Universal Learning Solutions

This weekend, our amazing team of South African trainers delivered the first in a series of large-scale Jolly Phonics training sessions for teachers across Gauteng.

A huge thank you to the Gauteng Department of Education and Jolly Learning for their continued partnership and support in making this project a success.

Together, we’re helping transform literacy across South Africa and giving more teachers the practical skills and confidence they need to help every learner become a successful reader. 📚🇿🇦

Yusuf Bags British award for transforming Kano's education sector https://share.google/GeUmDOSBsUpoRiYn

Reformeducationkano Sanusi Bature D-Tofa Kano State Government Jolly Phonics Nigeria National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education Jolly Learning

Yusuf Bags British award for transforming Kano's education sector Governor Abba Yusuf has received the prestigious International Literacy and Learning Leadership Award in recognition of his bold leadership

Last night was a truly special evening for everyone at Universal Learning Solutions.

We were incredibly honoured to present the International Literacy and Learning Leadership Award to His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State Government , with the award graciously accepted on his behalf by His Royal Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, during a memorable ceremony at the historic Stationers' Hall in London.

For us, this award celebrates a partnership that is already transforming literacy across Kano State.

Working alongside the Kano State Government, Universal Learning Solutions has now trained more than 12,000 teachers in the teaching of reading through Jolly Phonics. The impact is being demonstrated through our Phonics Screening Check, which continues to show consistent improvements in children's literacy and reading attainment across the state.

Kano's achievements are also gaining international recognition. The recent African Union Commission and UNICEF report, Mapping Exemplars of Good Practice in Foundational Literacy in Africa highlights Kano State as a model of good practice for its implementation of Jolly Phonics and its commitment to improving foundational literacy through evidence-based teaching.

During his inspiring acceptance speech, the Emir of Kano praised Governor Yusuf's bold vision for education, including the landmark decision to allocate 30% of Kano State's budget to education. He also spoke passionately about the potential of Jolly Phonics to help bridge Qur'anic and formal education, ensuring that Almajiri children can build on their existing literacy skills while developing the English reading skills that will unlock future opportunities.

We are deeply grateful for the trust that the Government of Kano State has placed in Universal Learning Solutions. We look forward to continuing this remarkable partnership—training more teachers, supporting more schools and ensuring that even more children across Kano State gain the life-changing gift of literacy.

Congratulations once again to His Excellency Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, and our sincere thanks to His Royal Highness the Emir of Kano for accepting this prestigious award on the Governor's behalf.

Together, we are proving that with visionary leadership, evidence-based teaching and strong partnerships, every child can learn to read.

Yesterday, we were honoured to host an international parliamentary forum at the House of Lords, Westminster, chaired by Lord Alton of Liverpool and Sir Nick Gibb, former UK Minister for Schools.

The well-attended roundtable brought together parliamentarians, education leaders and policymakers from the UK and Nigeria to discuss England's reading revolution and how its evidence-based approach to early literacy, through Jolly Phonics, is helping transform education systems across Africa.

Kano State took centre stage as a leading example of education reform in action. Through the leadership of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf Kano is demonstrating how England's approach to literacy can be successfully implemented at scale, with sustained investment in teacher training, high-quality classroom practice and system-wide reform. We were delighted to welcome the Kano State delegation, led by Dr Haladu Mohammed, Technical Adviser to the Governor, alongside Sheikh Ahmad Tijjani Auwalu and other senior officials.

Discussions also highlighted the African Union's recent endorsement of Jolly Phonics as an evidence-based approach with significant potential to improve literacy outcomes across the continent. This recognition reflects the growing body of evidence from countries such as Nigeria, where governments are achieving measurable improvements through long-term commitment and partnership.

The forum also demonstrated how Universal Learning Solutions' model, with key support from Ubec Abuja Ubec, offers a sustainable alternative to traditional aid—working alongside state governments to build local capacity, strengthen education systems and deliver lasting impact rather than short-term interventions.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to such an inspiring discussion. Together, we are showing that evidence-based policy, strong political leadership and genuine partnership can transform children's life chances across Africa.

