NewGlobe, NGF Lead National Dialogue on Foundational Learning with Nigerian States

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NewGlobe, Africa’s foremost education technology partner, known for its success in large-scale transformational programs across the country, has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting states on their transformation journey at the basic education level.

This was disclosed by NewGlobe’s Vice President for Policy and Partnerships, Mrs Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, at the recent 2025 State-Level Workshop for Foundation Learning and Out-of-School Children held in Abuja.

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum organised the event in partnership with the NewGlobe.

The workshop was convened against the backdrop of a deepening crisis in Nigeria’s basic education sector, where over 10 million children remain out of school, the highest figure globally, according to UNICEF, and three out of four cannot read and understand a simple passage by age 10, as reported by the World Bank.

Despite increasing enrolments, many pupils leave school without mastering foundational skills. Discussions at the event identified the root causes as systemic: an undervalued teaching workforce, fragmented policy execution, chronic underfunding, and a misplaced emphasis on infrastructure rather than learning outcomes.

Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu, NewGlobe’s Vice President for Policy and Partnerships, reinforced the urgency of the moment.

“If we do not act quickly and deliberately, we will be too late for millions of children,” she warned. Describing the situation as “a system-wide emergency,” she added, “The evidence is clear: with the right tools, training, and data, foundational learning outcomes can be transformed at scale. We’re supporting states to build resilient, future-ready education systems that deliver measurable results because Nigeria’s children deserve nothing less than a system that works for every learner.”

Presenting a model for transforming foundational education, NewGlobe highlighted its evidence-backed, data-driven, and technology-enabled solution as a trusted implementation partner to state governments.

The model focuses on strengthening public education from within, equipping teachers and school leaders with real-time digital tools, structured lesson guides, continuous coaching, and performance dashboards that ensure instructional quality and accountability.

NewGlobe’s holistic approach aligns with national curricula, promotes teacher confidence, and empowers states to drive measurable learning gains across thousands of classrooms.

State-led programmes in partnership with NewGlobe, including EKOEXCEL in Lagos, KwaraLEARN in Kwara, BayelsaPRIME, in Bayelsa, EDOBEST in Edo, and JigawaUNITE, in Jigawa, have already delivered compelling outcomes.

In Bayelsa, literacy improved by 20 percentage points in just nineteen weeks, and enrolment surged from 25,000 to over 40,000 pupils. In Kwara, foundational literacy and numeracy deficiencies were halved in under two years, with over 60,000 additional pupils enrolled.

Lagos, once lagging in education outcomes, now leads with one of the country’s lowest learning deprivation rates. Independent evaluations confirm that students in NewGlobe-supported schools achieve learning gains up to 53% higher than peers in conventional schools.

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the governor of Kwara State, in a speech delivered by NGF Education Advisor Leo The Great, stressed that improving access alone is not enough. “Access does not equal learning.

Many children sit in classrooms but leave unable to read, write, or do basic arithmetic. The priority is not more schools, but ensuring every child is truly learning. In 2025, we should have daily visibility into every public school.” Citing success in states like Kwara, Edo, Bayelsa, Lagos, and Jigawa, he added, “Structured pedagogy is working. In such schools, teacher feedback has increased by over 200 percent. That’s real behaviour change.”

Also, speaking at the event, Aisha Garba, UBEC executive secretary called for unified action, stating, “We are here to work for one client, the Nigerian child.”

She urged stakeholders to “align with our agenda, not run parallel systems,” adding that “access remains our biggest challenge,” and the intervention fund must “respond to real needs, not just check boxes for classrooms.”

“At NewGlobe, our mission is clear: to bridge foundational learning gaps and help build future-ready education systems that truly serve Nigeria’s children. We are proud of the progress achieved with our current state partners, but the need is national. We are ready to support more states committed to transforming learning outcomes, because the future of our young people depends on the quality of education they receive today,” added Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu.

NewGlobe is a trusted, evidence-backed partner for state-led foundational learning reforms in Nigeria, focused on strengthening public education systems from within.

Its science- and data-driven approach combines advanced pedagogy, detailed lesson planning, and real-time data to track progress and guide strategy. By working closely with state governments and stakeholders, such as FGN and UBEC, NewGlobe ensures alignment with national priorities and supports scalable, sustainable reforms across the country.

As Nigeria grapples with the urgent challenge of learning poverty and an ever-growing number of out-of-school children, the workshop reaffirmed that systemic transformation is not only possible, it is already underway.

With political will, NewGlobe’s data-driven solutions, and collaborative implementation, a new era of public education is within reach.

The momentum built at this workshop signals a national commitment to ensure that every Nigerian child is not only in school but truly learning.