Head Teacher Training Facilitator’s Guide: National Reading Programme

The programme recognizes that tracking learners' performance and improving their reading skills is a shared responsibility between the government and parents. This is in line with Malawi's Education Act (2013), which stipulates that communities, families, and parents have a responsibility to complement the efforts of government in educating children. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MOEST) has developed a facilitator's guide for head teachers to support the implementation of continuous assessment and remediation (CA&R) activities. The guide outlines a daily schedule for the training, including activities to help head teachers understand how to administer CA&R and implement remediation activities to support the NRP. The training focuses on the roles and responsibilities of head teachers in supporting CA&R at the school level. Head teachers will learn about the procedures and key issues for conducting CA&R, as well as the remediation and purpose of CA&R. They will also learn about the roles and responsibilities of head teachers in supporting teacher learning circles (TLCs) and developing action plans for sensitizing and mobilizing school governing structures on the implementation of reading activities at the community level. The training also covers the link between the school and the community in implementing reading activities. Head teachers will learn about the roles of stakeholders in supporting reading activities and how to develop key messages to promote reading. The training aims to help head teachers identify their roles and responsibilities in supporting community structures to implement reading activities at the community level. The National Reading Assessment results for 2018 show that learners in Standards 1-4 are still unable to read at their benchmark levels, despite initiatives to improve early grade reading. The training aims to help head teachers identify ways to help teachers reduce zero scores in reading, thereby raising the mean scores. The training will be conducted over two days, with a focus on the roles and responsibilities of head teachers in supporting CA&R and reading activities at the community level. The training will also cover the logistics of the programme, including transport reimbursements and allowances.