Sorenson Impact Foundation is pleased to announce its latest program-related investment into Instill Education, an EdTech and upskilling company based in South Africa and Ghana. Instill Education focuses on providing services to support educators and aspiring teachers in Africa. Their offerings include products to help teachers: obtain teaching credentials, improve teaching structures, and access higher education and continuing education opportunities at physical locations.
Access to quality teacher education and training is a significant and growing challenge worldwide. By 2030, 1.5 million teachers will retire in Africa. Attrition rates amongst African teachers are ~25%, and the teacher shortage is already leading to overpopulated classrooms. While teacher student ratios should be 1:40 at the primary school level, they are currently 1:58. UNESCO estimates the teacher shortage on the continent will grow to approximately 15 million teachers by 2030. Only 65% of current teachers hold the required certification, down from 85% in 2000, and uncertified teachers are earning less than 30% of the income of certified teachers.
Furthermore, teachers are often reliant on inadequate and antiquated curriculum. There is a high rate teacher absenteeism in the geographies Instill Education serves with 1 in 4 teachers being absent on any given day. Teachers currently do not have the resources or tools they need to be successful in the classroom, and its effect on student outcomes is substantial: In Instill’s target markets, fewer than 10% of 4th graders are reading at grade level and fewer than 15% are at grade level for math. Students at the lower primary level in Africa are proficient in reading at a rate that is 28% lower than other developing areas.
Instill Education aims to address these challenges by providing practical solutions for educators. Their EdTech platform and support services are designed to enhance teaching methods and provide aspiring teachers with the necessary skills, credentials, and teaching resources. The blended structure of the Instill Education program and cost savings of ~50% in comparison to competitors makes earning teaching degrees more accessible. The stackable microcredentials allow uncertified teachers to continue working while earning a degree at a pace that best suits their needs. Instill provides both certified and uncertified teachers with increased and improved opportunities, facilitating economic and social mobility, and improving student outcomes in the classroom.
Founder and CEO Alim Ladha has spent his career addressing education gaps cross-globally. A McKinsey alum who focused on education in the Middle East, a former Innovation and Learning Executive at Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, and the former Founding CEO of African Leadership University, Alim is dedicated to building the next generation of African leaders.
Investing in teacher education is crucial for keeping teachers in the classroom, promoting their upward mobility, improving student outcomes, and fostering wider-spread socioeconomic development. This investment from Sorenson Impact Foundation will support Instill Education’s efforts to scale in order to reach more schools and empower more educators across Africa. With impressive traction and recognition by the Ministries of Education of Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, Instill Education is uniquely positioned to solve systemic education system challenges, and we are thrilled to support them during this exciting chapter of growth.