INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMING LEARNING AT NYAGRA PRIMARY SCHOOL

                                      Learners engaged in digital lessons using tablets.

Bathed in the golden light of day, Nyagra Primary, once a quiet school tucked near Baron Estate, now buzzes with the energy and possibilities of digital learning. Pupils bend over tablets, navigating math challenges and spelling games illuminated not just by screens, but by hope. Just a year ago, the blackboard was their only gateway to the world. Today, the digital world is at their fingertips.

Nyagra was like many rural schools in Malawi, lacking electricity, overwhelmed by absenteeism, and teachers worked tirelessly to show learners’ progress. However, something has shifted, and it begins with a glow of technology, hope, and possibility. This is the transformation story of Nyagra Primary School in Dowa District, reshaped through the BEFIT (Building Education Foundations through Innovation and Technology) program, which aims to reimagine early grade learning using evidence-based, tablet-delivered content tailored to the national curriculum.

                                      Kaunda- Right now, there is high enrollment in our classes.

At Nyagra, BEFIT’s impact is not theoretical; it’s lived and felt every day. “Learners were not attending classes every day,” said Olivetta Kaunda, a teacher at the school. “But right now, there is high enrollment in our classes. “She watches her students tap on letter-sound combinations, identify words, and solve math challenges, all from a device that fits in their small hands. These children, many of whom had never touched a screen before, now move through digital lessons with growing confidence.

Absenteeism to Engagement

                                Mbonekera  - The school environment has changed for the better.

Before BEFIT, Nyagra’s junior section (Standards 1 to 4) faced dismal attendance. With no electricity and only a handful of overused textbooks, learning was more a hope than a process. According to Head Teacher Rhoda Mbonekera, that has changed dramatically. “After the coming of the BEFIT program, absenteeism has decreased,” Mbonekera explains. “It has increased enrollment in the junior section, where the program is offered. Mbonekera says the transformation is not just about new gadgets, it’s about how those tools are reshaping the school environment and learning culture. “Had no electricity. But now, with solar power, we can run the program. The school environment has changed for the better.”

Technology in Small Hands, Big Learning in Progress

At the center of this transformation is Ignatius Bauleni Kachigwada, a teacher and BEFIT Coordinator at Nyagra. Every time, he unlocks the cabinet holding the tablets, checks for damage, powers them on, and ensures each child has a functioning device. “Sometimes the tablets stop working while the session is in progress,” he admits. “Some we’ve kept aside, waiting for maintenance. But I make sure learners have access to working tablets and help them when they tap the wrong class. “Despite the technical hiccups, Kachigwada sees progress every day. Children who once avoided school now show up early, eager to learn. For many, the tablets were the hook, but the learning has kept them coming. “Once learners heard that we’re learning using tablets, they started coming,” he says. “Even those who only came for the tablets are now attending other classes and performing well.” He beams as he explains success stories, students who once struggled to read now read fluently. “Sometimes you even wonder this pupil was failing to read. But now, with the tablets, they’re reading fluently. It’s unbelievable.”

One such story is that of 9-year-old Talandira, a Standard 3 learner at Nyagra. Just months ago, she struggled to recognize letter sounds and often skipped school. Today, she reads stories aloud with confidence and solves multiplication challenges on her tablet.
“She even helps her younger brother with reading at home,” says her mother, Loveness. “It’s like she discovered her voice through the screen.”

Parents and the Power of Motivation

Outside the school, the ripple effect of BEFIT is felt in the homes of Nyagra’s learners. Parents, once burdened by the need to push children to attend school, are witnessing a new wave of self-motivation. “Parents tell us they used to push their children to go to school,” Kachigwada says. “Now the children go willingly. They don’t want to miss out.”

According to the Ministry of Education, the BEFIT initiative is designed to serve 3.5 million children across 5,770 public primary schools, building on earlier successes from the Unlocking Talent program, which reached 225,000 children across 250 schools. “To build a strong structure, you must start with a sound foundation,” said Hon. Monica Chang’anamuno, Malawi’s Deputy Minister of Education, during a recent policy event. And that foundation, at least in Nyagra, is being laid one tap at a time (Building Educational Foundations through Innovation and Technology (BEFIT) | VSO USA)

Scalable, Sustainable, and Grounded in Reality

                                                A cabinet for keeping & charging tablets

What makes BEFIT uniquely effective is not just its digital content, it’s how deeply it aligns with Malawi’s local context. The tablets do not require internet or grid electricity. Each is powered by solar systems and preloaded with adaptive, child-centered learning software in Chichewa and English.

A Roadmap for the Continent

Research in Malawi has highlighted challenges in early grade literacy and numeracy. As a result, only 19% of children ages 7 to 14 have foundational reading skills, and 13% have foundational numeracy skills (BEFIT Project General Overview 6-5-24).

  Across Malawi, foundational learning challenges have plagued early grade education for years. According to the 2023 Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) reports, most learners in Standards 1 to 3 struggle with basic reading and numeracy. Traditional methods characterized by teacher-led chalk-and-talk approaches have not closed the gap. “The reality is, many children complete the early grades without being able to read a simple sentence”. (UNICEF Malawi, 2023 EGRA Report)

A study implementing a cognitive science-based reading program showed improvement in letter sound knowledge (Iyengar et al., 2016).

A tablet-based mathematics intervention demonstrated significant learning gains in Standards 2 and 3, suggesting technology can effectively support early mathematical skills development Pitchford, 2015).

Despite initiatives like the National Reading Programme launched in 2015, gains have been limited, pointing to the need for fresh approaches like BEFIT. This urgent learning crisis is what programs like BEFIT aim to address by replacing passive learning with interactive, tech-based instruction.

A 2024 evaluation by Imagine Worldwide found that after just four months of BEFIT implementation, 72% of learners demonstrated emergent or fluent levels in mathematics, and over 50% more learners reached national literacy benchmarks compared to their peers. Significantly, girls performed on par with boys, challenging long-held gender gaps in foundational education. These gains, made in the aftermath of pandemic-related school closures, point to BEFIT’s ability not only to recover learning but to accelerate it.

These national results are not just numbers. The transformation seen at Nyagra mirrors what national studies are beginning to confirm.

At Nyagra Primary, change is no longer a dream; it’s visible. It’s in the classroom where learners rush in, excited to learn. It’s the teacher who now has a new way to connect with students. “The befit program has really impacted learning at Nyagra Primary School,” says Head Teacher Mbonekera. “Because what I see now is the school I always dreamed we’d become, as many students are now able to read, and this has improved performance in the junior section.”