2020-2021 School Calendar Teaching and Learning Materials Distribution Report

The program aims to improve the early grade reading skills of 172,800 Liberian students in grade 1 and grade 2 (G1 and G2) in 640 primary schools over five years and the emergent literacy skills of 5,400 kindergarten (KG) students in 60 public KG year 2 classes over two years in six targeted counties: Bong, Grand Bassa, Lofa, Nimba, Margibi, and Montserrado. The program involves training over 1,280 G1 and G2 teachers, 66 KG teachers, 72 County and District Education Officers (DEOs), and 14 MOE master trainers. It also employs 88 coaches who provide coaching and mentoring support to teachers in participating schools to build local capacity. To complement the training of Education Officers, teachers, and school administrators, Read Liberia develops, prints, and distributes teaching and learning materials (TLMs) to teachers and students. The fiscal year (FY) 2020 distribution of TLMs represents the second wide-scale distribution to Liberian schools. The continuous provision of TLMs is part of the overall strategy of Read Liberia to ensure that teachers and students have access to the quality materials needed for a quality reading program. However, the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted the smooth implementation of Read Liberia activities, causing a delay in the start of the TLM distribution, which was planned for September 2020, to December 2020. The delay offered a great opportunity for the TLM distribution to start at the beginning of the dry season, when access roads to most of the schools were predominantly passable. However, the team encountered a new set of challenges, including some schools remaining closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fear of political tension during the Senatorial elections. As a result, TLM distribution took place over two phases, with a major TLM distribution occurring in December 2020 and a "mop-up" distribution continuing due to extended re-openings and resulting gradual increase in student enrollment. The TLM distribution process involved four phases: Phase 1, which included the TLM shipment, customs clearing, inspection, storage, and packaging; Phase 2, which involved the orientation of the distribution team and procurement of logistics; Phase 3, which included book distribution to schools and to students; and Phase 4, which involved track and trace: evidence-based monitoring and document security. The distribution team encountered several challenges, including storage and transportation issues, and had to implement mitigation measures to address these challenges. The TLM distribution was successful in reaching 640 primary schools and 60 public KG year 2 classes in six targeted counties. The distribution team was able to distribute TLMs to over 172,800 students in G1 and G2 and over 5,400 KG students. The distribution was also successful in reaching 1,280 G1 and G2 teachers, 66 KG teachers, 72 DEOs, and 14 MOE master trainers. The program's overall goal of improving the early grade reading skills of Liberian students and the emergent literacy skills of KG students is expected to be achieved through the continuous provision of TLMs and the training of Education Officers, teachers, and school administrators. The program's success is also attributed to the involvement of community and community leaders, who played a crucial role in the distribution process. The program's partnership with the Liberian MOE and the support of USAID were also critical to the program's success. The program's overall strategy of ensuring that teachers and students have access to quality materials needed for a quality reading program is expected to continue in the future, with the goal of achieving the program's overall objective of improving the reading skills of Liberian students.