The ministry of education has taken over the management of early-grade reading in the education sector.
The program dubbed Tusome (let's read) is funded by USAID and implemented by Research Triangle International.
The exit of the Tusome project's financier USAID put it in the hands of the government.
Primary education Director Nereah Olik said the program had improved reading standards for students.
"Learners who broke into tears when asked to read have been able to become better readers,” Olik said.
She added that the program not only made the children happy but also made the teachers and parents happy.
The program aimed at improving teacher capacity for effective delivery methods of classroom instruction.
Similarly, it would improve access to appropriate textbooks and supplementary materials in literacy.
Tusome was launched in 2014 to help learners in Grades 1, 2 and 3 to fluently read in English and Kiswahili.
Titled ‘Tusome external evaluation end-line report’ the study assessed the implementation of the ‘Tusome’ project in the lower primary public schools.
The report said teachers seemed comfortable using Tusome material in the classroom.
“[However,] they have faced significant challenges following the 40 per cent reduction on instructional hours allocated to English and Kiswahili under the Competency-based Curriculum,” the report reads.
However, the intervention of RTI saw the lessons returned to 5 per week.
Learners’ ability to read in English and Kiswahili has significantly dropped on account of the fewer hours.
Under the CBC, learners take three Kiswahili and English lessons each week.
In the 8-4-4 system, English and Kiswahili lessons were taught each day of the week.
