What does the TaRL Fellowship include?
The TaRL Africa Fellowship Programme is centred around a core TaRL methodology and TaRL Africa organisational principle of learning by doing. TaRL Fellows will be required to dedicate 15 percent of their time (at Least 50 working days in total) for 18 months to TaRL Africa Fellowship activities. These will include:
Attending training workshops to refine their TaRL skills
Co-training and co-designing TaRL programmes with the TaRL Africa and Pratham teams in new locations within Africa to build exposure to new contexts and to strengthen contextualisation and adaptation skills
Co-designing teaching-learning materials for new contexts
Learning about the innovations in the TaRL methodology
Strengthening mentoring capacity
Engaging with other Fellows and TaRL Africa team members to discuss, analyse and solve various classroom and training challenges experienced throughout Africa
TaRL Africa Fellows will be featured on the TaRL Africa website and, upon completion of the 18 months programme, will be certified by TaRL Africa as TaRL Trainers. With the idea that "once a TaRL Fellow, always a TaRL fellow", following completion of the programme, Fellows will become active members of the TaRL Fellow Alumni Programme.
Individual Fellowship Objectives
The fellowship content will cover modules in:
Instructional support delivery to learners, teachers, parents and communities
Development and testing of contextually appropriate TaRL materials and methodology.
Program design and adaptation of the TaRL approach to different contexts.
Capacity building of master trainers and mentors.
Planning and rolling out training(s)
Monitoring and evaluating classroom processes.
Using data as evidence in TaRL programming
By the end of the fellowship programme, the fellows are expected to be able to:
Effectively train teams in new locations with a deep understanding of the TaRL approach, its flexibility and how it can be adapted to work within different contexts.
Support other organisations/governments to build effective mentorship systems and skills.
Champion the approach across contexts.
Identify common challenges across contexts and provide thought leadership on how these may be addressed.
Support in-country teams on lessons learned.
Build the skills of other organisations/ individuals/governments to understand the use of data to direct effort and identify challenges
Fellows Responsibilities: to effectively graduate and become a TaRL trainer at the end of the fellowship programme, fellows must do the following:
Actively participate in the Advanced TaRL training in March 2025, plus observe and participate in at least one basic training provided by TaRL Africa to partners over the 18-month period
Actively support the creation of the TaRL programme in 1-2 new contexts in sub-Saharan Africa during the Fellowship period in collaboration with TaRL Africa. This may include visiting these countries.
Support the development and testing of contextually appropriate materials and methodology
Support planning for training roll-outs as required
Support quality control and mentoring by ensuring the Master Trainers are well supported during their practice classes and over the period of implementation
Actively engage in fellowship meet-ups and brainstorming activities to refine and strengthen the regional TaRL programme.
Have periodic checks with the attached mentors for support mentoring and troubleshooting. This will include monthly virtual calls and in-person meetings during co-training activities
Successful completion of these activities will be essential for the fellow to graduate and be certified as a TaRL trainer. Apart from the TaRL Advanced Training in March 2025, these activities may be conducted in-person or remotely.
What are we looking for in a fellow?
Eligibility
Applicants must come from TaRL-implementing organisations
Applicants must have at least 1-year individual experience in implementing TaRL programs.
Applicants must have completed their own TaRL practice classes and gotten the opportunity to train other TaRL actors at least once.
Applicants must have demonstrated interest in implementing TaRL programmes across the continent and in contributing to the TaRL movement
Applicants must be able to attend all planned activities for the fellowship programme, failure to which could lead to disqualification.
Applicants must secure a recommendation from their organisation, demonstrating that they have been identified as high-potential individuals suited for success in the programme.
Application Process
The fellowship will begin in December 2024. Applications will open on November 1st, 2024 and will close on November 24, 2024.
Applicants will be required to get consent from their organisation to participate in the TaRL Africa Fellowship Programme.
Applications will be reviewed by a selection panel, based on their TaRL experience, leadership potential and commitment to the mission of ensuring all children in Africa acquire foundational skills.
Successful applicants will be announced early December 2024.