ADEA and the Learning Generation Initiative (LGI) of the Education Development Centre (EDC) relaunched the Africa Policymaker Forum webinar series focused on foundational learning and exclusively targeted at senior education policymakers in Africa. This new series shares insights and lessons from promising government-led interventions addressing the learning crisis across Africa. The first edition in the new series took place on Thursday May 15, focused on the importance of data-driven decision-making in transforming education systems across the continent, with a case study from Ghana. Hosted by ADEA in partnership with the Learning Generation Initiative (LGI) of the Education Development Centre (EDC) and the What Works Hub for Global Education supported by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the session brought together continental policymakers, researchers, and education stakeholders to discuss strategies for improving foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes.

In his opening remarks, the Minister of Education in Rwanda, Honourable Joseph Nsengimana, represented by the Chief Technical Advisor at the Ministry, Mr. Pascal Gatabazi reaffirmed the Ministerial commitment made at FLEX 2024 in Kigali, to eradicate learning poverty by 2035, emphasizing the critical role of data in achieving this goal.

‘Last year, during the Africa Foundational Learning Exchange, which my ministry hosted here in Rwanda, African governments committed to ending learning poverty on the continent by 2035. Data is a significant component in attaining this goal. During that conference, governments committed to enhancing the production and utilisation of quality data, evidence, assessment, and accountability mechanisms. This webinar aligns with this commitment and provides a peer-learning opportunity to all countries present.’

Honourable Nsengimana urged countries to embrace the power of data to create a more equitable and effective education system for all our learners.

Welcoming participants to the session, ADEA Executive Secretary, Albert Nsengiyumva, underscored the need for quality data to drive impactful educational interventions. He highlighted that the forum’s objective to address key areas such as structured pedagogy, assessments, curriculum design, language of instruction, and leadership in education systems was key in reversing current learning trends and ensuring every child has a chance at quality education.

Ghana's data-driven approach to foundational learning

The guest speaker and immediate past Director General of Ghana’s National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Prof. Yayra Dzakadzie, presented a comprehensive overview of the country’s data-driven approach to foundational learning assessment, focusing on literacy and numeracy assessments conducted at Primary two, four, and six levels. The data at the primary two level is collected using a platform called Tangerine for one-on-one assessments, and scannable sheets were used for Primary four and six. The data is securely managed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and utilized to guide curriculum reviews, design targeted interventions, and allocate resources effectively.

The data collected allowed for targeted identification of learning gaps and informed teacher capacity-building programs and was used to track progress in literacy and numeracy proficiency.

Professor Dzakadzie highlighted significant progress made in Ghana’s foundational learning outcomes from 2021 to 2024, as evidenced by this data. These include steady improvements in literacy and numeracy, with some learners advancing from below proficiency to advanced proficiency within a year. He also mentioned that the first-ever census assessment across multiple grade levels revealed notable gains in English and numeracy, indicating positive trends in foundational learning.

Despite these gains, the Forum emphasized the ongoing challenges in implementing effective foundational learning strategies. Participants discussed the importance of equity and inclusion in education and the need to contextualize assessment tools to address local needs. Participants from Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia, and other countries voiced concerns about teacher attrition, learning assessments, and the barriers faced by African researchers in conducting large-scale studies.

The relaunched webinar series is planned as an eight-part series spanning over four years. The next edition of the webinar is planned for August 2025. Participating countries were invited to suggest the topic of focus to make for a more demand-driven session. This session comes at a critical time when Africa is looking to align around key metrics, methodology, and tools to assess and ascertain improvements in learning. ADEA and LGI will announce the date for the next session.