Investing in Nigeria's Future Leaders

Teach For Nigeria launched the “Help a Child Learn to Read and Count” campaign to support our Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Initiative. During this reporting period, we strengthened the implementation of the FLN initiative across our partner schools and communities in Ogun State. We focused on building fellows' preparation, expanding evidence-based instruction, and strengthening coaching and resource systems. These combined efforts resulted in improved classroom practices, increased learner engagement, and stronger learning opportunities for early-grade students.

For this project, our fellows are making use of the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach, where teachers regularly assess students' actual learning levels (not their grade level) using simple, locally validated assessments. Students are then grouped by learning level rather than age or grade and receive targeted instruction appropriate to where they are. This approach breaks from uniform, grade-based instruction and ensures that no child is left without accessible learning.

All TaRL deliveries use low-cost, offline materials such as flashcards, letter charts, play cards, worksheets, play money, mats, markers, chalk, and cardboard, which funds from this campaign help us purchase. These materials are suitable for low-resource settings and can also be co-created by teachers and learners using everyday objects.

Please see a testimonial from one of our fellows highlighting the impact being made in his classroom.

Kingsley Muoneke, Yewa North Local Government Primary School, Owode-Ketu

“There was a time when Sarah sat in my class with her head down, not because she was stubborn, but because she truly did not know where to begin,” Fellow Kingsley recalled. “She could not recognise letters or follow simple lessons, and I could see the fear in her eyes.”

Using Teaching at the Right Level, I met Sarah where she was. Slowly, she began to recognise sounds, blend words, and solve simple math problems. One day, she solved a subtraction question without counting on her fingers and looked up at me with a smile I will never forget. She proudly told the class, ‘Teacher said I know what I’m doing.’

Today, Sarah reads simple sentences, solves math problems confidently, and even supports her classmates. She did not just gain literacy and numeracy skills; she found her confidence.

With your support, we will be able to transform many more lives and ensure that students gain the foundational learning skills that will shape their academic journeys and their futures beyond the classroom.