Our Zambian collaborator

Center for Advancement of Literacy and Skills in Schools – CALSS

Incorporated in 2023, CALSS operates as a non-profit company registered by guarantee in Zambia.

Its main objectives include:

• Promoting the attainment of full literacy and learning skills in schools.
• Guiding research to support literacy development in early grades.
• Supporting the acquisition of requisite knowledge by early-grade teachers to effectively instruct literacy.
• Assisting early-grade teachers and curriculum experts in developing engaging local stories to enhance early comprehension among learners.
• Promoting and supporting the use of digital platforms to achieve full literacy and skills acquisition in early grades.
• Supporting the establishment of reading centers or hubs in schools.

CALSS collaborates with the Ministry of Education and CGWorld Learning Ltd to promote the attainment of full literacy using the Comprehension Game and Tale Reader. 

Furthermore, CALSS has established a long-term collaboration with Finnish reading experts led by emeritus professor and Unesco Chair Heikki Lyytinen to find optimal solutions to support reading acquisition with special emphasis on mastering full literacy, including comprehension of written material that has not been adequately addressed. Studies conducted in rural Zambia with collaborators have demonstrated that basic reading skills, such as decoding, alone are not sufficient to elevate school learning.