A comparative analysis of two remedial education programs to scale up the most relevant one for students in Morocco

Although Morocco reported an enrollment rate of 95.1% for children aged between 7 and 12 in 2014, major gaps remain in pupils’ basic academic skills. In 2015, exam results demonstrated that 59% of fourth-grade primary school pupils did not meet basic international standards in math and science (TIMSS 2015). In 2016, further assessments revealed that 64% of fourth graders had a low level of reading literacy. To overcome these challenges, Morocco’s Special Commission on the Development Model decided that the education system required a complete overhaul, and set a target requiring 90% of pupils to have basic academic skills by 2035.

In view of these findings, the Ministry of National Education, Preschool and Sports drafted an action plan to reform the education system by 2026, with a focus on proven, innovative teaching methods, such as the TaRL program developed by the NGO Pratham in India. In line with this strategy, the National Human Development Initiative, together with the Sanady Foundation, ran a pilot for the TaRL remedial education program in 39 schools, from 2022 to 2023. This first pilot was used to estimate the resources needed to implement the TaRL remedial education program, and a second trial is being run for the 2023-2024 academic year, which aims to compare the potential learning gains of TaRL with the conventional school support program that is currently in place.

With the TaRL approach, pupils are grouped together according to learning levels, rather than by age or class. It aims to promote active student participation, shift gender dynamics in the classroom and improve basic language and math skills. The approach also helps pupils to develop fundamental skills and gain self-confidence. Moreover, this program is a particularly good-fit in Morocco because, unlike the Sanady Foundation’s existing program, the TaRL model offers a specific course in Arabic.

The purpose of this evaluation, funded by FID, is to identify the most efficient and effective solution to enhance the basic skills of Moroccan pupils who are struggling at school, reduce drop-out rates and ensure students’ well-being over the long term.

This work involves a comparative evaluation of the two programs:

• The TaRL program, for which a pilot was launched in September 2023 and is currently ongoing, involving 31,500 pupils from 200 schools in three regions covered by the Sanady Foundation with high dropout rates (Casablanca-Settat, Rabat Salé-Kénitra and Souss-Massa).
• The Sanady Foundation’s existing program, that was launched ten years ago for primary and secondary school children from disadvantaged backgrounds. With this "traditional" approach, each class has one teacher for 40 pupils, with mixed levels of ability. Researchers Claire Ricard and Catarina Salas from IDinsight performed a cost-benefit analysis to compare this "traditional" academic support program with the TaRL program in 51 schools. This research aimed to answer three questions:

1. Is the TaRL approach more "cost-effective" than the traditional Sanady Foundation method when it comes to improving students' basic skills?
2. Does TaRL improve the academic performance of children not involved in the program?
3. Does the program have an impact on gender dynamics in classrooms and the gender stereotypes that teachers attribute to students?

In general terms, the comparison did not demonstrate a clear, statistically significant difference in the impact of the two programs on basic skills (reading, math and French). The standard deviation in terms of impact was close to 0 for all three subjects. More specifically, the TaRL program has not yet demonstrated a significant short-term impact on learning. However, it does offer:

• Greater cost-benefit potential in the medium term: While the cost-effectiveness of the two programs is comparable in the short term (4.2% higher for the traditional Sanady program), the cost-benefit ratio of the TaRL program may prove higher in the medium term, as it becomes more well-established and if mentors and teachers receive ongoing training. The TaRL program has also been trialed in Africa and India, and its participatory approach and adaptation to students' actual learning levels set it apart from other remediation models, making it a promising option for wider scale-up by public authorities. The National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) and the Moroccan Ministry of Education, Preschool, and Sports (MENPS) have expressed interest in TaRL, given its proven effectiveness in other countries (India, Ghana and Madagascar), and plan to adopt a hybrid approach going forward, which combines the personalized support of Sanady with TaRL's focus on active learning.

The research team has also emphasized the importance of viewing these results in context, as the TaRL program has only been running for a few years compared to the traditional curriculum, and given the impact of the teacher strikes during this period.

In terms of lessons learned, the project team identified several key factors for successful scale up:

1. Duration and continuity: the program must be implemented over several years to have a significant impact.
2. Training and support: it is essential to build the capacities of teachers and mentors so that they apply the method correctly.
3. Community buy-in: some parents may have reservations about the program, as they do not feel that it is relevant to the school curriculum. This issue must be addressed through clear communication: TaRL should be used to complement the official curriculum by building on its foundations, not to replace it.
4. Geographic targeting: during scale-up of the program, disparities between provinces (infrastructure, support and human resources) must be taken into account. Discussions will continue following completion of this project supported by FID between Sanady and Moroccan public institutions.

To find out more:

Presentation on the TaRL program's impact on gender dynamics by Claire Ricard and Catalina Salas (IDInsight) during the gLOCAL Evaluation Week in June 2025.

Driving change through data IDinsight at gLOCAL Evaluation Week 2025 | IDinsight