The urgent case for evidence-based education in Nigeria
What does it take to ensure every Nigerian child can read, write and articulate at grade level? For decades, this question has lingered in the corridors of education policymakers, where the learning crisis is both widespread and urgent.
According to UNESCO’s latest Global Education Monitoring Report, a quarter of a billion children and youth worldwide are out of school. Yet the crisis goes beyond those who never enter classrooms.
A 2022 World Bank Global Report estimates that 70 percent of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries are unable to read and understand an age-appropriate text.
Similarly, UNICEF reports that 70 percent of Nigerian children in primary school cannot read with meaning or solve simple math problems, and millions of children remain out of school.
The changing demands of the global economy, accelerated by the disruptions of COVID-19, have reinforced the urgent need for education systems that move with the times.
To prepare learners for the future, innovative instructional approaches are required, methods that go beyond traditional, often static classroom practices.
These challenges are even more pronounced in Nigeria, where cultural diversity, linguistic complexity, and uneven economic development complicate efforts to deliver equitable learning opportunities.
It is estimated that less than 30 percent of the Nigerian population can be reached using the English language. With the continent’s youth population expected to constitute 42 percent of the global total by 2030, the urgency to close these gaps has never been greater.
Global efforts to address the learning crisis
The question, then, is no longer whether children are learning, but whether the right approaches are being applied to reverse the learning crisis.
Encouragingly, global conversation has begun to shift from intuition-driven programmes to evidence-based interventions, initiatives designed, tested, and refined based on measurable outcomes.
Countries such as the Philippines, Ghana, and Uganda have adopted strategies like mother-tongue instruction, early-grade reading interventions, and structured remedial programmes to accelerate foundational learning.
In Uganda, a U.S.-supported programme introduced structured instruction in nine local languages, paired with trained teachers and age-appropriate materials.
Within three years, reading scores rose sharply while dropout rates declined, demonstrating the effectiveness of combining mother-tongue instruction with systematic pedagogy.
These experiences reaffirm that when children are taught in a language they understand, and instruction is tailored to their level of learning rather than grade, they acquire foundational skills faster and more effectively.
Nigerian case of LEARNOVATE–FLIP:
Oando Foundation has championed a mixed-methods approach that combines preventive and remedial interventions to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy.
The foundation recently launched two reports highlighting the impact of its Foundational Learning Improvement Programme, following the successful completion of its pilot phase across 80 schools in Adamawa, Ebonyi, Plateau and Sokoto States.
The programme combined two complementary approaches. Early Grade Reading (EGR) introduced structured instruction in both mother tongue and English for pupils in Primary 1–3, strengthening literacy at the point where it matters most, and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) supported Primary 4–6 pupils who had progressed without mastering basic skills, providing targeted remedial lessons in literacy and numeracy.
Together, these approaches ensured that children at different stages of learning were not left behind: younger pupils built strong foundations, while older learners were allowed to catch up.
Within just six months of implementation there were large, measurable gains: in Hausa paragraph reading the share of paragraph readers rose from 19 percent at baseline to 43 percent at endline (+24 percentage points); in English paragraph reading the share rose from 18 percent to 45 percent (+27 points); and learners able to solve two-digit subtraction increased from 13 per percent to 48 percent (+35 points).
At the same time, the share of non-readers fell sharply (Hausa non-readers dropped by 34 points; English non-readers fell by 35 points).
On the preventive side, the EGR model improved reading achievement for Primary 1–3 pupils across 60 schools, prioritising the use of mother-tongue instruction where appropriate while transitioning learners into English.
This pilot aims to demonstrate that an integrated approach to school support can significantly improve reading achievement for pupils in P1-3 classes. EGR materials and assessment tools in the mother tongue were deployed in Ebonyi and Sokoto, while materials in English were used in Plateau State as a control state.
A combination of robust, scripted early reading lessons in languages children understand, paired with materials and teacher mentorship support, was the foundation of the rapid gains in early literacy achieved in this project.
The two approaches address the twin problems that impede learning in many Nigerian classrooms: language barriers and heterogeneous learning levels.
Also recognising that teacher capacity and community engagement are pivotal, the Foundation embedded training and resource support into the programme to ensure sustainability.
Across all four states, the programme enrolled over 5,160 out-of-school children, provided 2,000 back-to-school kits, and strengthened classroom instruction through the training of 416 teachers.
To sustain improvements, the foundation distributed over 40,800 teaching and learning materials while also establishing 120 community reading hubs that directly benefited 10,800 learners. 60 school-based management committees (SBMC) were also activated, mentoring 1,140 members.
These achievements reflect the Foundation’s broader LEARNOVATE strategy, which prioritizes innovation, foundational learning, and sustainability within the education system.
By investing in teacher capacity, providing high-quality learning materials, and fostering community engagement, the Foundation ensures that children are taught in languages they understand and at levels appropriate to their abilities.
As Nigeria works towards 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goal 4 of inclusive and equitable quality education, the evidence is clear: solutions exist that can rapidly and measurably improve foundational learning.
The findings from our LEARNOVATE–FLIP pilots demonstrate that with the right mix of early grade support, remedial interventions, teacher capacity building, and community engagement, learning poverty can be reduced.
Uduimoh, the head of the Oando Foundation, writes from Lagos.
