Think Creative - Issue 2

(From top) Zaharau Abdullahi Yabo, grade 3 teacher; 10-year-old Yazidu Sahabi and his father, Abubakar Sahabi; students in Sokoto state.

Reshaping education, one textbook at a time

In northern Nigeria, Mu Karanta! curriculum taps into students’ desire to learn

By Natalie Lovenburg and Boco Abdul

In partnershipwithmore than 100 international and local curriculumdevelopers, linguists, primary teachers and other educators, the project has de- veloped student books and teacher guides for each of the three terms of theNigerian school year. The MuKaranta! books equip grade 1 to 3 students to read in the local language of Hausa, and the Let’s Read! books prepare grade 2 to 3 students to transition fromreading inHausa to English. Collectively, the books contain more than 750 lessons, each of them providing children with opportunities to practice reading, listening and writing. The illustrations and stories embedded in the books communicate local cultural norms and values. Additionally, the guiding questions that supplement each lesson encourage early grade readers to think critically. Sparking excitement for learning In Sokoto state, a hot and arid Savannah region in northwesternNigeria that borders Niger, educat- ing children has been a challenge, particularly in rural areas. Farming families prioritize working in the fields over receiving an education, classrooms have suffered from insufficient textbooks, and teach-

Ten-year-old Yazidu Sahabi sits on a wooden bench in the front row of his grade 3 class and en- thusiastically raises his hand to answer his teach- er’s questions. He is passionate about learning. “You must study hard, and do it with all of your heart,” says Yazidu, who dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Zaharau Abdullahi Yabo, Yazidu’s teacher, says he is the first to arrive to her classroom each morning. She adds that the reading and writing skills he is receiving at school will put him on a path to success. “If a student doesn’t get a strong foundation in primary school, it is hard for him to achieve what he wants to become later in life,” explains Yabo. Yazidu is one of nearly 200,000 young students in Sokoto state improving reading and writing skills through an early grade reading program called Let’s Read! ( Mu Karanta! in Hausa). Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Northern Education Initiative Plus project is being implemented in formal and non-formal schools inNigeria’s Sokoto and Bau- chi states, with the goal of improving reading skills for more than 2million primary grade learners.

Photos by Erick Gibson

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