IGATE project in Zimbabwe scores top marks!

The IGATE project has recently heard back from its annual review by DFID (Department for International Development). The OU led output, Whole School Development to improve inclusive education and teacher practice, has been awarded a score of A++. This is the best score any project can get.

IGATE (Improving Gender Attitudes, Transition and Education Outcomes) is a UKAid funded programme within the Girls Education Challenge that seeks to improve the learning and life chances of over 70,000 marginalised girls. The project is consortium led by World Vision, the OU, CARE International, SNV, EMTONJENI and UDACIZA.

Claire Hedges, Senior Programme Manager for IGATE said "Receiving such positive results from the project's annual review is testament to the hard work of all those involved in IGATE. Less than half of girls from the poorest quintile who attend primary school transition to secondary school. Our work will help girls transition from primary into post-primary options, and create an enabling environment where they feel safe and supported to study."

​The review highlighted:

• ​Learning: "Both quantitative and qualitative data provide evidence that the project has had a substantial impact on foundational literacy skills, decreasing the share of "non-learners" in the population and improving levels of proficiency in the areas learners struggled with most at baseline."
• Sustainability: "There is compelling evidence that the program is successfully building a foundation of basic literacy, positive teaching practices and community support to sustain impact beyond the end of the program.
• Safeguarding: "The project's [safeguarding] compliance level is 80% and is one of the strongest projects in the Southern Africa Cluster."

​This is as a result of all the efforts of the thousands of teachers in rural Zimbabwe, World Vision, the OU and the consortium partners. One such teacher, Mr Moyo, said "It's changed who I am as a teacher". 

IGATE is project led by Tom Power, Academic Director (School of Education Childhood, Youth and Sport) and Claire Hedges, Senior Programme Manager (International Development Office).​

For more information on this project please visit the project: IGATE-T