Catch-up classes can change the equation

UNICEF’s 2024 annual report describes extensive catch-up support provided as school closures reduced official learning time. These programs are designed to help children regain knowledge and prepare for progression or examinations.

What the reporting tells us

Effective catch-up learning starts with where a student actually is. Rather than assuming all children are ready for the same lesson, educators may identify gaps and focus on core reading, writing and mathematics.

Bisou Bisou Haiti’s early experience with BACC study support informs our interest in future focused seminars and remote study groups. Before offering services, we would need clear partners, instructors, access arrangements and a dependable schedule.

Catch-up is not the same as rushing

Accelerated lessons are most useful when they identify the skills a child actually missed. A brief reading or mathematics assessment, grouped instruction and chances to practice can be more effective than simply compressing an entire year into a few weeks.

What can help

For educators and supporters, useful next steps include asking which students are not attending, identifying the precise lessons missed, and coordinating accessible materials with local teachers. A response is stronger when progress can be checked over time, instead of measuring success only by the number of items distributed or events held.

One response cannot meet every student’s needs. Read this story alongside the other chapters to see how access, safety, instruction and local leadership connect across Haiti’s changing circumstances.