Jolly Futures News

From 5th to 9th January 2026, the National Rollout of the Grade One teacher training programme in Jolly Phonics took centre stage in Lusaka, the heart of Zambia's Capital Province. The training brought together educators for focused and engaging capacity-building sessions aimed at strengthening early grade literacy teaching skills in primary schools.

A total of 910 Grade One teachers received hands-on training in Jolly Phonics, strengthening the foundation of early reading skills. Training activities reached all six districts across Lusaka Province, ensuring widespread impact and consistent learning standards. The rollout made Lusaka the fifth of the ten provinces in Zambia to be trained in Jolly Phonics for their Grade One teachers.

To support effective implementation, 28 education officials were also trained in monitoring using the Jolly Monitor app, reinforcing quality delivery in classrooms. The training for officials was to ensure successful implementation of Jolly Phonics methodologies in various schools. A strong step toward better literacy, one child at a time.

In early 2018, the Ministry of Education (MoE) took a bold step toward improving early grade literacy by launching a pilot study to test the effectiveness of Jolly Phonics in Zambian schools. Supported by the Permanent Secretary for Education, the pilot took place in 22 government primary schools across Ndola District in the Copperbelt Province, and Lusaka District in Lusaka Province. Successes scored led to the programme being scaled up and rolled out across the Copperbelt Province to all Grade 3 classes in 2022 and 2024 . By the year 2024, the focus shifted to sustainability — Beyond Ourselves Zambia (BOZ) invested in building local capacity by developing district-level trainers across the province. Simultaneously, high-level discussions with the Ministry of Education paved the way for national expansion, using a phased approach.

In February 2025, Central Province successfully completed its rollout of the programme in Grade 1, becoming the second province after the Copperbelt to do so, and marking a major milestone in Zambia’s journey toward nationwide English literacy transformation. During the rollout, 2215 Grade 1 teachers were trained and equipped with skills and resources to deliver the programme in their classes. A further 130 education officials were trained in how to monitor and mentor the implementation of the programme using the Jolly Monitor App.

To strengthen foundational English literacy from the early years, the Government of Tanzania—through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) and the Tanzania Institute of Education (TIE)—collaborated with Jolly Futures to implement a phased rollout of the Jolly Phonics programme. Building on encouraging results from a 2024 pilot, the first phase launched in mid-2025 across four regions: Arusha, Tabora, Rukwa, and Iringa, which aimed to equip Standard 1 teachers with practical skills and teaching materials to deliver engaging, effective English literacy lessons.

Alongside teacher training, education officers were trained to provide ongoing support through mentoring and digital monitoring using the Jolly Monitor app. This training was delivered by a highly experienced international team of 14 Jolly Phonics trainers. This initiative marks a significant step towards closing early literacy gaps and fostering confident, capable learners by laying a strong foundation in reading and writing in English.