Alpha Teachers Network
Foundational Learning
The Challenge
South Sudan's primary schools are failing.
Learning poverty is taking place across Africa at alarming rates. South Sudan’s weak educational infrastructure and cycles of conflict have led to some of the most extreme cases of learning poverty. We’ve seen first hand how lacking foundational numeracy and literacy skills in primary learning have led to this. The majority of primary school teachers are secondary school leavers. They are often underprepared, under-supported, and working without structured guidance in classrooms. The consequences compound quickly. Children who do not develop foundational literacy and numeracy in primary school are unlikely to progress to secondary education, and even less likely to complete it.
National gross enrollment in secondary school is just 10%, down from 60% at primary school. Most students aren't making the leap from primary into secondary schooling.
Only 18% of primary school teachers in South Sudan have ever received any kind of training. Most are secondary school leavers.
An estimated 89% of children in sub-saharan African cannot read and understand a simple story by age 10.
The Opportunity
A new generation of teachers
Our secondary schools are producing some of South Sudan’s best talent. Every year, we place our graduates into under-resourced primary schools to take on teaching postions. With our training and programming, they implement targeted, data-driven interventions to drive numeracy and literacy levels up.
Our secondary schools now have over 800 alumni, and graduate 200 students every year. Our students have experienced first hand what quality education can look like, and many are committed to joining us in fixing one of South Sudan’s most important social institutions.
Our Model
Foundational Numeracy and Literacy
Step 1
Train
Fellows receive intensive training in Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methodology. This is a global, evidence-based approach to foundational numeracy and literacy that meets children where they are. Education Bridge is the first organisation in South Sudan to implement TaRL, and to our knowledge the only locally-led nonprofit delivering a structured foundational numeracy and literacy programme in the country. Fellows receive intensive training, materials, and coaching for their placement in a local primary school.
Step 2
Place
Fellows are placed in government and under-resourced primary schools in and around Bor and Juba. Alongside their responsibilities teaching, they implement remedial sessions following the TaRL framework. They work directly with children who have significant learning gaps, delivering targeted, evidence-based instruction designed to accelerate foundational skill development. They regularly collect assessment data to determine how children are progressing.
Step 3
Support
The ATN is not a one-time intervention. Fellows are part of a network, with structured professional development, peer learning, and career progression pathways. We are building a generation of skilled, locally-trained educators who will improve outcomes in South Sudanese primary schools long after their fellowship placement ends. We support our ATN fellows throughout their careers in education, to ensure they continue systemic improvements in the primary school sector.
Our Results
60% of our learners show measurable progress in literacy and numeracy within weeks.
Read more on how our Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) program is transforming learning outcomes for children.
Scale and Ambition
Building the foundation South Sudan's children deserve, at scale.
The ATN launched as a pilot in Bor, South Sudan in 2025 in partnership with Building Tomorrow. Since then, we have grown and strengthened into a programme with national ambition. Our 2026–2028 strategy prioritises the development of the ATN into a structured, evidence-based, nationally scalable foundational literacy and numeracy programme. We are recruiting fellows from our schools and beyond. We are expanding implementation to Juba-based primary schools, and are investing in rigorous monitoring and evaluation to capture impact data. We are building the partnerships with global FNL experts and South Sudanese primary schools to scale our impact.We believe all children in South Sudan deserve the opportunity to learn, and the foundations for living a self-determined life.
Teaching fellows to be trained by 2035
Students to be reached through TaRL programming
Total primary school learners to be reached with better instruction by 2035
Partner with us.
Quality education determines the future
Building foundational learning is one of the most important investments to make for a child's future. Get in touch to learn more about partnerships and opportunities to collaborate. South Sudan's future depends on the quality of its classrooms today.