Sabi is an initiative of Education for Equality
For families
Five minutes a day, on the phone you already have.
Sabi gives your child a patient tutor for reading and maths. No smartphone, no data, no fees. Just answer the call and hand them the phone.
- Cost to you
- ₦0
- Lesson length
- 5–7 min
- Phone needed
- Any
- Internet needed
- None
01 — Getting a lesson
Three steps. None of them cost money.
Sabi is in its pre-pilot in Lagos. Pilot families receive the number directly from us. Want Sabi where you live? Tell us.
- 01
Text CALL
Send the word CALL by SMS or WhatsApp. Sabi rings you back.
- 02
Sabi rings you
Answer, and hand the phone to your child. Each lesson takes five to seven minutes.
- 03
Same time tomorrow
Sabi remembers where your child stopped and carries on from there.
02 — Safety
Built for children, from the first line of code.
Sabi talks to children aged 8 to 14. Here is what that means for how it behaves.
A tutor, not a friend
Sabi stays on reading and maths. It is built to teach, not to chat, and it steers back to the lesson.
Checked on every turn
A safety layer reviews what your child says and what Sabi is about to say, before a single word is spoken.
A real person if it matters
If a child says something that suggests they are in danger, it goes to a named safeguarding lead for review.
Never asks for money
Sabi will never ask for money, passwords or bank details. If anyone claiming to be Sabi does, it is not us.
Your child's voice stays theirs
Recordings are only used to improve Sabi if a parent or guardian gives separate permission.
One phone, many children
Brothers and sisters can share a phone. Sabi keeps a separate place for each child.
03 — What your child learns
The basics that unlock everything else.
Foundational reading and maths, taught at your child's real level, not their class level. If they are ahead, Sabi moves faster. If they are stuck, it slows down and tries another way.
- Letter sounds & first words
- Reading short sentences
- Counting & place value
- Adding, subtracting, giving change
What does the name Sabi mean?
Sabi is pronounced /sah-bee/ and means "to know" in Nigerian Pidgin.
Do you need internet or a smartphone to use Sabi?
No. Sabi runs entirely over a voice call, so it works on a five-dollar feature phone with 2G coverage. There is no app to download, no data to buy, and no account to create.
How much does Sabi cost?
Families pay no subscription and need no data plan. Developers and organisations can license the same African-accent voice pipeline from $0.06 per minute, with 1,000 minutes included every month.
Where does Sabi operate?
Sabi is built for Nigeria and the wider African continent. A Lagos pilot is planned for Q4 2026 with 100 to 500 students in high-burden local government areas.
Hear Sabi for yourself.
Try a lesson in your browser before your child does.