Ahead of International Day of Education, the Luminos Fund is proud to present The Luminos Learning Differences Approach, an evidence-based white paper and urgent call to action. This paper invites educators, policymakers, and funders to close one of education’s most persistent gaps, offering a practical framework to ensure every child—especially those with learning differences such as dyslexia—receives the instruction and support they need to fulfill education’s central promise: the opportunity to truly learn.
Luminos extends our deepest gratitude to the Oak Foundation for their longstanding and visionary support, which has propelled our work to advance inclusion for children with learning differences in low-learning contexts. Without them, this paper and its findings would not have been possible.
Globally, the single greatest predictor of whether a child will learn to read is not effort, ability, or potential, but the country into which that child is born. While literacy challenges exist everywhere, the scale of the crisis in low- and middle-income countries is devastating. In these contexts, even the most advantaged children achieve significantly lower literacy outcomes than the most disadvantaged children in high-income countries.
It is estimated that 70% of ten-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries cannot read by age ten, a crucial stage when they are expected to move from learning to read, to reading to learn. In low-income countries, this figure climbs to an astonishing 90%. For millions of children, the consequences are lifelong: without foundational literacy skills, they are far less likely to succeed in school, pursue further education, or access opportunities that could transform their lives.
Education systems in low- and middle-income countries—that are already failing the majority of children—are least equipped to support those with learning differences, such as dyslexia. Expanding access to children with learning differences in systems where most children are not learning is not the answer. This reality demands a fundamental rethink of how inclusive education is designed and delivered in low-resource contexts, starting with approaches that ensure joyful, foundational learning for all.
The Luminos Learning Differences Approach
A Different Starting Point for Inclusion
Learning differences include specific learning disabilities (e.g., dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia) as well as neurological processing challenges (e.g., attention deficits, sensory processing disorders, and executive function challenges) that can affect learning.
Over the past decade, growing political commitment to inclusive education in many low- and middle-income countries has been encouraging. These policies aim to make mainstream education systems more inclusive of all learners, including those with learning differences. However, they consistently overlook the reality that in many of these countries, mainstream education systems are failing to provide children with the instruction they need to actually learn.
Education systems are failing almost all children in low- and middle income countries.
Simply bringing more children—especially those with learning differences—into existing systems does not create meaningful inclusion. When learning is not happening for most children, the starting point for inclusion must be radical efforts to implement effective instruction that benefits all children.
There is clear evidence that an approach which includes explicit and systematic phonics instruction is most effective for all children learning to read, including those with learning differences. By contrast, approaches such as “whole word” or “balanced literacy”—common in some parts of the United States—are less effective and are particularly problematic for children learning to read in African languages which have more regular letter-sound relationships and can convey more meaning per word.
Further, children with learning differences often enter classrooms carrying the weight of negative prior experiences and face additional barriers in learning environments that do not support their needs. Those with visible learning differences are also at higher risk of abuse, violence, and low self-esteem—both at home and in school.
The Luminos Learning Differences Approach urges that effective instruction must be inclusive from the outset. By promoting literacy through phonics-based approaches, using structured pedagogy that gradually shifts responsibility to learners, and fostering inclusive, joyful classrooms where child safeguarding is prioritized, stakeholders are engaged, and resources are used strategically, we ensure that no child—including those with learning differences such as dyslexia—is left behind.
Identification and Targeted Support Matter—But Only Once We Enable Learning for All
Only once this first step—implementing effective, inclusive instruction—is firmly in place can efforts to monitor learning and provide targeted support become truly valuable. In Steps 2 and 3 of our approach, we show how learning can be tracked in real time and how additional targeted instruction can be provided to children who are struggling.
We caution against relying on screening or diagnostic tools that are not tailored to the local context. In low-learning environments, these tools can produce imprecise results because low learning levels are widespread. Instead, closely monitoring learning outcomes and collecting timely data can help identify children who need additional support.
Children who struggle to keep up do not necessarily need a different type of instruction, but rather more of effective instruction. Targeted support must be practical, contextually appropriate, and designed to help children reach their full potential. In low-learning contexts, the top priority is integrating supportive approaches into whole-class teaching so that learners who are struggling are not left behind. For those who continue to struggle, routine group remediation informed by formative assessment provides essential additional support.
Luminos’ experience in Liberia illustrates this approach in action: by introducing a structured remediation program, we dramatically reduced the number of children struggling to read.
Conclusion
The Luminos Learning Differences Approach offers a realistic framework designed to meet the complex realities of low- and middle-income countries, and support learning for all. In most low- and middle-income countries, the absence of effective instruction puts learning itself at risk. The first and most urgent step is ensuring that every child receives instruction that is both effective and inclusive.
By following the steps in this paper and enacting the policy recommendations, we can guarantee that every child has the chance to learn—and take decisive action against this persistent global learning crisis.
To read the full paper, click here.
