Oando Foundation Enrolls 5,162 Out-of-School Children

A recent report from the Oando Foundation highlighted the success of its education program, which enrolled over 5,162 out-of-school children into the formal school system and provided over 2,000 back-to-school kits to ease their transition.

Oando Foundation launched two reports highlighting the impact of Early Grade Reading (EGR) and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) interventions in strengthening literacy and numeracy outcomes across public primary schools in Ebonyi, Plateau, Sokoto, and Adamawa States.

The reports, unveiled at a dissemination workshop held in Abuja, follow the successful completion of the pilot phase of its Foundational Learning Improvement Programme (LEARNOVATE–FLIP).

Speaking on the initiative, head of Oando Foundation, Tonia Uduimoh highlighted the urgency of Nigeria’s learning crisis and reaffirmed the need to scale proven interventions like EGR and TaRL to drive systemic change.

She said, “for years, the statistics around foundational learning in Nigeria have been sobering. In response, Oando Foundation launched FLIP across four states, using a mixed-methods approach that combined preventive and remedial interventions to strengthen literacy and numeracy skills among pupils.

“Over the course of implementation, FLIP has built teacher capacity, enhanced school support systems, deployed culturally relevant assessment tools, and tested scalable, evidence-based approaches to improve learning outcomes. Most importantly, it has shown that Nigeria can tackle its learning crisis through innovation, collaboration, and community ownership.”

Uduimoh added that “as a Foundation, we remain deeply committed to advancing these solutions, working with government, partners and other private sector actors to sustain and scale proven models like Early Grade Reading and Teaching at the Right Level and ensuring that our efforts translate into lasting systemic change. By launching these project reports, we aim to shape strategies for policy integration, financing, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and community engagement that will ensure continuity and long-term impact.”

Also, member, Board of Trustees, Oando Foundation, Dr. Feese Nguyan said, “the number of children that are out of school, and those in school but not learning, shows that there is still much to be done to give every child a fair chance at education. I commend our government and development partners for their commitment to this work and for walking this journey with us.

“For the Oando Foundation, initiatives like LEARNOVATE–FLIP reflect our mission to strengthen the capacity of teachers and national education systems, and to deliver real improvements in learning outcomes. This pilot is only the beginning, and we remain committed to scaling these solutions to ensure lasting impact for children across Nigeria.”

Director, Basic Education, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Folake Olatunji-David stated that “education is one of the key pillars of national development and the bedrock of all progress. Without a strong grasp of literacy and numeracy, the potential of our children to thrive is limited.”

Since its inception in 2011, Oando Foundation has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving access to quality education and driving innovative solutions for sustainable learning outcomes.