Kwena Basin Extension Project (2025-2028): Feedback from Project Visit 2 (2-6 Feb 2026)

Practice, Progress, and Partnerships

The Basic Concepts Foundation recently completed a five-day support visit (2-6 Feb) to the Kwena Basin Extension Project, focused on strengthening implementation, deepening teacher confidence, and laying the groundwork for meaningful evaluation.

The visit opened with a teacher refresher session, attended by 33 teachers, where key principles around pacing, step-by-step implementation, and focused mediation were reinforced. Teacher feedback reflected growing clarity and confidence, particularly around implementing Colour and Shape as structured interventions rather than isolated activities.

Over the following days, the BCF team conducted school-based support visits across all seven sites, working directly with teachers in their classrooms. These visits highlighted both the realities teachers face—such as large class sizes and limited resources—and the strong potential evident in teachers who were responsive to guidance and increasingly confident in applying the steps in practice.

Running in parallel, baseline assessments were successfully completed with 160 Grade 1 learners across two intervention and two control schools, marking an important milestone in tracking learner progress and programme impact over the duration of the project.

The visit also included highly positive engagements with Mpumalanga DoE officials, strengthening collaboration and opening discussions with four potential new schools in the district. Together, these developments signal a project that is gaining momentum, deepening partnerships, and building a strong foundation for the year ahead.