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This year marks ten years since Zambia introduced Catch Up as a national remedial learning response to foundational literacy and numeracy challenges in primary schools. What began as a pilot has grown into a nationwide, government-led programme, adapting the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach to local realities, embedded within existing government structures.
"So, if you check the results for Central Province at Grade 7 level and at Grade 9 level, you will see that there has been a rise. Obviously, it’s because the children are now able to read and they are able to do arithmetic, and so they are able to pass the exams."
A Decade of Scale and System Strengthening
Over the past decade, Catch Up has grown to reach learners across all ten provinces through government schools. Recent programme impact data shows that:
- 2 million+ learners have participated in Catch Up classes
- 6,400+ schools are implementing the programme nationwide
- Implementation spans all 10 provinces of Zambia.
These results reflect not only improved learner outcomes but also strengthen teacher practice, school leadership, and system-level coordination, demonstrating what is possible when foundational learning is treated as a long-term national priority.
What Catch Up Looks Like in the Classroom
During the school visits, the Director of Primary and Members of Parliament observed Catch Up classes in action, reviewing progress and discussing key lessons with teachers and parents.
Unlike traditional remedial approaches, Catch Up groups learners by learning level rather than grade, enabling teachers to focus on core skills through structured, play-based activities.
Regular assessments allow teachers to track progress and adapt instruction, ensuring no learner is left behind. Teachers shared how Catch Up has helped restore learner confidence, improve classroom participation, and make progress visible even in large classes.
"What I observed is that the children can read and count the numbers from 1 to 20, as a group and also as individuals. This is very, very good! I would like to thank the teachers. You are the true implementer of this programme on the ground."
From Zambia to the Region
Teaching at the Right Levels (TaRL) has long been recognised as an evidence-based response to foundational learning gaps across different contexts. Zambia’s Catch Up programme stands out as one that has successfully adapted TaRL at scale within a government system, showing what is possible when evidence, policy commitment, and classroom practice align.
Zambia’s experience has increasingly informed regional conversations on how education systems can tackle learning poverty in a sustainable way. Education leaders, policymakers, and practitioners from across Africa have drawn lessons from Catch Up on system integration, teacher mentoring, data use, and scaling with quality. These exchanges have contributed to TaRL-informed adaptations in several countries, including Uganda and Ethiopia, each tailored to local contexts and priorities.
Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, Catch Up has become a reference point for how Teaching at the Right Level can be embedded within national systems, demonstrating that when governments lead, and teachers are supported, foundational learning gains can be achieved and sustained across diverse settings.
The Next Chapter of Catch Up
As Catch Up enters its second decade, the focus remains on sustaining quality, strengthening teacher support, and ensuring foundational learning remains a national priority.
"We’ve been supported by a lot of partners, VVOB, UNICEF, World Vision, and TaRL Africa. But obviously, they can only go so far, and we need to integrate this into our own operations so that, in the future, it is what we do as Zambia."
About Catch Up
Catch Up is Zambia’s government-led remedial learning programme, adapted from the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach, with support from TaRL Africa, VVOB, UNICEF, and World Vision, to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy for early-grade learners.