Zambia Hosts Learning Exchange on Foundational Learning

Hosted by the Government of the Republic of Zambia through the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with local partners including VVOB - education for development, UNICEF, TaRL Africa, World Vision Zambia, the upcoming exchange will include officials from the Indian education landscape including government officials from the states of Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, as well as delegates from Pratham Education Foundation, the pioneer of the evidence-based Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach to foundational learning. 

This exchange coincides with ten years of Zambia's Catch Up programme, a government-led TaRL initiative designed to help learners in Grades 3 to 5 acquire critical foundational literacy and numeracy skills in an accelerated manner. The program helps teachers to assess, group, and conduct dynamic and play-based learning activities with children according to their current learning levels. Adapted to the Zambian context first as an 80-school pilot in 2016, Catch Up today has been scaled to public schools nationwide, reaching over two million learners in 6400 schools since its inception. 

Over the course of the week, delegates and Zambian representatives will share experiences and lessons on improving children's learning outcomes from their respective contexts. In addition to technical discussions and knowledge sharing, delegates will have an opportunity to observe Catch Up classes during school visits to Lusaka and Livingstone. They will also have opportunities to engage with teachers, school leaders, learners, as well as district and national education officials to better understand how foundational learning programs like Catch Up can be implemented, strengthened, and sustained within public education systems. 

The upcoming learning exchange reflects Zambia’s long-standing commitment to learning and sharing from education systems across the world. More than a decade ago, Zambian education leaders visited India to learn about approaches to improving foundational learning, including TaRL. Since then, Zambia has adapted those ideas, generating valuable lessons on implementation, government ownership, and scale. This year's exchange seeks to deepen mutual learning around the shared challenge of ensuring that every child acquires foundational skills, contributing to a growing body of global evidence and dialogue on improving learning outcomes at scale. 

About Catch Up

Catch Up is Zambia's government-led foundational learning programme, implemented by the Ministry of Education to support children in strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy skills. An adaptation of the evidence-based Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach, Catch Up helps learners in Grades 3 to 5 acquire critical foundational skills quickly through dynamic-play activities based on their current learning levels. Catch Up has been adapted and implemented with support from TaRL Africa, VVOB, UNICEF, World Vision Zambia, Pratham International and other partners.

About VVOB 
VVOB – education for development is an international non-profit organisation with over 40 years’ experience in strengthening the quality of education systems in Africa, Asia and South America in close partnership with ministries of education and their institutions. Research shows that, of all school-based factors, the quality of teaching and school leadership has the biggest impact on learning outcomes of learners. As such, the professional development of teachers and school leaders is VVOB’s primary focus in ensuring quality education for all. By working closely with governments, research institutions, committed donors, and national, regional, and international networks and expertise partners, VVOB strives to maximise the sustainability and potential for upscaling of its initiatives. 

About TaRL Africa
TaRL Africa is an Africa-based, evidence-driven organisation that works with Ministries of Education to strengthen education systems to ensure every child gains foundational reading and maths skills before completing primary school. It helps African governments transform classroom instruction and scale proven methods to improve basic reading and math skills. 

Media Contacts: 
VVOB Media Contact: Maimbolwa Namuchana, Strategic Education Advisor, VVOB in Zambia. 
Maimbolwa.Namuchana@vvob.org