Northern Education Initiative Plus: Teacher’s Guide

The program is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is led by the Northern Education Research and Development Council (NERDC). The program focuses on developing high-quality pupil's books and teacher's guides for primary 1-3 pupils in the northern states of Sokoto and Bauchi. The approach to learning to read in Hausa (Mu Karanta!) and the transition to English (Let's Read!) is based on global best practices that help pupils master the five key skills of early reading: phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The program is designed to strengthen the oral skills of pupils before moving on to reading in English in primary 3. The program is a result of NERDC's work over the past several years to strengthen reading in the early grades. The revised English Curriculum reflects these developments, and the Let's Read! program, aligned to the curriculum, brings the English language alive in the primary grades. Similarly, Mu Karanta is aligned to the Hausa Curriculum. The program aims to improve the capacity of teachers to deliver effective reading instruction in the early grades. The program is supported by the Northern Education Initiative Plus, and the states have made a commitment to work with the program to develop the high-quality reading books and implement the Let's Read program in all primary schools. The program is based on global best practices and has had the expert advice of many of the state and national education, Hausa, and English experts. The program is designed to ensure that teachers receive all the support they need to help pupils learn to read. Teachers are the key actors for the success of the program, and they are responsible for implementing the lessons and ensuring that pupils take their books home for reading and writing practice. The program also emphasizes the importance of parents' roles in helping their children learn to read and write at home. Parents are encouraged to ensure their children attend school on time and nurture the love of reading. The program aims to strengthen the foundation of the education system and provide a model for the teaching of reading in the early grades throughout Nigeria.