2024 Best Practice Prize – Imagine Worldwide

Imagine Worldwide is a non-profit organisation based in the United States of America working to improve foundational literacy and numeracy for children in low-resource settings. The organisation partners with governments and local organisations to deliver technology-enabled learning solutions that are accessible, affordable, and designed for environments with limited infrastructure.

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, many children do not acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills during primary education. Key contributing factors include large class sizes, limited instructional resources, and infrastructure constraints such as unreliable electricity and limited connectivity.

To address this challenge, Imagine Worldwide provides an offline, solar-powered tablet-based learning solution with adaptive software designed for early-grade learners. The programme delivers structured, adaptive instruction in local languages and is designed for scalable deployment within public education systems.

The approach is grounded in evidence from multiple rigorous evaluations, including randomized controlled trials conducted across different contexts. These studies indicate that the programme is associated with improvements in foundational reading and numeracy outcomes compared to standard instruction.

Systematic monitoring is an integral part of implementation. The organisation collects automated usage data from devices alongside field-level implementation information. These data are regularly reviewed with partners to support programme improvement, implementation quality, and decision-making.

The programme has reached large and growing numbers of children across Sub-Saharan Africa, including through national-scale implementation in several countries. In these contexts, governments are increasingly engaged in supporting and scaling the model as part of broader foundational learning strategies.

The solution is designed to be cost-effective and scalable, with per-child costs decreasing over time as implementation expands. This supports long-term sustainability within public education systems.

Imagine Worldwide is also developing an Open Learning Architecture platform to strengthen data systems and support continuous improvement of learning delivery. The platform is intended to enhance monitoring and enable more tailored learning pathways over time.

Through its evidence-informed, technology-enabled approach, Imagine Worldwide aims to support children in acquiring foundational skills that are essential for future learning and development.