New Report Calls for Locally Led Research to Address Foundational Learning Gaps
Education Sub Saharan Africa (ESSA) and Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre at the University of Cambridge have published a report urging stronger collaboration to bridge persistent gaps in Foundational Learning across Ghana.
The report draws on discussions from a workshop held in Accra on 15 April 2025, the first in a three-part series exploring locally led and policy-relevant foundational learning research. Participants – including government officials, academics, and development partners – highlighted barriers that continue to hinder children’s ability to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills.
Delivering the keynote, Professor Michael-Boakye-Yiadom, Director-General of the Institute of Education Planning and Administration (IEPA), stressed the importance of translating research into action. “Most of the time, we come, we talk, and we go, and the cycle repeats,” he cautioned, calling for stronger collaboration among stakeholders.
Echoing this concern, Dr Benjamin Piper, Director of Global Education at the Gates Foundation, pointed to the 2021 National Standardised Test results: only 46% of Ghanaian Primary 4 learners were proficient in mathematics, compared to 54% in English. He described the figures as a wake-up call to accelerate progress in literacy and numeracy.
The report identifies three pressing areas for action:
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Teacher professional development: Strengthening pedagogy and language competencies to improve Foundational Learning.
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Parental and community involvement: addressing gender dynamics and mobilising community leaders to improve Foundational Learning.
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Language policy: Balancing the use of English and mother tongue as a medium of instruction in Foundational Learning.
Stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, civil society organisations, and development partners, are urged to align research with policy, enhance teacher training, and close gaps between evidence and practice.
The workshop in Ghana is the first step in a broader regional effort, with subsequent events held between April and June 2025 in Kenya and Senegal. Organisers emphasise that only through locally driven, evidence-based solutions can education systems in Africa overcome persistent foundational learning challenges.
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