The multi−year UWTT Building Bridges to Success Impact Programme (BBP) was launched in 2019, with the special focus on entry level Infants 1 and 2 classes to ensure strong foundational skills and children reading to learn by age 8 or standard 2 as our target. The super goal of the Programme is to improve childhood success and resilience so that the likelihood of completing secondary school successfully is increased. It is clear that COVID−19 and resulting policies have amplified the inequity that already existed by community, gender and in our education and health sectors − there is increased need as well as opportunity to address these urgently and differently.

We have started to adapt the BB Programme 2021−2024 to support blended schooling as part of the New Norm – which keeps our target on supporting schools to re−open in person schooling. Blendedlearning is an approach that leverages both digital tools and face−to−face instruction and is built on the premise that students will be attending classes in school buildings. The Programme comprises a multi− component synergistic approach to reach the children by supporting parents, teachers, school leadership. This is a collective working advocacy through action Programme aligned to the Ministry of Education Guidelines for re−opening schools, September 2021.

The Components of the Building Bridges to Success Programme include the following objectives (refer Figure 1):

1. Support parents to better engage in learning process of blended schooling.
2. Provide teachers with support for language development and social emotional learning, small group learning and supervision during break time.
3. Provide support to school and community leadership to create a culture of shared responsibility.
4. Promote out of school time (OST) play opportunities (music and sport)
5. Strengthen capacity for the new norm and blended schooling: including public health safety protocols and connectivity capacity of school as connectivity hub for students and teachers.

We use a set of basic selection criteria to help identify schools for the Programme:

• A high needs community
• Strong leadership and engagement of the Principal and senior staff
• Teachers interested in the importance of building early language and numeracy skills

For the longer-term impact of the Programme, UWTT is committed to creating and supporting an advocacy programme around what is really means for schools to be places for learning.  We also feel that there is a need that this can align to achieving the National Vision 2030 Theme I: Putting People First, Nurturing our Greatest Asset and to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) – particularly related to improving Quality Education (SDG4), reducing Inequity (SDG10) and eliminating poverty (SDG1).