Join our newsletter
Explore the latest news in education and development
By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy
The new partnership supports the implementation of UCatchUp in the Lango sub-region and builds on Iceland’s long-standing development cooperation in Uganda, which dates back to 2000 and has increasingly prioritised education as a pathway to improved social and economic well-being. On 30 December 2025, the Government of Iceland announced the partnership on their website, stating the initiative aligns with an agreement the Icelandic Parliament made in 2023 to focus more on their bilateral relationships with Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Malawi.
“Iceland has proudly supported improvements in school infrastructure and access to education in Uganda for many years. However, buildings alone do not guarantee learning. Through our partnership with VVOB, we are investing in what matters most: ensuring that every child acquires strong foundational skills in literacy and numeracy. We hope this collaboration will not only accelerate learning outcomes in the Lango sub-region, but also contribute to a scalable model that can strengthen foundational learning across Uganda,” says Hildigunnur Engilbertsdottir, Head of Mission at the Embassy of Iceland in Uganda.
Strengthening UCatchUp
The UCatchUp programme, which will run for 18 months from March 2026 to August 2027, builds on the success of UCatchUp, a school-based, government-led Teaching at the Right Level approach implemented in Uganda. The new UCatchUp programme is expected to reach nearly 1,000 teachers across 107 government-aided primary schools, equipping them with the skills to assess learners, group them by competency rather than grade, and deliver one hour of targeted instruction each school day. Through this approach, learners receive instruction in literacy and numeracy appropriate to their learning level rather than age or grade, helping them build essential foundational skills.
The programme will benefit nearly 60,000 learners in Primary 3 to Primary 5. It is timely, given that recent national assessments reveal proficiency levels in the region fall significantly below national averages. By strengthening district-level capacity, supporting continuous mentoring, and embedding data-driven decision-making, the programme not only delivers immediate learning gains but also establishes long-term institutional sustainability through existing government actors and structures.
By backing a model that strengthens district leadership, teacher mentoring, and system capacity, Iceland ensures that learning improvements can be sustained well into the future.
The new partnership also shows Iceland’s confidence in VVOB’s technical leadership and in Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports, which officially endorsed and validated UCatchUp as a scalable national remedial learning model. The programme will therefore collaborate with district authorities, Loro Primary Teachers’ College and school-based mentors to improve learner outcomes and strengthen the institutions in the long term.
“We are proud to partner with the Embassy of Iceland to scale UCatchUp in full alignment with Uganda’s vision for stronger foundational learning,” says Tom Vandenbosch, Global Director of Programmes at VVOB. “Iceland’s investment in this initiative is deeply appreciated because it expands our reach and supports an approach that has consistently demonstrated impact. By backing a model that works and by strengthening district leadership, teacher mentoring, and system capacity, Iceland is helping to ensure that meaningful improvements in learning can be sustained well into the future.”
A Journey That Began in Zambia to Uganda
UCatchUp is rooted in the Teaching at the Right Level approach, originally developed and refined in India. It was then piloted by VVOB in Zambia in 2016, where it grew from a pilot in 80 schools to scale and is now embedded almost nationwide, reaching 6,400 schools and over one million learners. UCatchUp began as a pilot in the refugee-hosting communities of Madi Okollo, Terego and Isingiro in 2020, then expanded to Adjumani district.
It was later implemented and scaled up to cover all 264 government-aided primary schools in Kasese district and municipality, where learners are already showing improvements: the proportion of learners at the beginner level in literacy dropped significantly, while those reading full stories increased. In numeracy, subtraction proficiency rose from 15% at baseline to 33% at midline.
These earlier pilots have proven the programme’s ability to accelerate foundational learning in some of the most disadvantaged and complex educational environments. Transitioning from the small-scale pilots to the government-validated national model, UCatchUp demonstrates Uganda’s commitment to ensuring that all learners, regardless of region or circumstance, have the skills needed to excel in later schooling and beyond.
“Our journey with UCatchUp shows years of collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Sports and partners such as UNICEF, the LEGO Foundation and the Hempel Foundation. We are excited to welcome the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland to this growing coalition”, says Joris Rossie, Country Programme Manager at VVOB Uganda. “Together, we are stronger in our capacity to scale UCatchUp effectively and sustainably.”
Looking Ahead
The partnership between VVOB and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland to implement UCatchUp is a strong example of a government-led innovation in education. It marks another phase in the multi-year, evidence-driven remedial learning journey for VVOB to ensure that every child acquires the foundational skills needed for lifelong success.