UNICEF Education - Learning Case Study - Somalia - Teaching at the Right Level

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Melati

UNICEF Somalia documents the Learning Case Study for “Teaching at the Right Level” (TaRL), addressing how prolonged civil war, insecurity, and climate shocks have weakened access to quality education. Only one in three children attend primary school, many start late from Quranic schools, and gender gaps persist. In two pilot contexts, TaRL grouped learners by actual reading and math levels rather than age, supported by training, mentoring, and baseline-to-endline assessment, producing strong foundational learning gains.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Learning context

Access and age-for-grade challenges

Gender disparities and out-of-school rates

TaRL pilot approach

Level-based grouping and daily sessions

Training, materials, and assessment

Pilot implementation contexts

Central and southern Somalia (IDP camps, ABE)

Somaliland (formal public schools)

Results

Overall learning gains

Reading outcomes

Mathematics outcomes

Lessons learned

Next steps

© UNICEF Somalia/Mumin UNICEF Education Learning Case Study Somalia Teaching at the Right Level October 2025 In Somalia, access to quality education has been severely weakened by decades of civil war, ongoing insecurity, and recurrent droughts and floods. Efforts to expand access to a standard pre-primary curriculum in public schools began only recently, and only one in three children is enrolled in primary school. Many children spend their early years in Quranic schools, leading to delays in entering the formal system. As a result, nearly three-quarters of children are older than the expected age for their grade. Gender disparities remain significant: for every 10 boys in primary school, only 8 girls are enrolled. This gap widens in secondary school where only 7 girls are enrolled for every 10 boys. Given the high number of out-of-school and overaged children, efforts to strengthen foundational learning through both formal and alternative education pathways are critical, with out-of-school rates reaching 65 per cent at primary and 75 per cent at secondary. In 2024, working with government and local partners, UNICEF piloted a programme called Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL), an evidence-based approach that focuses on grouping children by their actual learning level rather than by age or grade. This helps children develop the foundational skills they need to catch up with learners of their age. Children attend a daily one-hour TARL session in addition to their regular literacy (Somali) and math classes, with remedial lessons tailored to each group, helping them reach Grade 3 level expectations. The pilot was implemented in two contexts. In central and southern Somalia, more than 12,000 children living in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and participating in Accelerated Basic Education (ABE) completed four months (one semester) of TaRL across 120 Temporary Learning Spaces. In Somaliland, TaRL was integrated into the formal public school system, reaching more than 6,750 children over a period of eight months (two semesters). In both settings, teaching and learning materials were developed with Ministries of Education. Master Trainers were selected – from the Ministry of Education in Somaliland and from Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) partners in IDP camps in the central and southern regions – and trained to provide both initial instruction and ongoing mentoring to teachers. In total, 130 teachers in Somaliland and 500 ABE teachers in the central and south regions were supported. With technical support from Africa Educational Trust and TaRL Africa, children were assessed at baseline, midline, and endline to monitor progress and to ensure they were grouped according to their actual levels in reading and mathematics. Both pilots demonstrated strong learning gains. RESULTS • 18,750 children (47 per cent girls) studying at the equivalent of Grade 3 level improved their foundational reading and mathematics skills through TaRL after just eight months of daily onehour courses. • 45 Master Trainers (32 in the central and southern regions, 13 in Somaliland) trained and mentored 630 teachers (130 formal schoolteachers in Somaliland and 500 ABE teachers in the central and south states) . • Overall learning gains: In the central and southern regions, children in IDP camps improved their literacy and numeracy proficiency by an average of 20 percentage points by the end of the pilot. In Somaliland, children in formal schools improved by more than 40 percentage points in both literacy and numeracy. Despite significant gender gaps in Somalia, girls and boys achieved nearly equal learning gains. • Reading outcomes: In the central and southern regions, the share of children unable to recognize letters decreased from one-third to just 1 per cent. Those able to read a story increased from 7 percent to one-third. In Somaliland, the proportion of children with grade-level reading skills more than doubled,

FAQs

What is the TaRL approach used in Somalia?

TaRL groups children by their actual learning level in reading and mathematics rather than by age or grade. It includes daily short sessions with remedial instruction tailored to each group.

How were the pilots implemented across different locations?

In central and southern Somalia, TaRL operated in Temporary Learning Spaces for children in IDP camps alongside ABE. In Somaliland, TaRL was integrated into the formal public school system for the pilot period.

What learning results did the pilots show?

Children studying at the equivalent of Grade 3 improved foundational reading and mathematics skills after eight months. Reading outcomes included large reductions in children unable to recognize letters, and mathematics outcomes showed major progress in recognizing numbers and performing division.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Melati