UK-backed programme targets learning crisis in Katsina

…New initiative to strengthen reading, mathematics for IQTE pupils, support over-aged out-of-school children

The United Kingdom-backed Scaling Access and Learning in Education (SCALE) programme has been launched in Katsina State, with a focus on tackling foundational learning gaps among children in Integrated Qur’anic and Tsangaya Education (IQTE) schools and restoring educational opportunities for over-aged out-of-school children.

The initiative, launched at the Katsina State Government House on Thursday, is being implemented by the Education Development Trust (EDT), Teaching at the Right Level Africa (TaRL Africa) and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), in partnership with the state government.

The programme comes against the backdrop of prolonged insecurity, displacement and school closures across parts of Northern Nigeria, which have disrupted the education of thousands of children and increased the urgency of flexible and inclusive learning pathways.

In Katsina and Zamfara states, SCALE will support the strengthening of reading and mathematics instruction in IQTE schools, while contributing to a national review of the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP) curriculum.

According to a statement on Friday by the Senior Communications & Public Diplomacy Officer, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, British High Commission, Atinuke Akande-Alegbe, the enhanced ABEP curriculum is designed to provide accelerated basic education for over-aged out-of-school children, particularly those between 10 and 18 whose schooling has been interrupted by conflict, displacement or other barriers.

The intervention will deploy the Teaching at the Right Level approach, an evidence-based model that groups pupils according to their actual learning abilities rather than their age or class, enabling teachers to provide targeted instruction in foundational reading and mathematics, the statement read.

It noted that the approach builds on promising results from Kaduna State, where it was introduced in IQTE schools with support from the Aminu Musa Abdulsalam Foundation. The programme partners said the Kaduna experience showed that children who had previously lacked structured reading instruction could begin reading simple words and develop greater confidence within months.

Speaking at the launch, Governor Umar Dikko Radda said the state’s education priorities extended beyond school enrolment to ensuring that children actually acquired the skills they needed.

“For us, education is not simply about getting a child into the school. Access is only the beginning, but learning is the ultimate objective,” he said.

Radda said the government was seeking to build an education system capable of continuous improvement rather than relying on isolated projects.

“Where an approach demonstrates value and produces results, we will continue to explore appropriate ways to integrate and sustain such approaches within our educational system,” he added.

The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Suleiman Usman Jibia, described the launch as a milestone in efforts to expand learning opportunities for emerging and IQTE learners across the state.

He said the government looked forward to building on the results of the pilot phase and working with partners towards a broader, more effective and sustainable implementation of SCALE.

The Head of Development Cooperation at the British High Commission in Abuja, Cynthia Rowe, said the programme reflected a shared commitment to ensuring that children could acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills regardless of the type of school they attended.

“The launch of SCALE marks an important step in our shared mission to ensure that every child, regardless of the type of school they attend, has the opportunity to build strong foundational literacy and numeracy skills,” she said.

Rowe said the UK was proud to support the Katsina State Government in bringing evidence-based teaching approaches into IQTE schools.

Also speaking, the Senior Education Adviser at the British High Commission, Ian Attfield, said too many children in Northern Nigeria had been denied access to quality education.

“We must all step-up to open flexible, evidence backed pathways to learning, to ensure that no child is left behind,” he said.

SCALE is intended to help governments adapt proven education interventions to local contexts, test their effectiveness and build the capacity required to integrate successful approaches into public education systems.

The programme’s expansion into Katsina and Zamfara marks a broader UK engagement in education in Northern Nigeria, extending support beyond states in the North-East and focusing on system strengthening, inclusion and foundational learning.

For Katsina, the initiative offers an opportunity to address learning deficits in education pathways that serve children who are often excluded from conventional schooling, while strengthening the state’s capacity to sustain effective teaching interventions beyond the life of individual projects.