The Luminos Method combines foundational reading, writing, and math instruction with joyful activities using local materials, songs, and games. Teachers receive a set of step-by-step, daily lesson plans, robust training, and ongoing coaching to ensure every child has the support they need to succeed.

“In our classroom, our teacher explains the topics until we understand,” Sintayehu shares. “We use different learning methods, like music and flashcards.”

His mother, Sara, has seen an incredible transformation in her son. “Before, Sintayehu’s behavior was very challenging,” she admits. “He didn’t want to go to school and showed no interest in learning. Now he enjoys attending school. He can read and is making great progress.”

Sintayehu with his mother, Sara, outside their home. “Education is important because it helps children gain knowledge, learn to read, and build skills for the future,” says Sara.

For Sintayehu’s teacher, Toshine, the Luminos Method resources have been invaluable. “The teacher’s guide has transformed my lesson preparation by making it easier and more efficient,” explains Toshine. “I’ve learned to incorporate interactive teaching methods that keep students engaged and motivated. I’m proud to be part of a program with tangible results.”

Today, Sintayehu is not just learning— he’s thriving. With a newfound love for education, he dreams of becoming a doctor. “Education helps us live a better life,” he says. “I want to help sick people and provide medical treatment to those who need it.”

In Ethiopia, the Luminos Method Leads to Extraordinary Impact in Government Classrooms

The Luminos Method was piloted in forty government adoption classrooms in Sidama, reaching 1,500 out-of-school children during the 2023-24 school year. An external evaluation found that the approach had a remarkable impact on students’ literacy and numeracy skills. By the end of the ten-month program, students read an average of thirty-two correct words per minute (CWPM), an increase of at least twenty-eight CWPM. Their reading comprehension scores also increased by forty-eight percentage points.

In numeracy, students could solve eleven more addition problems per minute at endline than they could at baseline.

For comparison, these students read more than four times as many CWPM as their peers in conventional Grade 2 classrooms in Sidama, who read just seven CWPM, according to official government data. Additionally, twenty-seven percent of students in government classrooms using the Luminos Method could read at least forty-five CWPM by the program’s end—a striking contrast to typical government classrooms, where only four percent of Grade 2 students met this benchmark.

Today, we are actively shaping the expansion of structured pedagogy within Sidama and across other regions in Ethiopia.