Pillar 1 | School Access Project (SAP)
Getting children into school and ensuring they learn while they are there.
The Challenge
Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, over 18.3 million. Across states, economic barriers, gender norms, and the absence of quality learning are the primary drivers of school absence and dropout. Children who attend school are not guaranteed to learn: without skilled teachers and appropriate support, attendance without achievement leaves the cycle of poverty intact.
Our Approach
SAP operates a dual-track model targeting both access and quality simultaneously:
• Community-Based School Enrolment and Retention: We work with parents, community leaders, schools, and local volunteers to identify out-of-school children, address barriers to enrolment, and support their transition into school. Through community sensitisation, household engagement, referral pathways, and ongoing follow-up, we help ensure that vulnerable children not only enrol but remain in school and progress in their learning journey.
• Teacher On-the-Job Coaching: We work directly with classroom teachers through structured coaching cycles, building instructional skills in literacy and numeracy within the school environment, without removing teachers from classrooms.
• Community Volunteer After-School Mentorship: We train and deploy community-based volunteers who provide after-school remedial support to children falling behind, bridging the gap between school attendance and actual learning outcomes.