Jolly Phonics Nigeria Jolly Learning

We're delighted to celebrate **20 years of improving early grade literacy in Nigeria** at a special event in London, bringing together educators, literacy specialists, publishers and international partners to share lessons from two decades of collaboration.

Our Special Guest of Honour will join us in recognising the importance of ensuring every child has the opportunity to learn to read and write with confidence.

The programme will explore practical approaches to strengthening foundational literacy, the value of long-term partnerships, and how evidence-based teaching can help improve learning outcomes for children.

📅 **Friday 24 July 2026**
🕜 **1:30pm – 5:30pm**
📍 **Stationers' Hall, London**

If you are an educator, school leader, policymaker, NGO, researcher or publisher with an interest in foundational literacy, we'd love you to join us.

**Registration is easy.** You'll find the Eventbrite link in the comments below or send a PM

Universal Learning Solutions Universal Learning Solutions is a not-for-profit social enterprise working with governments in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya to transform early grade English literacy levels with Jolly Phonics.

The endline literacy assessments for the Almajiri children taking part in our pilot project are now underway, and the initial feedback is incredibly positive. After just a few weeks, early indications suggest remarkable improvements in children's reading skills.

We are excited to receive the full evaluation from our academic partners at Bayero University Kano, which will provide a detailed picture of the project's impact.

A huge thank you goes to the dedicated teachers and School Support Officers whose passion, commitment and hard work are transforming lives every day. You are the real heroes of this story.

We are also deeply grateful to His Excellency the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, and our wider partners for their invaluable support and shared commitment to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to succeed.

ALMAJIRIProject.com .Advocating for the Abandonment of Almajirinci in Nig Kano State Government
National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children

We are honoured to welcome His Royal Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, Emir of Kano, as our Special Guest of Honour at Universal Learning Solutions' celebration of 20 years of transforming literacy in Nigeria.

The Emir will represent His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kano State, at this special event, recognising two decades of partnership that have helped improve reading and writing outcomes for millions of children across Nigeria.

The event will also feature leaders from Jolly Learning, Universal Learning Solutions, Kano State Ministry of Education, Benue SUBEB and other key education partners, sharing how collaboration has driven sustainable literacy reform at scale.

📅 Friday 24 July 2026
🕜 1:30pm – 5:30pm
📍 Stationers' Hall, London

If you are an education leader, policymaker, NGO or publisher with an interest in foundational literacy, we'd love you to join us.

Registration is free – you'll find the Eventbrite link in the comments below

Universal Learning Solutions Universal Learning Solutions is a not-for-profit social enterprise working with governments in Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya to transform early grade English literacy levels with Jolly Phonics.

Today we had the privilege of meeting with the Reading Reform Foundation UK, and we came away even more inspired by the extraordinary impact they have had on literacy education.

For decades, the Reading Reform Foundation has championed an evidence-based approach to teaching children to read, helping shape the UK's adoption of synthetic phonics and influencing literacy policy far beyond Britain's shores.

At Universal Learning Solutions, we believe this is about much more than one country's education policy. We are proud to be part of a global movement for evidence-based literacy—working with governments across Africa and beyond to ensure that every child has access to the most effective way of learning to read.

We actively advocate for governments around the world to follow the UK's lead by embedding synthetic phonics at the heart of national literacy policy. The evidence is compelling, and it is no coincidence that countries achieving some of the strongest reading outcomes in international assessments such as PIRLS—including England and Ireland —have made synthetic phonics a central part of their approach.

We are especially humbled and honoured that Elizabeth Nonweiler, Chair of the Reading Reform Foundation, serves as one of our advisors. Her decades of dedication to ensuring that educational policy is driven by evidence rather than ideology continue to inspire and strengthen our work around the world.

If you care about improving literacy outcomes, we strongly encourage you to explore the Reading Reform Foundation's website. It is an invaluable resource explaining the research behind systematic synthetic phonics and why it remains the most effective approach to teaching children to read.

The literacy crisis facing millions of children is not inevitable. It is actually relatively easy to solve. We already know what works. Now our challenge is to ensure that every government, every school and every teacher has the opportunity to put that evidence into practice.

Home - Reading Reform Foundation UK We are dedicated to improving the teaching of fundamental reading and writing skills in the United Kingdom and beyond.