Lute*, 8 years old, Malawi

“[On the tablet] I learn words and phrases and how to find similarities between them. I learn words like ‘hyena’, ‘dog’ and ‘bag’.” Lute.

Lute loves to learn, and her favorite subject is Chichewa, one of Malawi’s national languages. Her school, Mphimbi Primary School, is one of the first in Malawi to implement the BEFIT program, which uses tablet-based learning to improve foundational skills for students in grades 1–4.

This technology-enabled approach, supported by GPE, builds on a successful pilot that showed strong gains in student performance and has since been expanded to reach nearly 4 million children across the country.

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Charles, 15 years old, Chad

Charles is one of several thousands of adolescents who had never stepped foot in a classroom. He participated in a literacy course and upon completing it, enrolled in a vocational program to learn carpentry. He hopes to open his own shop one day.

Thousands of out-of-school children, youth and women in Chad have been able to learn literacy, numeracy and vocational skills through non-formal education programs, giving them the tools they need to change their lives.

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Hanan*, 16 years old, Somalia

“We no longer have to leave school during our menstrual periods because we have access to proper sanitation resources right at school. We also have fresh drinking water.” Hanan.

In Somalia, Hanan* is one of 93,000 students who reaped the benefits of investments in better classrooms and toilets. The constructions improve access to education and provide an environment conducive to learning.

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Faizat, 3 years old, Zanzibar

“My school’s name is TuTu school. My teacher’s name is Teacher Mati. At school, I sing, I read, I play.” Faizat Juma Hamisi

As a very young learner, Faizat benefits from Zanzibar’s policy taken in 2006 to make 2 years of pre-primary education compulsory. It opened pre-primary classrooms in primary schools and in community centers through the TuTu program, short for Tucheze Tujifunze (“learning through play”).

The TuTu program has been critical to expanding access to preschool, preparing children for learning when they enter primary school and beyond.

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Amin, 6^th grade student, Burundi

“The remedial classes helped me a lot, especially with mathematics, because I was having trouble learning this subject, even in Kirundi. I learned a lot and my grades are much better now.” Amin Irura.

Amin was able to get back to learning through remedial classes after the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected education in Burundi, even though schools didn’t close. Making education resilient is a priority for GPE partner countries, allowing them to be better prepared for the next pandemic, climate disaster or security crisis.

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Diana, primary school student, Cameroon

“I am really happy that we are now able to have more books in our classroom. I have the opportunity to read more in class.” Diana.

Cameroon is making books more affordable and accessible for students. Over 4 million children now have access to affordable textbooks. And the student-to-textbook ratio has improved from 12 students for every book in 2016 to three textbooks for every two students in 2023.

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Alicia, 3^rd grade student, Rwanda

“Learning through videos helps me study in a fun way and I gain a lot of knowledge. My favorite character is Bakame. Bakame taught me how to count and sign language.” Alicia Ineza Turabayo

Rwanda is producing almost 200 edutainment episodes for children in pre-primary education up to grade 3 to help strengthen foundational learning.

The episodes are accessible online, on radio and TV broadcasts, and offline via flash drives, so that learning can take place anywhere at any time.

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Naomi, Central African Republic

“I took part in the remedial course because I want to be a journalist. I have to speak languages well. I'm taking part so that I'll have a good level when I go back to school after the holidays.” Naomi Bakere.

This year, I have 19 students, 10 girls and 9 boys. I also have an assistant who helps me while I teach the lessons. I have a schedule for the week and a handbook that details all the lessons we are going to teach each day of the week.

Naomi is one of close to 120,000 students who received additional instruction through a remedial education program, because her teacher noticed that her literacy skills were lagging.

The remedial program identifies students at risk of dropping out and strengthens their basic competencies in reading and math to help them stay in school. Thanks to this support, Naomi can catch up with her peers.

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