Zastrau, ElzethJansen, Jessica Mary-AnnShikwaya, Renate Olga2026-02-062026-02-062025http://hdl.handle.net/11070/4203The study aimed to evaluate the impact of the programme by comparing reading outcomes between two groups of schools: those in the Oshana region, where Grade 2 and 3 teachers had been trained in Jolly Grammar 1 and 2, and comparison schools in the Oshikoto region where teachers had had no prior exposure to Jolly Grammar 1 or 2This report presents the findings of an independent impact evaluation of the Jolly Phonics and Grammar programmes in Namibia, commissioned to assess the programme’s effectiveness in improving foundational English reading skills among early-grade learners. The evaluation focused on Grade 3 learners from the 2024 academic year, sampled from 100 schools equally divided between the Oshana region (which had been trained on Jolly Grammar 2 for Grade 3s) and the Oshikoto region (which had not received Jolly Grammar 2 training at the time of the survey). The study employed a Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach to estimate average treatment effects on Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) performance. Four primary models were employed, varying in their matching specifications to test the robustness of results. The evaluation also calls for improved monitoring and the incorporation of longitudinal study designs, including baseline assessments, to better track learner progress over time and attribute improvements to the Jolly programmesenJolly PhonicsJolly GrammarImpact evaluationEarly grade literacyEGRAWord readingDecoding skillsPropensity score matchingTeacher trainingMultilingual contextNamibiaUniversity of NamibiaGenesisTechnical Report