Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Nigeria

Highlights

Foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) has become the focus of significant attention and increased funding and is now being prioritized across Sub-Saharan Africa with the particular aim of encouraging out-of-school children back into learning. The disparities between children in Nigeria who achieve FLN outcomes and those that do not are stark. In Lagos, for example, the functional literacy rate for children who complete Grade 5 is 89 per cent, compared with just 14 per cent in Sokoto.

This report is important in understanding the country’s congested and fragmented FLN ecosystem. It integrates global and national evidence and includes the voices of key actors involved in FLN, enabling insights and practical takeaways crucial to informing FLN policy and programming in Nigeria. Importantly, it also provides a country-specific overview of what is working and it attempts to demystify the ‘formulas’ of effective FLN programming.