While significant strides have been made to increase access to education in Africa, gaps remain in the quality of learning, especially in rural and marginalized communities. Only 18% of primary-school-age children in Sub-Saharan Africa achieve minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics, even though most children are enrolled in school.
To address this challenge, our team has worked with various partners to boost the quality of education across Africa.
What is Elimu-Soko?
Launched in 2021, Elimu-Soko unites governments, innovators, and experts in Sub-Saharan Africa to catalyze solutions in the educational sector. With successful pilots in Rwanda and Zanzibar, Elimu-Soko has already delivered promising results.
Recently established as a South African NGO, Elimu-Soko is now positioned to scale its work to other African countries. The initiative was founded by the Hempel Foundation in partnership with Devang Vussonji, with Dalberg Catalyst as a fiscal sponsor and board member. Axum serves as both the strategic lead and coordination partner, stewarding the program vision while working with service providers across the region.
Why Focus on Public Education Systems?
Public schools educate as many as 90% of students in Africa. Yet, while many stakeholders develop innovative solutions, they often struggle to convince governments to scale them using public financing. Governments are cautious when solutions are not perfectly aligned with their priorities.
Elimu-Soko addresses this gap by:
- Putting governments in charge of the process
- Identifying priority areas for intervention
- Supporting pilots with local innovators
- Scaling proven programs through public financing
Impact in Rwanda and Zanzibar
Our impact so far is tangible:
- In Rwanda, our teacher training initiatives have improved foundational learning for 18,000 students, 260 teachers, and 40 school leaders. Grade-level proficiency increased from 19% to 46% in literacy and from 18% to 54% in numeracy. The Government of Rwanda has approved scaling the program nationally.
- In Zanzibar, we have reached 20,000 students, 200 teachers, and 40 schools with similar results: literacy proficiency rose from 6% to 34% and numeracy from 5% to 45%. This has demonstrated the viability of our approach as a long-term systems solution.
Scaling for the Future
We are now preparing to expand in Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, and Sierra Leone, working with governments and innovators to identify, pilot, and scale evidence-driven, cost-effective interventions that lead to enduring systems change.
Elimu-Soko’s Approach infographic
To learn more about our work and impact, visit: https://www.elimu-soko.org/.