‘When children are happy, they learn more easily’.
Tarl approach enables pupils to make effective progress in reading and mathematics.
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In 2024, UNICEF Cameroon launched the pilot phase of the implementation of the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) method in 15 schools in convergence communes spread across the North and Far North. This innovative approach enables pupils to make effective progress in reading and mathematics. To implement the project, teachers and supervisors have been trained in new teaching methods.
"And one, two, three... Here's the letter A, it always goes aahahahaa..." sings Angèle Nkeufu, a teacher at Madjadou public school in northern Cameroon. With rhythmic dance steps, she sways in front of the thirty or so pupils in the TaRL hibiscus level 1 class. They all sing along to the sound of each letter of the French alphabet. This afternoon, Angèle is leading a remedial literacy session. After a reading level test, the pupils were grouped according to their skills. In this good-natured atmosphere, the teacher stimulates the participation of all the pupils, who have fun while learning together.
"In the TaRL class, we do everything we can to make the students feel at ease. That's why we emphasise learning through play. When children are happy, they learn more easily", she confides.
Angèle is one of around sixty teachers trained as part of the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) pilot project in the convergence communes of the North and Far North. The teachers and supervisors were given the 'keys' to the successful deployment of the support protocol developed based on the TaRL approach. To this end, they organised a diagnostic and formative assessment of pupils' literacy and numeracy skills in the target and control schools. UNICEF is supporting the Cameroon government in this way, and intends to test this pilot strategy to raise the level of learning achievement and ensure access to quality education in priority education zones and in emergencies.
"This new approach allows us to follow each child more closely. In a subject like reading, where pupils have a lot of difficulty in our region, it's essential to focus on getting to grips with the subject and reacquainting them with the basic skills. These include identifying the letters of the alphabet, identifying sounds and reading syllables, to turn them into competent pupils and raise the success rate in our schools".
