Across Uganda, children move up through primary school year after year without ever learning to read for meaning or do simple arithmetic. Classes are large and mixed in ability, and lessons are pitched to the syllabus rather than to the child, so those who fall behind early rarely catch up. Our Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) programme tackles this head on.

TaRL is a proven approach, used across Africa and Asia, that groups children by their actual learning level rather than their age or grade, and uses simple, targeted activities to move them forward one step at a time. We train in-service primary teachers to assess where each child truly is and to teach to that level, so that a child who cannot yet recognise letters and a child who is ready for full sentences each get exactly what they need.

We give teachers the materials the method depends on, from reading cards to number games, and we stay with them long after the training ends. Through ongoing mentorship, our team observes lessons, models activities, and coaches teachers until TaRL becomes simply the way they teach, rather than something they tried once in a workshop.

Teachers feel the difference quickly. As one Primary 5 teacher shared:

“I teach Primary 5, and I’ve been struggling with many children in my class who couldn’t read. I felt powerless because I didn’t know how to help them. This TaRL training has given me many different activities I can use to teach these children to read. I wish Kach-up could train every teacher in my school.”

Through TaRL, we are giving primary teachers the skills to turn classrooms full of children who cannot yet read into classrooms full of children who can.