World Vision: Catch Up Learning Programme

World Vision initiated the Catch-Up Programme (CUP) in response to COVID-19 education disruption.

CUP focuses on the acquisition of early-grade literacy and numeracy skills in vulnerable communities.

It is designed to provide safe, play-based, inclusive and carefully sequenced instruction at the right level that also addresses the social-emotional learning of children.

The three key actions of the CUP project are:

1. Mobilizes communities to support children’s learning.
2. Supports the well-being of community facilitators.
3. Forges partnerships with schools and teachers to provide holistic support.

The Open University conducted a research visit in May 2024 to:

• Explore how the Catch-Up Programme is being adopted in Zimbabwe and across different schools.
• Identify common aspects and differences in implementation and adaptation developed locally.
• Understand strengths, challenges, and opportunities for increasing learning outcomes for the most vulnerable children.

The research was qualitative and the activities were:

• Observation of Catch-Up Club sessions.
• Discussions with participating children and facilitators.
• Focus groups and interviews with school teachers and school heads.
• Focus groups with parents and community members.

Some considerations and recommendations to strengthen the outcomes and sustainability of the CUP programme include:

• Retention and support strategies, particularly for volunteers.
• Targeting the most vulnerable children.
• Using an integrated approach to literacy teaching and learning.
• Making sufficient time for CUP learning.
• Parental engagement and learning beyond the school.

For further details, please see Research Brief: Catch Up Learning Programme in Zimbabwe.

The Open University, through mixed-methods research, has further explored the effectiveness, relevance and adaptation of the CUP programme in Chile, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.

The key findings are:

• Reach: In all three contexts, CUP was able to reach children in the target groups; however, stakeholders in all settings point to unmet demand.
• Learning Gains: In all three contexts, most children (70% or more) are learning within a 16-20 week learning cycle.
• Social Emotional Learning: Its integration into CUP sessions not only fosters learning progress but also addresses the broader psychosocial needs of the learners.
• Shared Ownership: High levels of collaboration between educators, communities, education officials and policymakers are key to CUP’s successes.
• Adaptations and Design Choices: Significant adaptations were made in different aspects of the program at national and local level to respond to very different contexts.

The following key challenges and further questions were identified:

• Sufficiency: To look at if the learning time given and learning gains seen are sufficient to enable children to progress in regular classes and complete primary school.
• Those Not Yet Learning: To undertake a study focussed on these children to find out more about who they are and their challenges.
• Resistance of School Systems: If long-term change is to be achieved, schools themselves need to change, and how CUP can influence this.
• Scalability and Sustainability: Facilitator turnover, funding and regular training support for facilitators and schools are ongoing challenges.
• Evidence Generation: Embedding systematic data collection across the learning cycles is challenging in often volatile operating environments.

These are explored further in:

• Summative Report: Okada, Alexandra; Ebubedike, Margaret; Hedges, Claire and Zwier, Janelle (2025). Catch Up Education Research Report: Foundational Literacy, Numeracy, and Social Emotional Learning Skills in Vulnerable, Conflict, and Migrant Settings. The Open University.
• Ethiopia Research Report: Okada, Alexandra; Ebubedike, Margaret; Hedges, Claire and Zwier, Janelle (2025). Catch Up Education in Ethiopia: Addressing Foundational Literacy, Numeracy, and Social Emotional Learning Skills in Conflict Affected Areas – Research Report.  The Open University.
• Zimbabwe 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.
• Chile Research Report: Okada, Alexandra; Ebubedike, Margaret; Hedges, Claire and Zwier, Janelle (2025). Catch Up Education in Chile: Addressing Foundational Literacy, Numeracy, and Social Emotional Learning Skills in Vulnerable Settings – Research Report. The Open University.
• Landscape Review: Dery, Portia; Hedges, Claire and Okada, Alexandra (2025). Catch Up Learning Programmes: A Landscape Review in the NGO Space – Research Report. The Open University.