TEACH

The TEACH (Teacher Effectiveness and Equitable Access for All Children) programme is designed to enhance teachers’ effectiveness in education, leading to improved learning outcomes across Zimbabwe.  

The programme, funded by the UK government, has four components. EDT implements the teacher professional development (TPD), and is the principal implementing partner for Think Equal's social and emotional learning (SEL) component. Meanwhile, equitable education access is implemented by UNICEF Zimbabwe, and Plan International implements the supporting adolescent girls’ education component.  

The aim of the TPD component of the TEACH programme is to improve the literacy and numeracy skills of pupils in Grade 2 and above. Our work on this component focuses on improving the quality and effectiveness of teaching across Zimbabwe, in close partnership with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE). We aim to strengthen the national education system, making it more sustainable and ensuring that it offers high-quality teaching which is equitably accessible to all children. 

The SEL component focuses on psychosocial support, wellbeing, social justice and mental health, incorporating 25 skills and competencies in total. It will equip pre-school children in the Manicaland and Matabeleland provinces with foundational values and competencies to help them advance in their education and address societal challenges – qualities such as empathy, self-esteem and respect. 

We work in 42 districts across Zimbabwe. Since the programme began, we have engaged with over 70,000 teachers and 5,800 school leaders, indirectly impacting approximately one million children overall. Our work is designed to provide training for assessment and inspection reforms, facilitate greater support for girls and children with disabilities, improve learning outcomes in English and mathematics, and ensure that the drop-out rate for girls (at Grade 4 level) remains no higher than it was in 2018.