Elizabeth Osagie-Iyamu

I never thought I would start an academy.

After more than 10 years as an educator, working with learners across different age groups and curricula, I kept noticing the same thing. Too many children were moving from one class to the next while carrying learning gaps with them. I met learners in higher classes who still struggled with basic reading, writing and maths, and I often wondered, “How have they been coping?”

I understand it personally, too. I was one of the shyest people in most of my classes. I wasn’t confident, I gave up easily, and for a long time I didn’t see myself as someone who could achieve much. I struggled with my multiplication tables, and it was only when I became an educator that I truly got to know them.

My father has always said, “You can’t fix a leaking roof by putting a bucket under it. You need to find out why the roof is leaking and fix it from there.” That stayed with me. In education, it means we can’t keep giving a struggling child more worksheets and more lessons without asking why they’re struggling. Sometimes we need to go back, find the gap, build the foundation, and then move forward.

That is the heart of Rooted Foundations Academy. I founded RFA to help learners identify and close gaps in literacy, numeracy and critical thinking, and to build the confidence they need to become capable, resilient learners.

Beyond passing exams, I want every child to be confident enough to say, “I can.”