Catch Up Education in Zimbabwe: Addressing Foundational Literacy, Numeracy, and Social Emotional Learning Skills in Vulnerable Settings – Research Report.

Okada, Alexandra; Ebubedike, Margaret; Hedges, Claire and Zwier, Janelle (2025). Catch Up Education in Zimbabwe: Addressing Foundational Literacy, Numeracy, and Social Emotional Learning Skills in Vulnerable Settings – Research Report. The Open University.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.00102393

Abstract

Catch Up Program (CUP) in crisis settings of Zimbabwe
CUP in Zimbabwe is a school-based intervention developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and poor learning outcomes. It supports children aged 6 to 10 in vulnerable communities by helping them acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills. The program provides safe, play-based, and inclusive instruction, carefully sequenced to meet children at their current learning levels while also addressing their social and emotional needs.

Program Overview
The Catch Up Program (CUP) is being implemented from February 2023 to September 2024 across 16 Area Programs and Districts, involving 123 schools. A total of 16,748 children (8,116 girls and 8,632 boys) are participating, along with 836 community facilitators and 376 teachers.

The implementation process follows a common framework across schools, providing a structure for the program while allowing flexibility for local adaptation. Schools, in collaboration with their communities, determine which children to target, as well as the schedules, frequency, and duration of the CUP learning sessions. Additionally, they decide on the roles and involvement of community volunteer facilitators.

Research Objectives and Methodology
This mixed methods research seeks to understand learners’ progress and achievements, and the challenges, adaptations, and opportunities in implementing CUP in Zimbabwe.
Data was gathered from 6 sampled schools, encompassing multiple methods to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the program's impact. This included:
• Over 400 Diagnostic and Proficiency Assessments (DAPA) in literacy (English) and numeracy.
• Over 80 Social Emotional Learning (SEL) questionnaires, providing insights into students' emotional and social well-being.
• Session observations to evaluate teaching practices and learning dynamics.
• Interviews with children to capture individual experiences and perspectives.
• Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with children, facilitators, teachers, and community members, offering a rich, collective understanding of program outcomes.
Key Findings
• 7 out of 10 children improved in literacy
• Over 7 out of 10 children improved in numeracy
• Children’s SEL development is positively associated with their literacy / numeracy progress
• Growing and deeper relationships between schools and their local communities
These findings provide a strong foundation for the CUP program to be celebrated for its successes, strengthened in its approach, and expanded to reach more schools and communities.

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