Malawi EGRA Reading Intervention Final Assessment Report

The program, known as Maziko a Kuwerenga, was designed to provide teachers with training and support to enhance their reading instruction skills. The program was implemented in 2010 and evaluated through a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design. The RCT involved 1,200 schools, with 600 schools receiving the intervention and 600 schools serving as controls. The intervention included teacher training, coaching, and support to implement a new reading curriculum. The program was implemented in three phases, with the first phase focusing on teacher training and the second and third phases focusing on coaching and support. The Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) was used to measure reading outcomes at the beginning and end of the program. The EGRA assesses reading skills in four areas: oral reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and decoding. The assessment was administered to a sample of 1,200 learners in the intervention and control groups. The results of the EGRA assessment showed significant improvements in reading outcomes among learners in the intervention group compared to the control group. The intervention group showed a 27% increase in oral reading fluency, a 25% increase in comprehension, and a 20% increase in vocabulary. The results also showed that learners in the intervention group were more likely to have zero scores on the EGRA assessment, indicating that they had mastered the reading skills being assessed. The program's success was attributed to several factors, including the quality of the teacher training and coaching, the support provided to teachers, and the engagement of learners and their families. The results of the program have important implications for education policy and practice in Malawi, highlighting the need for continued investment in teacher professional development and reading instruction. The MTPDS program's focus on improving reading outcomes is critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of providing universal access to primary education to all children of school-going age by 2015. The program's success demonstrates the potential for targeted interventions to improve reading outcomes and highlights the need for continued investment in education in Malawi. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MoEST) believes that reading is the most important skill that any child can learn at school. Without the ability to read, it is impossible for a child to access the school curriculum and it is impossible for an adult to participate fully as a productive member of society. Literacy is instrumental for national development, and the earlier that learners master literacy skills the better. The EGRA assessment provides a valuable tool for measuring progress towards improving reading outcomes in Malawian primary schools. The assessment has been used to evaluate the effectiveness of the MTPDS program and has provided valuable insights into the factors that contribute to improved reading outcomes. The results of the assessment have important implications for education policy and practice in Malawi and highlight the need for continued investment in teacher professional development and reading instruction.