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Back in 2020, many governments around the world had to make the unenviable decision to close their schools in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite best efforts of distance learning initiatives, an already existing learning gap widened: limited (digital) accessibility and low levels of commitment are two important culprits. In Cambodia, the organisation Kampuchea Action to Promote Education (KAPE) took on VVOB to remedy this gap for maths specifically at the beginning of 2021. Months later, we share some insights.
1. What is the remedial learning project’s origin story?
Even though learners in Cambodia had missed months of school in 2020, they found themselves at the start of their new grade in January 2021. At the time, lost learning due to school closures was estimated at 2 to 5 months per learner in primary education.
To help learners progress quickly, KAPE committed to supporting the government’s national response plan, which is made up of focused and integrated measures to ensure learning can continue in safe, protective and inclusive environments, with funding from UNICEF through the Global Partnership for Education.
That is how the project, fully titled ‘Cambodia GPE Covid-19 Education Sector Response and Recovery Programme: Support for quality continuous distance learning and remedial education’ came into being.
2. Where does VVOB fit into this effort?
KAPE contracted VVOB to lead on the ‘remedial education for math’ aspect of the broader UNICEF-funded project. Remedial and accelerated learning programmes are one of the key components identified by both the government and the organisations involved to overcoming students’ learning setbacks resulting from the COVID-19 school closures.
Between January and July 2021, VVOB:
3. What are the concrete results of VVOB’s efforts for remedial learning and teaching in maths in Cambodia?
When we say we designed an approach or developed tools and structures, we mean the following:
4. Will these remedial maths packages work?
As is the case for any organisation concerned with quality and sustainability, the effectiveness of this approach to remedial learning is VVOB’s and our partners’ first concern.
Thankfully, through years of experience working with MoEYS and teacher training institutions, VVOB staff in Cambodia understand how to develop teaching materials and provide capacity development that is relevant: the packages are contextualised, low-cost materials are suggested, activities are learner-centred and promote participation etc…
Moreover, the packages are user-friendly and easy to understand, and contain detailed instructions.
5. How will the remedial packages be integrated in the COVID-19 response going forward?
Seeing how fast these packages had to be developed in the context of a crisis, they have not been pilot tested as such. However, they are part of a broader remedial learning pilot supported by KAPE.
The pilot project is being implemented in 10 primary schools in rural areas – MoEYS authorised village-level classes in small groups – to establish a set of responses and resources that will support MoEYS when schools reopen fully.
The pilot will generate a wealth of information and feedback to guide the planned revisions to the remedial packages, including the efficiency of diagnostic testing, the appropriateness of timing the remedial classes on Thursdays, the user-friendliness of the packages etc.
The COVID situation remains unpredictable. MoEYS also relies on the pilot for input on how to optimise the packages to be used flexibly inside and outside of schools. This way, MoEYS can anticipate different scenarios for the next months.
The remedial maths packages developed by VVOB, KAPE and partners have been and will continue to be valuable for primary school teachers helping their learners bridge the learning gap. The principles of remedial teaching surpass crises.
