Early Grade Reading Assessment for children with visual impairment: towards more inclusive learning in Mali

Main Objectives

• To review available evidence with regards to teaching pupils with visual impairment in Mali, and adapting the country’s Early Grade Reading Assessment to their needs

Summary

Since Mali became independent in 1960, the Malian government has worked to develop an education system that meets the needs of the country’s children. The country uses a tool known as the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) in order to measure the efficiency of a teaching approach and ensure that learning is happening for every student.

In the absence of an assessment tool that is designed for their specific needs, children with visual impairment are excluded from this knowledge base. The introduction of EGRA in schools attended by visually impaired and blind students is a cornerstone of Sightsavers’ work in Mali.

In 2017, Sightsavers received funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop and trial a version of the EGRA for use with young people with visual impairment in Mali. As part of this grant, in 2018, Sightsavers commissioned the Vision Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR) at the University of Birmingham to review available evidence on teaching pupils with visual impairment and adapting EGRA to their needs and to make recommendations on an EGRA version for Mali.