Reflections on Systems Practice: Implementing Teaching at the Right Level in Zambia

Evidence suggests that children who don't learn basic literacy and numeracy skills in the early grades of primary school struggle in higher grades, regardless of the number of years they spend in school. This lack of proficiency is a widespread problem in many parts of the world, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Central/Southern Asia. To address this issue, Pratham developed Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL), which focuses on classroom practices and empowers teachers to assess and group students based on their learning level. TaRL uses a flexible teaching approach with hands-on exercises, rapid assessments, and a feedback loop to motivate both students and teachers. Randomised controlled trials have shown that TaRL can effectively improve learning outcomes. TaRL Africa, a collaboration between J-PAL and Pratham, aims to embed TaRL into public education systems in African countries. In this chapter, we examine TaRL Africa's approach, drawing on systems theory and the case study of its implementation in Zambia's education system. We outline TaRL Africa's core principles, link them to systems change theory, and discuss the evolution of the TaRL programme in Zambia. Finally, we reflect on the lessons learned from working with systems in practice.

This chapter is part of the book 'Systems Thinking in International Education and Development: Unlocking Learning for All?' by NORRAG published in January 2023.​