Nigeria
The Jolly Phonics Project in Nigeria is implemented under the partnership between the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the Nigerian non-profit organisation Universal Learning Solutions Initiative, which is supported by Universal Learning Solutions in the UK. The flagship literacy project was initiated in Akwa Ibom State in 2010 and UBEC has since supported and encouraged the spread of the project to every state in Nigeria. This is due to the visible impact the method has on pupils’ literacy skills, and the enthusiasm it generates amongst pupils, teachers, parents and officials alike. Since the start of the programme in 2010 94,952 government school teachers have been trained in the method.
For the latest updates on our Nigerian projects please click here:
Katsina State NEED Project Report
Effect of Jolly Phonics on Primary School Pupils
Impact Report Nigeria 2010 – 2019
Delta End of Project Report 2018
ULS End of Year 1 Project Report Kano – September 2018
End of Year Report Bauchi State 2017
Niger BESDA End of Year 1 Report
Cameroon
A pilot in Doulala, Cameroon was implemented from January until June 2015 in partnership with the Ministry of Basic Education and the Regional Delegation. The pilot evaluation undertaken by the University of Bamenda showed that pupils taught using Jolly Phonics on average improved their reading age by 11 months after using the programme for just 6 months. In addition pupils improved other literacy skills, including listening comprehension and writing ability. The pilot illustrated that irrespective of gender, poverty levels and interestingly first language, all pupils benefitted from the Jolly Phonics programme. Please click to read Jolly Phonics in Cameroon
Kenya
The first Jolly Phonics pilots in Kenya were carried out between 2015 and 2018 in Kilifi County. Kilifi County are the pioneers using Jolly Phonics in Kenya and adopted Jolly Phonics as their flagship programme for all public pre primary schools in 2019.The results have been significant and pre primary pupils are now starting primary school as confident young readers and writers. These results are consistently high in the second year of implementation with excellent partnership between the County Government and our Project Staff. Our model for monitoring and mentoring to ensure sustainability is being further embedded. The positive impact in Kilifi is quickly spreading leading to an adoption for all public pre primary schools in Tana River County in 2020. In addition to these adoptions, Jolly Phonics pilots in other regions of Kenya are in progress. There is great potential for scaling up every year as well as addressing the requests for low cost Jolly Phonics training for private schools in Kenya. To date, since January 2019, over 5500 Teachers, Head Teachers and Education Officials have been trained in Jolly Phonics in the coastal region of Kenya.
For the latest training report download here:
Kilifi County Jolly Phonics Roll Out Report Feb 2019 Final.docx
Kilifi Kenya Case Study-Low Resolution
South Africa
Our rapidly expanding work in South Africa stems from several initial advocacy visits from both Directors Gary and Louise in 2018 to five provinces; Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Free State and Gauteng. There has been overwhelming interest from both Provincial Departments and the National Department to pilot Jolly Phonics in Grade 1 and 2. Jolly Phonics has since been approved by the National Department of Education as aligning with South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) framework in the context of English as a Home Language and English as a First Additional Language (EFAL) context.
In the Eastern cape, a short pilot conducted in partnership with the East Cape Department of Education in 2018 found that in just 6 months, Jolly Phonics pupils were performing significantly better than their peers, despite starting at the same level. The pilot results proved so successful that the department agreed for full roll-out across the province in all government schools. 6,500 teachers will be trained in June-July 2019 for Year 1.
In collaboration with the West Cape Education Department (WCED), the Jolly Phonics Programme is being piloted currently in 42 government schools. Under this partnership, over 271 Grade 1 and 2 Teachers will receive 18 hours of training and around 10,500 learners are to be reached
Jolly Phonics is additionally being piloted in KwaZulu in partnership with the KwaZulu Department of Education, involving 6 schools and 17 Grade 1 Teachers from Izingolweni area. Two further pilots in Gauteng and Free State are due to go ahead in 2019.
Namibia
Following a successful Jolly Phonics pilot study that was implemented in the Oshana region in the 2018 school year, in which the experiment group outperformed the control group on all of the early grade literacy skills tests, Jolly Phonics is now being rolled out across all Oshana’s public schools. Overall, we aim to reach at least 10,260 Grade 1-3 pupils in Oshana Region, with 156 Grade 1 Teachers and 278 Grade 2 teachers trained. In addition, the Jolly Grammar programme will be piloted in Oshana this year.
Lesotho
A pilot will be undertaken in Lesotho in 2019 with the National Curriculum Development Centre and Ministry of Education under the philanthropic Jolly Future Programme.