Youth Impact's journey scaling Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) in Botswana

• In Event: The transition test: Designing sustainable programs that outlast political change

Proposal

Youth Impact's journey scaling Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) in Botswana offers a compelling case study in how external organizations can effectively partner with government to build middle-tier capacity while achieving sustainable scale. Since 2016, TaRL has expanded from a single-school numeracy pilot to implementation in nearly every school across every region of Botswana, having reached nearly 150,000 students who have demonstrated impressive learning outcomes.

The Botswana case demonstrates several critical success factors: seizing a convergence of problem recognition, policy alignment, and political priorities; using rigorous data to demonstrate need and track progress; and employing adaptive implementation models that balance program fidelity with local ownership.

Key insights will focus on Youth Impact's dual delivery model, which evolved from initial direct implementation to a hybrid approach where government actors lead 85 percent of TaRL delivery while Youth Impact provides targeted support for the remaining 15 percent. This transition required careful attention to training quality, ongoing coaching, and systems for maintaining program standards without creating dependency.

The presentation will examine specific strategies Youth Impact employed to build middle-tier capacity. Rather than bypassing district and regional officials, the organization invested heavily in sensitizing and training these actors to become TaRL champions. This included developing region-specific adaptation plans, creating feedback loops between implementation sites and policy levels, and establishing data systems that enabled middle-tier actors to monitor and support school-level implementation.

Critically, the presentation will address implementation challenges and adaptive responses. Youth Impact's experience reveals the complexity of working within government systems, including competing priorities that limit middle-tier attention to foundational learning, resource constraints that affect the quality and frequency of school support, and the ongoing challenge of maintaining training quality while reducing costs at scale.

The Botswana case also illuminates broader questions about external partnership models. Youth Impact's approach of embedding within government structures rather than running parallel systems offers lessons for other organizations seeking sustainable scale. Their use of rapid impact assessments—monthly small-scale evaluations—enabled continuous program improvement and stakeholder buy-in while building government capacity for evidence-based decision making.

The presentation will share specific tools and approaches that enabled successful middle-tier engagement, including stakeholder mapping processes, co-development of scaling plans with government partners, and innovative training models that balance cost-effectiveness with quality. Particular attention will be paid to how Youth Impact navigated the tension between maintaining program integrity and allowing for local adaptation—a challenge that many scaling efforts face.

Looking ahead, the presentation will discuss Youth Impact's plans for full government ownership by 2027 and the remaining challenges in achieving this transition. These include sustainable financing models, maintaining training quality without external support, and ensuring consistent implementation across Botswana's diverse regions.

The presentation concludes with actionable insights for other implementers working to scale education programs through government partnerships. Key lessons include the importance of patient relationship building, the need for flexible delivery models that can evolve with government capacity, and the critical role of data in building buy-in and enabling adaptive management.

Author

• Moitshepi Matsheng, Youth Impact