The Federal Government has renewed a collaboration with a private firm to tackle persistent literacy gaps in Nigerian schools by strengthening reading instruction in Colleges of Education.

The partnership, coordinated through the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), seeks to deepen the use of structured phonics-based methods for teaching reading among teacher educators across the country.

The renewed collaboration, according to a statement on Friday by the firm, followed the signing of a reviewed Memorandum of Understanding between the Commission and Universal Learning Solutions at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

The statement noted that the initiative focuses on equipping lecturers and teacher trainers in Colleges of Education with skills in systematic synthetic phonics, an evidence-based approach to teaching early reading, with the goal of improving how trainee teachers are prepared to teach literacy in classrooms.

The collaboration between the NCCE and the firm began in 2013 with the training of directors and desk officers within the Commission on the principles of synthetic phonics.

The programme later expanded in 2016 with a pilot initiative involving academics and students from six Colleges of Education drawn from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

The pilot programme was designed to build the capacity of teacher educators and ensure that future teachers receive training based on globally recognised methods for early literacy instruction.

That same year, both institutions formalised their collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding and worked together to incorporate phonics-based reading instruction into the minimum standards guiding teacher education programmes in Nigeria.

According to the statement, under the renewed partnership, the firm has proposed a fresh phase of collaboration aimed at strengthening the capacity of lecturers in Colleges of Education in partnership with the Committee of Provosts.

It said the next phase of the initiative is expected to deepen expertise in synthetic phonics among academics, improve consistency in literacy instruction and strengthen teacher preparation across the country’s teacher-training institutions.

Chief Executive Officer of Universal Learning Solutions, Gary Foxcroft, commended the leadership of the Commission for sustaining the collaboration aimed at improving reading instruction and teacher education.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the NCCE, Prof. Paulinus Okwelle, expressed optimism that the renewed partnership would further enhance teacher training and contribute to better literacy outcomes in Nigerian schools.

“Over the past decade, the partnership between ULS and NCCE has demonstrated the power of institutional collaboration in driving educational reform. By investing in teacher educators and aligning with national standards, the initiative supports long-term transformation in how reading is taught across Nigeria”, the statement said.