Katsina Launches UK-funded SCALE Programme to Boost Foundational Learning

• Katsina State has launched the UK Government-funded SCALE programme to strengthen foundational reading and mathematics skills among children.

• The programme targets Integrated Qur’anic and Tsangaya Education (IQTE) schools, while supporting flexible learning for over-aged out-of-school children affected by conflict and displacement.

• SCALE will also support a national review of the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP) curriculum as part of efforts to improve learning outcomes.

September 12, () – The Katsina State Government has launched the UK Government-funded Scaling Access and Learning in Education (SCALE) programme to strengthen foundational reading and mathematics skills among children in the state.

The programme, delivered in partnership with the Education Development Trust (EDT), Teaching at the Right Level Africa (TaRL Africa) and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), was launched at the Katsina State Government House.

SCALE works with national and state governments to integrate proven education interventions into public education systems. In Katsina and Zamfara states, the programme focuses on improving literacy and numeracy in Integrated Qur’anic and Tsangaya Education (IQTE) schools.

It will also support a national review of the Accelerated Basic Education Programme (ABEP) curriculum, which provides flexible and accelerated learning opportunities for over-aged out-of-school children whose education has been disrupted.

Speaking at the launch, Katsina State Governor, Umar Dikko Radda, said the state’s priority was not only to increase school enrolment but also to ensure that children acquire meaningful learning outcomes.

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

He said the state would seek to integrate and sustain education approaches that demonstrate measurable results rather than treat them as isolated projects.

The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Suleiman Usman Jibia, described the launch as a milestone in expanding learning opportunities for emerging and IQTE learners across Katsina State.

Jibia said the state would build on the results of the pilot phase towards broader and more sustainable implementation of the programme.

The SCALE intervention builds on experience from Kaduna State, where the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach was introduced in IQTE schools with support from the Aminu Musa Abdulsalam (AMA) Foundation.

TaRL groups children according to their actual learning levels rather than their age or class and uses targeted teaching and regular assessments to help learners develop basic reading and mathematics skills.

Head of Development Cooperation at the British High Commission in Abuja, Cynthia Rowe, said the UK Government was supporting Katsina State to introduce evidence-based teaching approaches in IQTE schools.

She said the programme would help ensure that children, regardless of the type of school they attend, have the opportunity to develop strong foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

Senior Education Adviser at the British High Commission in Abuja, Ian Attfield, said the intervention was particularly important in Northern Nigeria, where insecurity and other challenges have disrupted children’s access to education.

“Far too many girls and boys have been denied access to quality education in Northern Nigeria. We must all step up to open flexible, evidence-backed pathways to learning, to ensure that no child is left behind”, Attfield said.

The UK Government said the programme is expected to strengthen education systems and expand access to cost-effective interventions, particularly for disadvantaged girls and boys.

In Katsina and Zamfara, prolonged insecurity and displacement have affected access to formal education, while IQTE schools and learning centres remain important entry points for children who are out of school.

The strengthened ABEP model will provide flexible and accelerated learning opportunities for children aged 10 to 18 whose education has been interrupted by conflict and displacement.

The intervention forms part of wider UK education support in Northern Nigeria and is intended to expand the reach of foundational learning initiatives into the North-West.