'Children were not reading in our schools, but they are doing so now in schools with the coming of KaLMA. Some of the parents I spoke to are impressed with the way they see children from KaLMA implementation schools doing KaLMA activities at home and in the communities.' - Headteacher from a KaLMA school
Life cycle
2019 - 2024
Country/Region
Kano State, Nigeria
Client/Partner
Funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
Partners: Kano State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Ministry of Education and Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education, British Council, Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa, DAI.
Vision
The Kano Literacy and Maths Accelerator (KaLMA) programme is dedicated to improving education in Kano State, Nigeria. Through this initiative, more than 200,000 girls and boys in Primary four to Primary six across seven local government areas will gain essential skills in Maths, Hausa, and English literacy. These foundational skills will enable them to transition to more productive opportunities in life.
Situation
Before the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, Kano State was addressing the challenge of equipping children with literacy and numeracy skills. In response, the FCDO-funded Kano Literacy and Mathematics Accelerator (KaLMA) was launched in October 2019 across the state. The programme is based on a "teaching at the right level" approach, which involves assessing children on foundational skills and grouping them by learning level rather than age or grade. This approach dedicates two hours each day to focus on developing essential reading and numeracy skills.
Implementation
KaLMA introduced two key innovations: student-teacher facilitation and a dual language approach to English learning. The dual language method uses children's home language to support their learning of English, focusing on a "learning by listening and doing" approach. The in-school KaLMA programme resumed in January 2021, alongside continued support for home-based learning. Within two terms, improved learning outcomes led the Kano State Government (KNSG) to expand the programme to five additional LGAs. KNSG funded two LGAs—Ungogo and Warawa—while FCDO funded three—Bichi, Bunkure, and Rimin Gado. The scale-up to seven LGAs was delivered under the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE), in collaboration with DAI, FHI-360, and TaRL Africa, from March 2022 to August 2024.
Impact
The KaLMA programme has significantly impacted education in Kano State. So far, 3,477 teachers, 600 head teachers, and 585 schools have benefited from comprehensive professional development. As a result, 204,243 girls and boys have gained foundational skills in Maths, Hausa, and English literacy. The number of students able to read and perform foundational maths at a grade 1 level has increased by 27 percentage points, while the number of students unable to read basic words or recognize two-digit numbers has decreased by 50 percentage points.
By providing foundational skills to girls, KaLMA helps protect against early marriage, early childbearing, and social exclusion, ensuring that girls are more likely to progress to secondary school. This is particularly important in Northern Nigeria, where child marriage rates are high. The programme also recognized that female educators had less time than their male counterparts for professional development and took steps to accommodate their participation. For instance, CPD events, such as the mid-course webinar, were scheduled at times that ensured maximum participation from female educators.
Mutual benefit
Between May and November 2020, collaboration with Kano SUBEB and TaRL Africa provided English and Maths CPD to teachers in Wudil and Dawakin Tofa. This effort included sharing KaLMA-adapted teaching activities and the Strengthening English Proficiency (STEP) course, which was developed for Kano State under the FCDO-funded Teacher Development Programme (TDP). During the COVID-related school closures, a home-based learning (HBL) intervention was piloted to support children's education. This initiative provided families in Wudil and Dawakin Tofa with a remote learning package that included radio broadcasts, text messages, automated voice messages (AVM), and a toll-free support line.
The programme has since transitioned to being fully government-led and government-implemented, having successfully built the capacity of government and school leaders. This ensures that the intervention's impact can be sustained and scaled beyond the original geographical scope and timeline of FCDO funding.