A Nigerian delegation comprising representatives from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), the Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) , and the Kaduna State Government have rounded up a 10-day educational learning tour of foundational and literacy learning interventions in several elementary schools across India.

The Nigerian delegation was in India from February 14 2023 to February 22, 2023, as part of a learning tour facilitated by the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) Program-for-Results to assess the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methodology.

This was initiated by Pratham Education Foundation and supported by J-PAL Foundation and UNICEF with the aim of improving student-learning outcomes.

Speaking on the tour, the Director of Content Training at Pratham Education Foundation, Usha Rane, said: “TaRL is an approach that targets the root of the learning crisis by transforming the structures that lead to it.

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“The approach works by dividing children usually in lower primary schools into groups based on learning needs rather than age or grade; dedicating time to basic skills rather than focusing solely on the curriculum; and regularly assessing student performance, rather than relying only on end-of-year examinations.”

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pratham Education Foundation, Dr Rukmini Banerji, stated that “reforms is the watchword of leadership as demonstrated by government officials in India, there is also cohesion at all levels and this is a virtue that in my capacity as a policy maker in Kaduna State, I will be imbibing.”

“Additionally data is power and having detailed reports such as India’s Annual Status of Education Report will help accurately guide the creation of policies and programmes in Kaduna State,” Banerji added.

Also speaking on the development, the Permanent Member of KADSUBEB and leader of the Nigerian delegation, Dr Christy Ayi Alademerin, extolled the commitment and passion of the teachers at the schools visited, adding: “As we head back home to Nigeria, we aim to liaise with other relevant stakeholders to commence plans on the application of the TaRL methodology across our local schools.”

UNICEF has been supporting the implementation of TaRL in Kaduna State with KADTaRL.

The program which started in the Ikara Local Government Area of Kaduna State has been expanded to Kaduna South LGA and Jaba LGA.

The Star