Improving the Teaching of Early Grade Reading and the Transition to English

Commencing in October 2015 with support from USAID, the five-year Northern Education Initiative Plus project (the Initiative) is strengthening the ability of Bauchi and Sokoto states to provide greater access to basic education - especially for girls and out-of-school-children - and to significantly improve reading outcomes for more than two million school-aged children and youth. This policy brief focuses on teachers and teacher training and provides recommendations.

From a survey of teacher characteristics in Bauchi and Sokoto, 22 percent of teachers in Bauchi and 42 percent in Sokoto do not have the requisite qualifications for teaching. Only 30 percent of teachers have participated in in-service professional development since taking up their posts. Evidence from classroom observations of teachers who have completed the 14 day in-service training for Mu Karanta! (learning to read in Hausa) and Let's Read! (the transition to English) show weak skills and commitment, even after training and support.