Policy into practice

We have designed and implemented new competency standards and qualifications for school leaders in Ethiopia, introduced school-based approaches to teacher development in Zimbabwe, and supported the development of equitable gender-responsive approaches in Kenya. On behalf of the Gates Foundation, we also manage Engeza, a technical assistance hub for improving foundational learning in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through Engeza, among other projects, we are collaborating with the Nigerian government and World Bank to create a tool for evaluating foundational literacy and numeracy teaching and learning materials.

Many of our large-scale education workforce development programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa (such as TEACH in Zimbabwe, Building Learning Foundations in Rwanda, and TARGET in Ethiopia) have, in the long-term, also influenced nationwide education system reform. This reflects our commitment – along with that of our ministry partners – to translate evidence and programmatic learnings into sustainable policy and practice.

Through CfBT Education Services, we worked with the government of Brunei to help create a reading culture in the country. CfBT leads initiatives to raise the profile of reading for pleasure, and increase access to books and role models who demonstrate a love of reading. In 2025, 95% of CfBT teachers facilitated school-based literacy initiatives, involving over 9,800 Bruneian students to date. We also piloted ‘reading hubs’ in 12 schools in 2025.