Malawi Primary School Support Program

School children in Dowa, Malawi

(Picture source: Cover of PSSP Report, see full details below)

''Monitored and supported making and use of TALULAR in 199 schools to promote effective teaching and learning in the classroom.'' (p8)

''Teaching and learning using locally available resources provides a bedrock for quality teaching. Local resources are plentiful, cheap and effective...

...They bring to life classroom instruction and make learning more exciting and tangible... known as TALULAR (Teaching and Learning Using Locally Available Resources) are used in lesson delivery by teachers to help learners acquire knowledge and skills...

...TALULAR can be leaves or bottle tops, knowledge or experience, living or nonliving, animal or plant, human or non-human. It can be in its original form or modified to suit its intended use...

...Drama club members and teachers and community members who excel in mobilizing local resources have become role models who can help show other communities how to replicate such initiatives elsewhere.

...Role models are an important and powerful mechanism for creating change and propelling stakeholders to achieve higher.

Thanks to local resources and efforts, now nearly all the schools in Dowa district have play parks where children spend time before and after school rather than staying at home. Children are playful and are drawn to opportunities for play. Play parks on the grounds of primary schools in Dowa district have attracted more children into schools, increasing school enrollment and retention.

Source: Capitalizing on Local Resources (p24) from Primary School Support Program (PSSP: SFP), Report January 2006-February 2009 by Simeon Mawindo, Cassandra Jessee and Jennifer Anderson. Prepared for the American Institutes for Research in partnership with Creative Center for Community Mobilization, Malawi Institute of Education, and Miske Witt & Associates.