The Teaching at the Right Level method enables quality education for the most vulnerable

In the Anosy region in the South of Madagascar, at the Public Primary School of Anjamahavelo, Manampisoa is a teacher for the 4th and 5th grades for the Elementary 1 (4th and 5th year of primary school). Calm and smiling, he is as much appreciated by his pupils as by his fellow teachers. For the past three years, he has been a facilitator of the Remedial Classes for children who have had to drop out of school and who need support throughout the school year, a programme of the Ministry of National Education, supported by UNICEF thanks to the financial support of the Hempel Foundation.

Manampisoa is one of 240 teachers from the Regional Directorate of National Education who will be trained for five days in the TARL method in July 2021. “I am particularly satisfied because we have been expressing our need for professional development and capacity building for several years,” he says. This new method is applied during the implementation of remedial courses targeting particularly vulnerable children whose care is more specialized in the pedagogical aspect and supervision. It can be used for teaching while taking into account the child's level of competence in mathematics and reading without considering his or her level of education or age. The children are therefore enrolled in groups that are homogeneous in terms of their skills.

Positive feedback is generated by this new approach. "The pupils are very interested in this new game-like approach. The teacher quickly assesses learning achievements to end the day, because if it were up to the pupils, they would still spend hours exchanging ideas," he says.  In his school, 23 pupils were welcomed for remedial classes during the 2020-2021 summer holidays, and they also benefited from UNICEF school kits.

In this locality severely affected by drought, the Anjamahavelo School is a bulwark for the pupils, fighting against the attempt to drop out of school. The teachers, who work hard to retain pupils, do their best to provide quality education for the pupils. Dedicated to the school-related cause, Manampisoa has served there for more than twelve years.  His commitment and determination have earned him respect and consideration from his peers. Also elected President of the FEFFI (School Management Committee), he is very active in reflection and community mobilization for the cause of education.

In addition, the Anjamahavelo School has been identified among the 120 pilot schools for the strengthening of School Management Committees, the implementation of the Contractualised School Project (PEC) with the community and the TARL in the Regional Directorate of National Education in collaboration with several partners including UNICEF and the NGO Tafita supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The school, with currently around 650 students, also benefits from the activities of a joint programme implemented by three UN agencies (UNICEF, World Food Program, International Labour Office) with the support of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The school, against all odds, shows determination in its mission to ensure the future of children through quality education from the ground up.