Raising the Profile of African Education Research and Researchers: Foundational Learning

This project seeks to identify and connect African education researchers who are working to improve the foundational learning of African primary school children. 

Improving foundational learning is one of the top priorities for many African countries. According to the Spotlight on Basic Education Completion and Foundational Learning in Africa by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report, children living in the continent are five times less likely to reach the minimum level of proficiency in reading by the end of primary school, than children elsewhere.

Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA), the REAL Centre (University of Cambridge) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are collaborating to implement this two-year project. We will focus on mapping of researchers, their institutions and the evidence they are producing in four countries: Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Tanzania. 

---

Goals:

• Improve the visibility and accessibility of education research undertaken by sub-Saharan Africa-based researchers;  

• Promote the uptake and use of locally produced education research in policy and investment decision-making by synthesising, advocating for, and communicating evidence.

---

This project is built on the theory that key actions must be taken, including mapping African education research and researchers; building field and country-specific research networks; strengthening the capacity of African education researchers; improving the visibility and accessibility of locally produced research; and motivating the use and uptake of locally produced evidence.

---

Members of the Foundational Learning Advisory Group

• Professor Mavis Dako-Gyeke (University of Ghana) 

• Professor Belay Hagos (Addis Ababa University) 

• Dr Mary Goretti Nakabugo (Executive Director, Uwezo Uganda) 

• Professor Efua Irene Amenyah Sarr (Gaston Berger University, Senegal) 

---

Publications

Policy Briefs

• Trends, Gaps, and Policy Recommendations for Strengthening the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Research Ecosystem in Senegal to Improve the Quality of Education

• Renforcer la recherche en apprentissage fondamental au Sénégal : tendances, défis et recommandations pour une éducation de qualité

• Trends, Gaps, and Policy Recommendations for Strengthening Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Research Ecosystem in Kenya to Improve the Quality of Education

• Trends, Gaps, and Policy Recommendations for Strengthening Ghana’s Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Research Ecosystem to Improve the Quality of Education

Reports

• Identifying and Addressing Professional Development Needs of Early Childhood Development and Foundational Learning Researchers in sub-Saharan Africa: Summary Report for Action

• Identifier et Répondre aux Besoins de Développement Professionnel des Chercheurs en Développement de La Petite Enfance et en Apprentissage Fondamental en Afrique subsaharienne: Rapport de Synthèse pour L'action

• Identificar e Responder às Necessidades de Desenvolvimento Profissional dos Investigadores em Desenvolvimento da Primeira Infância e Aprendizagem de Base na África Subsariana: Relatório de Síntese Para Ação

• Mapping African research on foundational literacy and numeracy (English) 

• Mapping Africa research on foundational literacy and numeracy (French)

---

Workshop Reports

• Promoting Locally Led and Policy-Relevant Foundational Learning Research Priorities in Ghana

• Foundational learning grant proposal writing workshop report

• Enhancing Africa-Led Research on Early Childhood Development and Foundational Learning: Voices of Africa-Based Researchers

• Enhancing Africa-Led Research on Early Childhood Development and Foundational Learning Workshop: Recommendations for Action

---

Literature Search Protocols

• Literature search protocol for mapping African-led Foundational Learning publications in English, French and Portuguese  

---

Analyses from international databases

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy research in sub-Saharan Africa from international databases: Full report (English)

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy research in sub-Saharan Africa from international databases: Summary report (English)

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy research in sub-Saharan Africa from international databases: Full report (French)

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy research in sub-Saharan Africa from international databases: Summary report (French)

---

Country reports

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy research in sub-Saharan Africa: Senegal country report (English) 

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy research in sub-Saharan Africa: Senegal country report (French)

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy research in sub-Saharan Africa: Kenya country report  

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy research in sub-Saharan Africa: Ghana country report  

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy research in sub-Saharan Africa: Tanzania country report 

---

Cross-country reports

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy in four sub-Saharan Africa countries: Lessons from country-level searches (English)  

• Mapping foundational literacy and numeracy research in four sub-Saharan Africa countries: Lessons from country-level searches (French)  

---

Blogs

• Mapping Research on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in sub-Saharan Africa Contexts - Where are the Publications?

• Mapping Research on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy in Sub Saharan Africa Contexts – Where are the Publications? (French)  

• Enhancing Early Childhood Development and Foundational Learning through African-Led Research

• Understanding Research Priorities and Professional Development Needs of Early Years Researchers in Africa

• Prioritising early learning research in sub-Saharan Africa for equitable- earning outcomes

---

News Items

• New Effort to 'Decolonise' African Education Research

• Enhancing African-Led Research on Early Childhood Development and Foundational Learning

• Calls to increase research funding in Africa louder than ever

• Shaping Africa’s Research Agenda: Insights from Professor Kwame Acheampong’s Keynote at Grant Proposal Writing Workshop for Africa-based Foundational Learning Researchers 

• New project announced to identify and connect Africa-based education researchers in improving foundational learning

---