mass Communication Students (AMACOS) 94/99 group to establish a Community Library to improve literacy, learning outcomes, and academic performance among secondary school students in Abeokuta North, Nigeria. In support of the project, the local government, under the chairmanship of Dr. Olanrewaju Oyegbola Sodipo, donated the building for the library.

The project’s objectives are,

·       Improve students’ academic performance in external examinations within Abeokuta North and surrounding communities.

·       Provide access to relevant learning materials and a conducive, distraction-free study environment.

·       Enhance the overall learning experience through improved access to educational resources.

·       Promote literacy, independent study, and a culture of academic excellence within the community.

Although the initial plan was to establish two libraries in two secondary schools, the decision to combine resources at a central site accessible to multiple schools in the Abeokuta North and Abeokuta South Local Government areas broadened the reach. The project included the procurement of lockable bookshelves (with a capacity of at least 400 books), reading tables, and chairs for at least thirty students at a time. In addition, ensuring that the library is conducive to students, AGH paid for the installation of a solar system to help mitigate high electricity costs. The substantial financial support, most importantly, included the procurement of 288 STEM and English textbooks, 8 Bibles, and four dictionaries to serve multiple Senior Secondary School students in the local government.

To ensure that all students benefit from the library, the AMACOS group expanded the book subject areas by collecting donations from its members to include Arts and Commercial subjects. This thereby helped to cater to students across all academic tracks. In addition, a computer system was installed to support cataloguing, inventory management, and administrative processes.

The AMACOS–AGH Mini-Library, supported by the Abeokuta North Local Government Chairman, serves as both a learning facility and a model of impactful community building. It demonstrates how strategic partnerships, grassroots empowerment, and targeted educational interventions can transform student performance and community development. This initiative provides a scalable, replicable framework to improve academic outcomes across multiple communities in Nigeria.