UNICEF says it will support the Kaduna State Government to implement “Teaching at the Right Level” (TaRL) programme to improve literacy and numeracy skills among primary school pupils.
The Education Officer, UNICEF Kaduna, Mr Frances Elisha, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the end of a workshop to develop the implementation plan for the programme in Kaduna on Tuesday.
He said the goal was to improve learning outcomes in the state.
He described TaRL as an evidence-based educational approach that helps children to develop basic reading and numeracy skills within a short period of time.
Elisha said it would be piloted in 174 schools in Ikara Local Government Area of the state chosen because of its low learning outcome and high level of out of school children.
“The state government is committed to implementing the project as a strategy for improving learning outcomes in Kaduna State.
“The workshop was, therefore, to design how the strategy would be implemented in Kaduna State in the next calendar year.
“We hope at the end of the workshop to have a plan that will be effectively implemented and sustained by the Kaduna State Government.
“The approach is to ensure that the project is owned and driven by the government for sustainability,” he said.
The UNICEF education officer said that a positive result at the end of the pilot would enable government to scale it up to other schools across the state.
He said that the project would be implemented in partnership with TaRL Africa who would provide the technical support.
The Country Representative, TaRL Africa, Ms Inyang Udo-Umoren, said that the TaRL approach works by dividing children into groups based on their learning needs rather than age or grade.
Udo-Umoren told NAN that the approach also dedicates time to teach the pupils the needed basic skills rather than focusing solely on completion of the curriculum.
“The approach equally assesses students’ reading and numeracy abilities on regular bases rather than relying only on end of term examinations.
“TaRL is an adaptable, holistic approach which helps education system to focus on the basics and improve learning for all pupils based on the learner’s learning needs,” she said.
