The 2025 Yidan Prize for Education Development goes to Mamadou Amadou Ly, Executive Director of Associates in Research and Education for Development (ARED). Together with his team, M. Ly has championed and developed scalable bilingual education models that deliver improved learning outcomes combined with culturally and socially relevant content.  These low-cost models used mainly in schools in Senegal, have also proven effective in remedial programmes and with adult learners throughout West Africa. 

M. Ly’s work demonstrates how an inspiring and visionary leader, working in both formal and informal education settings, can deliver local innovation and create sustainable change through multilingual education thereby opening a path to life-long learning.

Globally, over a quarter of a billion learners lack access to education in the language they know best, deepening the global learning crisis and hindering progress on economic growth and sustainable development (UNESCO 2025). The data from francophone West and Central Africa indicates that, despite significant fiscal investments, delivering on foundational literacy and numeracy while maintaining French as the official language of instruction remains challenging, as the region ranks low on global education indicators.

In developing their response, M. Ly and the ARED team have used a gradual and iterative design process, co-constructing innovative solutions in collaboration with community members, national specialists, educators, and linguists. The work, which started in 2008 as a pilot with the Senegalese Government, has now been adopted as part of the national education policy. The models use a structured pedagogy approach, including comprehensive teacher training and high-quality culturally adapted learning materials that allow students to begin learning in a language they know, then move on to learning in both that language and French. Active participatory learning, leveled learning groups, and flexible classroom layouts are fundamental in the move to replace outdated rote ‘chalk and talk’ lessons. In this way, the program boosts social-emotional learning and enhances creativity.

The outstanding impact of the program is illustrated by the Ndaw Wune (‘Success For All’) Accelerated Learning Program, an in- and after-school remediation program for struggling second- and third-graders who are at risk of dropping out. The results have been remarkable: Ndaw Wune students improved their reading by 74% in letter recognition, 100% in syllable reading, and 134% in word reading within a single year. This shows that education systems can be more equitable and inclusive.

Many studies exist that show the importance of multilingual education and its potential to help address the global learning crisis. Some studies demonstrate that using the language that students know best yields the highest learning gains for investment cost. However, change has been slow.

By aligning classroom experience with language and cultural relevance, M. Ly is creating a transformation in education and a strong case for multilingual education. Ly’s influence as a leader is firmly anchored in ARED’s success in the classroom and the partnerships formed with governments, NGOs, IGOs, linguists, teachers, and community members.  ARED models and learning materials are now being used in schools in the Gambia and in Mauritania. The potential for scalability is immense as ARED materials are openly licensed and available for all to use on the Early Learning Resource Network.

M. Ly’s vision and collaborative delivery of culturally relevant multilingual education solutions have opened the door of literacy and opportunity for hundreds of thousands of African learners and continue to inspire education reform across the region.