PESHAWAR, Aug 6: More than 97,000 children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have shown significant improvement in reading, writing and basic numeracy skills under the ILMpact programme, while the provincial government has expressed its resolve to integrate the successful model into the public education system.
The results of the programme were presented on Thursday at an event titled “ILMpact Spotlight: Advancing Foundational Literacy and Numeracy for Every Child in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” in Peshawar. The event was jointly organised by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Elementary and Secondary Education Department (E&SED).
According to officials, a total of 97,413 children directly benefited from the programme. It was implemented in 320 government schools across eight districts of the province, including Battagram, Buner, Charsadda, Dera Ismail Khan, Mansehra, Peshawar, Shangla and Swabi. The schools included 200 girls’ primary schools and 120 middle and high schools.
The data showed that in less than a year, the number of children able to read a story in Urdu increased by 79 per cent, those able to read a sentence in English rose by 52 per cent, while children able to solve subtraction questions in mathematics increased by 64 per cent.
Officials said each student received around 140 hours of additional teaching support under the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach. Under this method, children are grouped according to their learning levels and needs rather than their age or grade, enabling teachers to address gaps in literacy and numeracy more effectively.
Speaking at the event, Managing Director of the Elementary and Secondary Education Foundation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Qaiser Alam said the programme had demonstrated that timely and targeted teaching support could bring a significant change in the lives of children who were falling behind in education.
“We have seen with our own eyes how the right strategy and appropriate teaching support can improve the learning outcomes of children who had been left behind. ILMpact has provided us with an effective model that will be expanded in government schools across the province so that no child in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is deprived of the basic ability to read, write and count,” he said.
A panel discussion was also held during the event, focusing on foundational learning, evidence-based teaching strategies, learning recovery, inclusion and child protection. Participants also discussed the possibility of expanding the scope of the programme across the province.
The provincial government appreciated the role of the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the British Council, partner organisations, teachers and students in the success of the programme and reaffirmed its commitment to promoting foundational literacy and numeracy skills.
