EmpowerED Future: 36 Teachers undergo TaRL training

Foundational learning has a significant impact on how children learn more complex subjects at higher levels, especially with passionate teachers.

A four-day training was attended by 36 teachers, 9 head teachers, and 8 mentors from nine schools in Northern Uganda (Oyam, Kole, and Arua) to help shape the learners’ future.

The training focused on improving their teaching techniques through the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methodology.

It was spearheaded by the FICH, with funding from the Grassroot Nest for Innovation and Change (GRIC).

According to Patrick Ocen, director of Programmes at FICH, the workshop’s goal was to provide teachers, head teachers, and mentors with a basic understanding of TaRL.

According to Ocen, the TaRL methodology has been implemented in nine schools in Northern Uganda, including Lango, Acholi, and West Nile.

Samwel Mwayi, TaRL’s East Africa overseer and quality assurance control personnel, confirmed that the methodology is an initiative that works with learners who are far behind.

“It is not a class based approach, it is a level based approach that favours learners based furthest from grade 3-5 in order to bring them to levels with parity with their peers.

Felix Ogwang, TaRL Master Trainer, stated that TaRL is unique in that it promotes learners based on ability rather than grades.

He says the TaRL programme covers the packages of syllabus, numeracy, literacy among others handled at the lower levels of learning since it is a foundation of introducing learners to fast and simplified learning.

Anthony Nam, headteacher of Aloni Primary School in Oyam district, stated that the TaRL programme came at an appropriate time, noting that most learners in various classes are simply promoted without regard for their level or ability.

“We have learners in P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5 and so on and sometimes the teachers go on assessing pupils based on their class and end up forgetting about the level of the child, something he says the teachers have used for long,” he said.

Sali Adania, headteacher of Niva Primary School in Arua City in the West Nile sub-region, praised FICH and GRIC’s efforts to improve teaching performance and development.

“In Uganda, especially Northern Uganda and West Nile, our level of education has dropped”

Credit www.tndnewsuganda.com