At just 12 years old, Ibrahim Abubakar has already faced unimaginable loss.
Orphaned as an infant, he now lives with his grandmother and older sister in a camp for displaced families in Bama, Borno State — a community deeply affected by years of conflict in North-east Nigeria.
Life in Bama remains uncertain. Armed attacks are an ongoing threat, and the risk of abduction lingers. Yet despite the instability around him, Ibrahim carries something powerful: ambition.
And for him, school is both refuge and possibility.
Learning Against the Odds
Determined to continue his education, Ibrahim enrolled himself in an accelerated basic education program at the learning center inside his camp.
Supported by GPE and UNICEF, the nine-month program helps out-of-school children rebuild foundational skills in reading and mathematics. Trained volunteer facilitators guide lessons designed to help children catch up and transition back into formal schooling.
But Ibrahim’s days are long.
“I farm and weave caps to sell in the mornings,” he explains. “I give the money to my grandmother so we can buy food. I also attend Tsangaya [religious school] every morning.”
In the afternoons, he heads to his catch-up classes. There, he studies alongside friends who share his determination.
“My best friend is Muhammed,” Ibrahim says proudly. “We both love English literacy classes.”
His mother tongue is Hausa, and lessons are delivered in both Hausa and English. Now he is learning to read two- and three-letter words.
“My teacher says I’m improving,” he says with a smile. “I would be very happy to finish my education and speak English fluently.”
The accelerated program offers children like Ibrahim more than lessons — it offers a pathway back to formal schooling and, ultimately, secondary education.
A Wider Education Crisis
Ibrahim’s story reflects a broader challenge across North-east Nigeria.
According to the 2025 Joint Education Needs Assessment by the Education in Emergencies Working Group, approximately 2 million children in the region are out of school.
Conflict has disrupted daily life in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states since 2009. Attacks by non-state armed groups and intercommunal violence have damaged schools, displaced families and weakened access to essential services — including education.
For many children, learning has been interrupted for years.
Recognizing the urgency, the Government of Nigeria has made crisis-responsive and inclusive education a priority in the region. With US$5 million in GPE funding for 2024–2025, implemented with support from UNICEF, more than 190,000 conflict-affected children across the three states now have improved access to education.
Strengthening Foundational Skills
Beyond non-formal learning centers, efforts are also underway to strengthen formal schooling.
GPE funding has helped expand the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach to 280 formal schools across North-east Nigeria.
TaRL focuses on foundational literacy and numeracy — the building blocks of all future learning.
Students are assessed in reading and mathematics and grouped into five learning levels. Instead of teaching strictly by age or grade, instruction is tailored to each child’s actual ability. Teachers receive specialized training to design lessons that meet students where they are.
The approach has already shown success. After proving effective in more than 380 schools during the 2021–2022 academic year, TaRL continues to deliver encouraging results. Assessments from the 2024–2025 school year indicate that most students in the 280 targeted schools progressed to higher learning levels by year’s end.
Building Resilience Through Education
These initiatives build on a previous US$20 million GPE grant (2020–2023), strengthening education access and resilience in a region deeply affected by instability.
The targeted support aligns with Nigeria’s broader national education goals:
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Reducing the number of out-of-school children
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Improving foundational literacy and numeracy
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Strengthening basic education systems
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Making learning more inclusive and crisis-responsive
For children like Ibrahim, these programs mean more than classrooms and textbooks. They represent continuity in the midst of disruption — and hope in the face of uncertainty.
Each afternoon, as Ibrahim sits in class practicing new English words, he is not only catching up academically. He is reclaiming a future shaped by opportunity rather than conflict.
And in communities like Bama, that possibility matters more than ever.
