Abuja, Nigeria – on August 28th 2025, Oando Foundation, an independent charity established to support Nigeria’s Universal Basic Education goals, announced the launch of two reports highlighting the impact of Early Grade Reading (EGR) and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) interventions in strengthening literacy and numeracy outcomes across public primary schools in Ebonyi, Plateau, Sokoto, and Adamawa States. The reports, unveiled at a dissemination workshop held in Abuja, follow the successful completion of the pilot phase of its Foundational Learning Improvement Programme (LEARNOVATE–FLIP).
According to UNICEF, 70% of Nigerian children in primary school cannot read with meaning or solve simple math problems, and millions of children remain out of school. The LEARNOVATE–FLIP pilot directly addressed this challenge by deploying evidence-based teaching methods in 80 public primary schools across Ebonyi, Plateau, Sokoto, and Adamawa States. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the programme combined preventive and remedial interventions to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy. The Early Grade Reading (EGR) model introduced structured reading instruction in mother tongue for pupils in Primary 1–3, while the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) model provided remedial support for pupils in Primary 4–6 who had advanced without mastering basic skills.
Over an eight-month period, more than 5,162 out-of-school children were successfully enrolled into the formal school system, the Foundation also provided over 2,000 back-to-school kits to ease their transition. Classroom instruction was strengthened through the training of 312 teachers and head teachers, alongside 112 education administrators, and the distribution of 19,262 teaching and learning materials and 21,600 supplementary readers. Community ownership also proved central to the programme’s success, with 60 School-Based Management Committees revitalized and 120 community reading hubs established, reaching 10,800 learners. The report further highlights the programme’s achievements in Adamawa through the TaRL intervention. A total of 4,469 pupils in Primary 4–6—48% of whom were girls—were reached across 20 schools in Demsa, Girei, and Yola North LGAs, nearly doubling the target of 2,400 learners. Literacy outcomes improved significantly: Hausa paragraph readers increased from a 19% baseline to 43% at endline, while English paragraph readers rose from 18% to 45%. Non-readers decreased dramatically, dropping by 34 percentage points in Hausa and 35 percentage points in English within six months.
Speaking on the initiative, Tonia Uduimoh, Head of Oando Foundation, highlighted the urgency of Nigeria’s learning crisis and reaffirmed the need to scale proven interventions like EGR and TaRL to drive systemic change. She commented:
‘’For years, the statistics around foundational learning in Nigeria have been sobering. In response, Oando Foundation launched FLIP across four states, using a mixed-methods approach that combined preventive and remedial interventions to strengthen literacy and numeracy skills among pupils. Over the course of implementation, FLIP has built teacher capacity, enhanced school support systems, deployed culturally relevant assessment tools, and tested scalable, evidence-based approaches to improve learning outcomes. Most importantly, it has shown that Nigeria can tackle its learning crisis through innovation, collaboration, and community ownership. As a Foundation, we remain deeply committed to advancing these solutions—working with government, partners and other private sector actors to sustain and scale proven models like Early Grade Reading and Teaching at the Right Level and ensuring that our efforts translate into lasting systemic change. By launching these project reports, we aim to shape strategies for policy integration, financing, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and community engagement that will ensure continuity and long-term impact.”
Also, commenting on the initiative, Dr. Feese Nguyan, Member, Board of Trustees, Oando Foundation, said: “The number of children that are out of school, and those in school but not learning, shows that there is still much to be done to give every child a fair chance at education. I commend our government and development partners for their commitment to this work and for walking this journey with us. For the Oando Foundation, initiatives like LEARNOVATE–FLIP reflect our mission to strengthen the capacity of teachers and national education systems, and to deliver real improvements in learning outcomes. This pilot is only the beginning, and we remain committed to scaling these solutions to ensure lasting impact for children across Nigeria.”
Dr. Folake Olatunji-David, Director, Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, commended Oando Foundation for its leadership. She said:
“Education is one of the key pillars of national development and the bedrock of all progress. Without a strong grasp of literacy and numeracy, the potential of our children to thrive is limited. I commend Oando Foundation for taking this lead from the private sector and convening a platform to share experiences and outcomes across the four project states. This is a clear demonstration of innovative work, and it is encouraging to see how much of our domestic resources can be unlocked to champion education. The FLIP initiative has provided valuable strategies and insights through teacher capacity development, community involvement, and evidence-based models. These are lessons that will enrich our collective efforts towards strengthening national education policy and improving learning outcomes, in line with SDG Goal 4. As we disseminate these findings, I encourage state governments, development partners, and educators to embrace the recommendations, scale them successfully, and sustain the momentum. Together, we can close the learning gap, reduce poverty, and build a solid educational foundation for all Nigerian children.”
The dissemination workshop convened key stakeholders, including representatives from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs), private sector, development partners, and implementing partners. Notable attendees included Nurudeen Lawal, Founder of Quality Education Development Associates (QEDA); Hafsatu Hamza, Country Director, TaRL Africa; Dr Aisha Garuba, Executive Secretary, UBEC, represented by the Deputy Director Teacher Professional Development; Dr. Aliyu Sa’ad, Acting Chairman and Permanent Board Member, Adamawa SUBEB; Mr. Joseph Michael Gowon, Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, Plateau SUBEB; Dr. Livinus Ezeuwa, Board Secretary, Ebonyi SUBEB; and Alhaji Umar Nagnari Tambunal, Executive Chairman, Sokoto SUBEB, amongst others.
Since its inception in 2011, Oando Foundation has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving access to quality education and driving innovative solutions for sustainable learning outcomes. The Foundation deploys a multifaceted approach to basic education delivery by investing in in-depth teacher support, learning innovation, education infrastructure and scholarships, which transform learning outcomes for pupils.
This report reflects Oando Foundation’s ongoing commitment to transforming education by delivering scalable, evidence-based education solutions aligned with national priorities and with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4—inclusive and equitable quality education for all. This also builds on Oando Foundation’s current LEARNOVATE strategy centered around improving foundational learning through innovative approaches and promoting sustainability within educational systems. A key component, LEARNING, focuses on prioritizing innovation in education to promote equity and improve learning and skills – targeting in-school children and youth.
For more information, you can access the full reports here: Teaching at the Right Level Intervention and Early Grade Reading Intervention .
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About Oando Foundation
Oando Foundation is an independent charity established in 2011 to support the Nigerian government in achieving its Universal Basic Education goal. Through the Adopt-A-School Initiative, the Foundation has garnered over a decade long experience and accomplishments, supporting basic education access and quality across 88 adopted schools in Nigeria through an integrated whole-school improvement approach.
The Foundation’s new strategy – LEARNOVATE prioritizes innovation and investments in foundational learning quality across target schools, especially around foundational literacy and numeracy skills mastery (Learning), green skills development (Planet), and sector thought leadership (advocacy).