Read how Madagascar is training teachers to strengthen students' foundational skills, especially in regions where education has been disrupted by drought.
Esmine Manohisoa has taught for over 10 years at Ankilimaroaloka Public Primary School, in the Androy region in the south of Madagascar.
Currently, she teaches a grade 11 class with 80 students. She is one of 2,240 teachers receiving training in Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) thanks to GPE funding.
The TaRL method, developed in India, aims to build foundational skills in reading and math for all children. In Madagascar, less than a quarter of students achieve minimum competencies in French and math by the end of primary education (PASEC 2019).
The Ministry of National Education has implemented TaRL training for teachers in 19 regions with the support of several partners, including Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the World Bank, GPE and UNICEF. The ministry plans to expand the training to more teachers.
Between 2018 and 2022, southern Madagascar experienced a prolonged drought, with a devastating impact on food security.
In 2021, partners agreed to restructure Madagascar's GPE grant of US$66.4 million for the period 2018-2025, which is managed by the World Bank, to help address the drought’s impact on learning. They reallocated $1.5 million for school feeding activities managed by the World Food Programme and $1.5 million for remedial education interventions managed by UNICEF.
As part of the remedial education interventions, training teachers in the TaRL method aimed to help struggling students catch up, which is critical for children who have had their education disrupted due to food insecurity. UNICEF is helping implement the training with local partners, and by the end of 2023, over 600 teachers had been trained.
The TaRL method uses a simple assessment tool and then groups children according to their learning level rather than their age or grade. Teachers work with each group, starting from what children already know.
There are activities and simple materials designed for helping each group move ahead, and students do activities in big groups, small groups and individually.
“The children showed a lot of interest in the activities, starting from the ice-breaking session. I also noted their exceptional motivation. Everyone wanted to participate, but we ran out of time. Finally, and importantly, I noticed a clear improvement in the overall level of students and the improvement of their writing after just a few sessions.”
Raharilisy is a pedagogic counsellor who was trained to train teachers in the TaRL method. Initially she was skeptical, but the practical part of the training changed her perspective.
She was assigned to apply the TaRL method with a group of 20 primary school students to enhance their reading level and was impressed by their engagement, motivation and comprehension.
In a debrief with TaRL trainers, she expressed her enthusiasm and satisfaction and stressed that all trainings should involve a practical component in addition to learning about methodology.
Joela Baona Fenoandro, Director of the Erakoka Public Primary School since 2018, and a teacher since 2004, is equally impressed by how the TaRL method engages students.
One module of the TaRL training focuses on inclusive pedagogy. This is especially appreciated by Joela Baona and Esmine: both have a physical disability and have been promoting inclusive education for decades.
They find that the TaRL approach further helps them support children with disabilities and learning difficulties.