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Impact Evaluation of Education Quality Improvement Programme in Tanzania: Midline Technical Report, Volume I: Results and Discussion
The majority of schools report receiving teaching and reading materials from EQUIP-T. In discussions, teachers focus on manila paper and marker pens as being particularly useful, giving little mention of reading books for pupils. Although the majority of schools received reading books, these were often unavailable in classrooms, and pupils did not use reading books in the vast majority of observed Kiswahili lessons A related systemic issue that teachers refer to is not having received textbooks updated for the 3Rs curriculum, which impedes effective teaching of the new curriculum.
Teachers’ interactions with pupils in the classroom have become significantly more genderbalanced and the inclusion of pupils seated in different parts of the classroom has improved significantly. Gender-responsive and inclusive pedagogy is a focus on EQUIP-T INSET, and respondents say that EQUIP-T has helped teachers to involve girls more in lessons. Nevertheless pupils seated at the back of the classroom still receive relatively less attention, and a fairly large group of pupils still have no desk but sit on the floor, with negative effects on their learning experience. Although teachers report that they have learnt new forms of classroom management from EQUIP-T, the use of corporal punishment remains a concern for pupils, parents and communities.
Nearly all teachers report that they can identify pupils with special learning needs, and that they most commonly identify pupils who do not speak Kiswahili at home as needing support. Teachers explain that they learnt during EQUIP-T INSET that some pupils are ‘slower’ learners but this does not mean they are less intelligent or unable to learn.
Only a small group of teachers in the observed lessons demonstrated a range of effective teaching practices in the classroom, and this has not changed significantly since BL. There has also been a significant reduction in the use of pupil assessments to monitor academic progress since BL. Despite identifying pupils whose first language is not Kiswahili as being the largest group with learning difficulties, only a small group of teachers switch language during their lessons to help accommodate these pupils. The majority of pupils say that their teacher can’t speak their home language.
In many schools large class sizes are the norm and the average Standard 1 class size increased by nearly 40% between BL and ML in the EQUIP-T districts after the new Government policy on free primary education, as well as a change to the age of entry to primary school allowing for a one-off double intake, came into effect. Some HTs and teachers feel that the EQUIP-T INSET does not fully consider the reality of the environment in which teaching takes place. A major constraint to reducing class sizes is the acute shortage of classrooms.
The official instructional hours for Kiswahili and maths have increased since BL due to the introduction of the new 3Rs curriculum. Linked to this, actual instructional hours for Standards 1 and 2 pupils are significantly higher at ML than at BL. A major factor contributing to the loss of instructional time is teachers being absent from classrooms when they are scheduled to teach. The main reason reported by teachers and HTs for teachers being absent from the classroom is a heavy workload, with class time spent on marking pupil assignments.
EQUIP-T has had a positive impact on reducing overall classroom absenteeism, which is a major boost in regard to instructional hours. A range of stakeholders say that EQUIP-T INSET has had a positive effect on early grade teachers’ motivation, as they feel more confident, and that this has contributed to a reduction in absenteeism. There also appears to be an increase in the monitoring of teachers by education managers, including WECs, and respondents largely link this to the national emphasis on hard work coming from the new Government.