Scaling impact of a play-based, child-to-child approach to make preschool to primary school transition fun and inclusive

 

There is a substantial body of evidence that many children in low- and middle-income countries, particularly those from vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, lack foundational literacy and numeracy skills and are not adequately prepared for a smooth transition from pre-primary to primary education. Improvements to pre-primary education are needed, in which play-based methodologies are proven effective at fostering fundamental learning skills, including creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. A model that can support such improvements is the “child-to-child approach”, in which children build knowledge and skills as they relate and interact with one another. It has been effectively implemented in several countries such as Uganda, Yemen and Pakistan to prepare children for a smooth transition from pre-primary to primary school.

The main objectives of this project are to enhance school readiness and smooth transition to early primary grades by using the child-to-child approach, and to study how to scale the impact of such an approach in different cultural contexts in Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The project will focus on children who are at risk, whether it is because of special learning needs, socioeconomic factors, or other risk factors that limit their access or quality of preparedness for primary school. It will carry out a pre- and post-test of the implementation of this approach using a child assessment tool, surveys, interviews and observations. The project will develop a training package with teaching and learning tools and implementation guidelines that are contextually valid and relevant for scaling impact in addition to research reports, policy briefs, conference presentations and journal articles on the subject.

This project is funded under the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) Knowledge and Innovation Exchange, a joint endeavour between the GPE and IDRC to connect expertise, innovation and knowledge to help low- and middle-income countries build stronger education systems and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal on education.