LSI Wins Education Leadership Award from UNICEF and University of Maiduguri

Tallahassee, Fla. – The Learning Systems Institute at Florida State University was honored with the Multilingual Education Leadership Award at a ceremony in Nigeria this morning. The University of Maiduguri Language Centre presented the award in collaboration with UNICEF.

This award recognizes the impactful contributions and support of the use of mother language in general and language development in particular conducted by the Learning Systems Institute (LSI). FSU, through the team led by LSI's Dr. Ana H. Marty, made significant contributions to multilingual education in the Northeastern region of Nigeria. Dr. Marty worked with LSI's Dr. Stephanie Simmons Zuilkowski, Dr. Adrienne Barnes-Story and Dr. Marion Fesmire in designing, implementing and piloting the Kanuri Arithmetic and Reading Internation (KARI) project funded by UNICEF, which positively impacts quality teaching and learning.

Additionally, the collaboration between FSU and the University of Maiduguri, which Dr. Marty championed, is another significant milestone that has helped shape teaching and learning in multilingual settings like Northeastern Nigeria. 

"We are honored to receive this award and are so proud of the lasting impact our team, led by Dr. Marty, made in northern Nigeria," said LSI Director Rabieh Razzouk. "I want to thank the University of Maiduguri Language Centre and UNICEF for collaborating on this award and UNICEF for providing the funding to support international education."

A team of researchers from LSI in literacy and education provided technical assistance to the University of Maiduguri in Borno State, Nigeria. This technical assistance focused on developing an effective tool for Multilingual Medium of Instruction (M -LMoI) at Lower Basic Education Level (LBEL). The LSI team supported the review of literature, methodology design, and data analysis, which informed the development of the tool. In addition, the team provided capacity building to the staff in the Department of Languages and Linguistics on the use of the tool.

"I am humbled to win this award and I am proud of our work on this project," said Dr. Marty. "LSI's contribution to northeastern Nigeria's education system aimed to address the literacy and numeracy education crisis caused by decades of development neglect and the violence triggered by Boko Haram, which forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. 

"I am proud of the outcomes of the collaborative work with the University of Maiduguri, UNICEF and local stakeholders, which continue to impact thousands of Nigerian primary school students who are receiving instruction in their local language. My hope for the LSI team is to continue having opportunities for long-lasting impact in other low- and middle-income countries that need our expertise, commitment, and passion for improved education systems."

The award is part of this year's International Mother Language Day. UNESCO sets aside the day to celebrate institutions and individuals who have made an impact in the use of their mother tongue.

.