30 Million Pupils Benefit from Jolly Phonics Project in Nigeria

The Country Director of Universal Learning Solutions (ULS), Patrick Uzu, has said over 30 million pupils have benefitted from the Jolly Phonics Project while 241,227 primary school teachers were trained in the last 19 years the programme was birthed in Nigeria.

He said the successes of Jolly Phonics in Nigeria were built on solid collaboration between the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEB) and Universal Learning Solutions, with support from the Federal Ministry of Education.

Uzu spoke at an event after the release of the 2025 Phonics Screening Exercise results by the Universal Learning Solutions Initiative under the UBEC 2023/2024 TPD programme, which assessed 72,127 pupils across 33 states.

The country director said findings revealed that the pupils who were taught with the use of the Jolly Phonics method consistently outperformed their peers in reading and writing skills.

He said such pupils recorded steady improvements in every round of their assessment since 2019.

Uzu said: “In a context where many education projects have failed to show measurable impact, Jolly Phonics has delivered consistent, evidence-based results. With greater investment and support, its reach and impact could be even stronger.

“UBEC has been a key partner in ensuring this isn’t just another short-term project but a national literacy strategy.

“SUBEBs across the country have shown real ownership, ensuring teachers are supported and data is collected to sustain impact. Nigeria should be proud of what it has achieved through this collaboration.”

The Chief Executive Officer of ULS, Gary Foxcroft, said it was incredible to think that Jolly Phonics started in a single school in Akwa Ibom State 19 years ago and became active across every state in the country.

“We are proud of the strong teams — from teachers to state coordinators, SUBEBs, and UBEC — delivering evidence-based literacy interventions that are changing children’s lives. Nigeria is now leading the way in showing how a consistent phonics-based approach can transform reading outcomes.”

The Kano State SUBEB Chairman, Alhaji Yusuf Kabir, said the programme has transformed how children learn to read in the state.

The SUBEB chairman said Kano State has witnessed remarkable improvements in pupils’ reading and writing skills as well as increased teachers’ motivation since the introduction of the initiative.

“Jolly Phonics has laid a strong foundation for literacy in Kano State. Our goal is for every child in Kano State, and across Nigeria, to read confidently by the end of Primary 2. Jolly Phonics gives us the proven tools to make that goal a reality,” he said.