Programme Objectives
• Improving the quality of teaching and learning in Literacy, Life Skills and Numeracy
• Improving content mastery in Literacy, Life Skills and Numeracy
• Helping educators on professionalism and classroom management
• Training educators on improvisation / development and / or effective use of learner support materials
• Empowering educators on issues related to the NCS.

The programme put in place to achieve these goals is multifaceted. All teachers start off by registering for specialized Saturday workshops. While they are registered for these they attend cluster workshops with their peers in their teaching regions and are visited by fieldworkers in their schools to reinforce all learning. Each of these is explained below:

i) Specialised workshops - topics covered include integrated literacy & numeracy for the Foundation Phase; barriers to learning; English language development; Natural Science; Maths for the Intermediate Phase; Technology; Economics & Management Sciences; Human & Social Sciences; Arts & Crafts; sports organization; Life Orientation; trauma counseling; managing problem learners in the classroom; HIV education and counseling; media; computer use (Word and Excel); Civics; drama in the classroom; sign language and SiSwati.

ii) Cluster workshops are done during the afternoon. One centrally situated target school is chosen from each of the three target school areas mentioned below and neighbouring schools meet there. Topics for these workshops are determined by the findings in schools and are sometimes suggested by the teachers themselves. Activities in these workshops have included the following:
a. Sharing and discussion of experiences between educators from different schools
b. Practice teaching and lesson critiques. These follow new concepts in Saturday workshops and allow teachers to become more hands on, by requiring them to give lessons and evaluate one another, and
c. Practical work. These enable teachers to help one another in doing work - developing learning activities, developing lesson plans and designing and developing teaching resources.

iii) School visits are the third part of the programme and are undertaken by field workers once a week. Activities undertaken here include the following:
a. Baseline Assessments - where before interventions, field workers assess educator competency or knowledge
b. Demonstrations - where the aim is to demonstrate to Grade 1 to 3 educators correct methods / teaching strategies on certain issues in the classroom
c. Team teaching - where after demonstrating to teachers, field workers help educators to plan for the next lesson (which they teach together) and share sessions in the classrooms
d. Evaluation and observation - where the field worker discusses lessons to be observed, then observes and evaluates the educator teaching the lesson and then a joint feedback session on the lesson is held
e. Monitoring - where field workers go to schools to assess whether educators follow and implement what they have learnt in workshops.

A number of Schools have been partnered in this programme in three different areas:
Area A - Siyancoba Primary; Ikhanyeti Primary, John Mdluli Primary and Mhwayi Primary
Area B - Phakani Primary; Chakaza Primary; Maqamela Primary; Njanji Primary and Londhindha Primary