The May 2025 Alive Learning Forum focused on Living Evidence Partnerships in Education. Rigobert Pambe, Deputy Lead of Programmes, at eBASE and Dr. Charles Gachoki, Research Manager, at ZiziAfrique, discussed the evidence ecosystem across Cameroon, Kenya, and Malawi in partnership with  The University of Malawi’s Centre for Education Research and Training, EdTechhub and ESSA.

Rigobert Pambe and Charles Gachoki mapped the foundational learning ecosystem for children aged four to ten in Cameroon, Kenya, and Malawi, highlighting gaps in education policies that affect this age group. The presentation revealed that while there are numerous education policies in the three countries, none comprehensively covers the foundational learning period, with policies either focusing on early childhood or basic education.

Drawing evidence from the following toolkits and open-source platforms:  EGM Kenya, Malawi and Cameroon, Unlocking Data Initiative and the Teaching & Learning Toolkit; the presentation began with findings on foundational learning policies and data ecosystems in the three countries. Dr. Gachoki highlighted that while Malawi has some policy coverage, Kenya and Cameroon lack specific policies, which affects resource allocation and teacher shortages. Although the government is the primary custodian of foundational learning data, with data sharing and evidence flow between stakeholders, issues of trust, timeliness and data quality are apparent. The research findings highlighted more knowledge generation in Kenya compared to Malawi and Cameroon, with a focus on literacy in children aged one to three.

Proceeding with the challenges in educational evidence ecosystems,   Dr. Gachoki underscored issues with data quality and dissemination in African countries. He explained that much of the published research is of poor quality, often coming from graduate theses and appearing in predatory journals, publications that often lack scholarly rigour. Some efforts have been created to address these issues through evidence gap mapping, capacity building, and the development of a national research agenda for foundational learning. He emphasized that the first step in building an evidence ecosystem is to conduct a comprehensive mapping of existing evidence and stakeholders.

Both Dr. Gachoki and Pambe discussed the importance of mapping and understanding the ecosystem to address educational challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 90% of children do not learn effectively. They highlighted the need to leverage available evidence and data from various sources, including mainstream databases, universities, and Civil Society Organisation (CSO) repositories, to inform policy and practice. Pambe emphasised the importance of building trust between stakeholders and improving the quality of evidence by developing common systems for data generation and sharing, as well as enhancing capacity for robust research methods.

Another challenge that Dr. Gachoki considered is the reluctance of Government Agencies to collaborate with non-state players unless presented with their own evidence. He emphasised the importance of collaboration and working with government departments by offering to help them use their existing data to solve their problems. Furthermore, issues surrounding data quality and trust were highlighted, noting that both government agencies and CSOs are hesitant to share data due to concerns about its validity and the potential for exposing systemic issues, such as equity. He suggested that improving data protocols and fostering open collaboration could help address these trust issues and create a more transparent ecosystem. Another challenge that arises in the evidence ecosystem is the lack of transparency in evidence and data in the education sector, particularly regarding foundational learning and gender disparities. He emphasised the importance of governments sharing their data, engaging with evidence, and addressing the gender imbalance in educational research. Pambe also raised concerns about the funding of education in conflict areas and the reliance on political rather than evidence-based decisions, suggesting that Africa could learn from India's approach to acknowledging and addressing educational crises.

The session concluded with a call for further exploration of unmeasured areas in education and the possibility of providing training on evidence gap mapping.

The session recording can be accessed here


Are you interested in living evidence? Would you like to connect with others in the evidence ecosystem? Sign up to the Alive Learning Forum - it’s free to join! 
‍‍

Please direct any questions or concerns to hello@aliveevidence.org

‍^{This post is based upon a discussion during an Alive Learning Forum session, and the views and opinions expressed are those of the participants, and may not necessarily represent those of Alive or its partners.}