The Story of Zabayo and Kamariza

The challenge of over-age-for-grade learners is not unique to Kamariza, Zabayo and the thousands of learners currently benefitting from the TaRL interventions being implemented in four other districts by VVOB in Uganda. A 2021 learning assessment of primary school learners carried out the National Assessment for Progress in Education (NAPE) showed that a significantly small percentage of P6 learners were rated proficient in literacy and numeracy. Similarly, the 2021 assessment on foundational skills by Uwezo indicated that not only were children falling behind, but there was also a huge variation in learning levels within a classroom. The situation is worse in refugee and host districts where literacy proficiency at P6 was at 33% in 2021 (NAPE). 

For Kamariza and Zabayo, falling behind was not a choice. As refugees in Uganda, they face several social factors that impede their ability to learn effectively. In addition, refugees are typically placed one or two grades below their previous level in order to catch up. This delay in advancement is compounded by the fact that they often do not speak the local language used for instruction in lower-level classes of Ugandan primary schools, which hinders their progress in literacy. As a result, a significant proportion of refugees require remedial programmes.

Through TaRL, teachers are trained to conduct individual assessments of learners in grades P3 to P5 in order to determine their learning levels. Based on the results, over-age-for-grade learners are grouped accordingly for foundational numeracy and literacy lessons. As learners improve their skills, they advance to the next group without the need for extensive assessments.

VVOB follows a school-based modality where TaRL lessons are delivered before and after ordinary school hours. Learners are taught individually and as a group and employ a variety of TaRL activities that are playful and interactive such as number jumps, stories, and songs.

Kamariza and Zabayo faced the challenge of local language whereby, teaching is delivered in a language other than their first language. To address this challenge in the refugee settings, VVOB partnered with local organisations and language experts to translate teaching materials to the local languages of the refugee learners in order to ensure that teachers could also teach the learners in their local language. Consequently, not only have Kamariza and Zabayo improved their English language literacy, but their literacy in the local language has also advanced.

At the time of our interaction, Zabayo had gone through fifteen remedial lessons in reading local language and ten remedial lessons for English. “Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) lessons have helped me to improve reading the local language (Kinyarwanda / Kinyabwisha). I am now able to read and write well in Kinyarwanda” Noted Zabayo. She added that the activities related to the English calendar charts were the most enjoyable for her. Zabayo made noteworthy strides in numeracy and took a particular liking to multiplication. 

Kamariza on the other hand, had attended sixteen TaRL remedial lessons in reading local language. Although Kamariza uses Kinyarwanda / Kinyabwisha at home, she wanted to be fluent in Kiswahili which is widely used in the settlement and her country of Origin, Congo. Teaching in the local language was helpful in helping her realise this dream. Like Zabayo, her numeracy skills had progressed to division and she enjoyed using play money.

While VVOB aims at 120 hours of literacy and 120 for numeracy over two terms, many factors determine the number of TaRL lessons that a learner can attend. For Zabayo, the long distance between home and school limited her ability to attend all the TaRL classes. Lack of school meals and overall, the teacher burden limits the ability of a school to offer TaRL lessons outside of the ordinary school hours. One of the recommendations that the school leaders have made to the MoES is to dedicate time for TaRL lessons within the normal school programming so that more learners can benefit from this catch-up approach and hence, overall improve the foundational skills in numeracy and literacy. 

For adolescent learners like Kamarizo and Zabayo, TaRL offers them hope of catching up and completing their primary education and therefore, a possible future beyond their refugee settlements. In other districts where VVOB is implementing TaRL – Kasese, Adjumani, Madi Okollo and Terego – similar sentiments are being shared. To significantly improve the foundational skills in literacy and numeracy, remedial programmes like TaRL need to be integrated in the normal school programming, within the public education system and scaled to all, if not the neediest districts in Uganda. The current five districts have lessons to share with the relevant actors.