Call to Transform Africa’s Education: Breaking the Silence on Dyslexia

Dyslexia affects millions of children across Africa, yet for too long, it has remained invisible in our education policies, classrooms, and conversations. On June 17, 2025, UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), collaborating with the Africa Dyslexia Organization (ADO) through the GPE KIX Africa 19 Hub, brought this issue into focus during a powerful regional webinar. The session highlighted the urgent need to recognize dyslexia as a critical barrier to literacy and inclusion.

Dyslexia is a neurobiological learning disability that makes reading, spelling, and writing difficult, despite adequate intelligence and opportunity. It affects 1 in 5 children worldwide, making it one of the most common learning difficulties yet also one of the least addressed in African education systems. In many classrooms, children with dyslexia are mislabeled as slow learners or simply ignored. Teachers often lack training, tools, or awareness to identify and support them. The consequences are severe, including high dropout rates, low self-esteem, and missed potential, especially for girls, who face the double burden of gender-based expectations and stigma.

Research shows that learning to read in two languages with a dyslexia condition does cause an extra burden. In Africa, many children learn in a language that is not their mother tongue, increasing the cognitive demands of reading. This phenomenon is known as the "Mismatch Hypothesis, " meaning that even capable learners struggle to read in unfamiliar languages. For children with dyslexia, the burden becomes even heavier.

Most countries in Africa have education systems which:

• Do not explicitly recognize dyslexia in policies.
• Lack teacher training on how to identify and support dyslexic learners.
• Lack of national screening tools for early identification.
• Underinvest in structured literacy programs that are proven to work.
• Do not track the progress of children with dyslexia, leaving their learning outcomes invisible.

During the webinar, innovative solutions were raised by speakers from the Africa Dyslexia Organization on how we can do better:

1. Structured Literacy for All

Children with dyslexia benefit most from a teaching approach known as Structured Literacy, which is explicit, systematic, and multisensory. This means teachers directly teach skills like phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, and comprehension in a clear and intentional sequence. Unlike whole-language approaches, which assume children naturally "pick up" reading, structured literacy uses scaffolds to support learners in acquiring reading skills and leaves nothing to chance. 

2. Equipping Teachers to Recognize and Respond

Teachers are often the first line of support, but many report feeling unprepared to identify or support children with learning difficulties. Pre-service teacher education and in-service professional development must include recognizing the signs of dyslexia, applying inclusive pedagogical strategies and adapting classroom assessments and instruction. 

3. Leveraging Assistive Technology

Technology can be a game-changer for children with dyslexia, especially in under-resourced classrooms. Tools like text-to-speech software, speech-to-text apps, audio books, and digital phonics games allow learners to access content and demonstrate knowledge in ways that align with their strengths. Even in low-connectivity settings, offline and mobile solutions are increasingly available. Importantly, assistive technology doesn’t replace good teaching, it enhances it by removing barriers and promoting learner independence.

4. Language-Conscious Instruction

African children in many countries across the continent face a language mismatch between what they speak at home and the language used in school. This can delay reading development and obscure learning challenges like dyslexia. Teachers need support to become language-conscious educators who understand how language affects reading, use mother tongue or bilingual approaches when feasible and develop linguistically and culturally relevant materials.

5. Early Identification and Ongoing Support

Many African countries lack screening tools and referral systems. Schools should conduct early and regular screening (ideally in lower primary), train school staff to observe and respond to signs of reading difficulties and link learners to structured interventions and support services. Equally important are inclusive assessments allowing extra time, oral responses, or technology so children with dyslexia can show what they know without being penalized for how they read or write.

6. Build Multi-Sectoral Support Systems

Supporting a child with dyslexia is not the job of teachers alone. It requires a team. Ministries of Education must work with teacher training institutions, health and psychology professionals, families and communities and disability and literacy organizations. This kind of joined-up response ensures children don’t fall through the cracks and that teachers, families, and schools get the support they need to succeed.

If we fail to recognize dyslexia, we fail millions of learners. By integrating these strategies, education systems in Africa can shift from silence and neglect to recognition, response, and results for children with dyslexia. 

As part of the GPE KIX Africa 19 Hub’s commitment to inclusive and equitable education, UNICEF ESARO and the Africa Dyslexia Organization are jointly raising awareness of dyslexia, providing evidence-based guidance to Ministries of Education and stakeholders, and promoting the integration of dyslexia-responsive approaches within teacher training, curricula, and national literacy policies, including practical recommendations for early identification, effective instruction, and assistive technologies.