Tackling three urgent questions in the African foundational learning knowledge and data ecosystem

Posted on by Jillian Makungu in Blogs

By Charles Gachoki, Laté Lawson, Maurice Mutisya & Rigobert Pambe 

The 69th annual Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) 2025 Conference was a vibrant space for critical education, data, and policy discussions. The Unlocking Data Initiative (UDI), funded by GPE-KIX  and IDRC, hosted a panel that sparked deep reflections on foundational learning (FL) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), with a focus on Cameroon, Kenya, and Malawi. The conference amplified diverse perspectives, and our session stood out for its engaging discourse on FL data, policy, and advocacy. 

Following four insightful presentations, the audience raised three key questions that were both pertinent and central to the core challenges of FL in Africa—questions we think deserve thoughtful attention. 

These questions highlight gaps in consensus, policy priorities, and strategic engagement—critical issues that demand attention to drive meaningful change. Drawing on the CIES discussions, this blog revisits these pressing issues to advance the conversation and engage an even broader audience. 

Question 1: Defining foundational learning in a multilingual Africa—shouldn’t we agree first?

The lack of a universally agreed-upon definition of FL is a recurring source of debate, especially in Africa and, generally, the global South. Unlike in the global North, where FL is often tied to native-language literacy, many African children are required to learn a foreign (often colonial) language before accessing education effectively. This context raises even more critical questions:

  • Does FL hold the same meaning across diverse African countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, compared to nations like Canada, the U.S., or the U.K.?
  • Should FL benchmarks be adapted to account for the multilingual realities in which children are learning in unfamiliar languages?
  • How can we accurately measure FL when assessment tools may not be contextually adapted for these environments?

Without a harmonized understanding of what FL means in the African context, efforts in data collection and policy formulation risk remaining fragmented. This underscores the urgent need for a pan-African dialogue to establish a contextualized FL framework before focusing solely on refining metrics.

Question 2: Why do sub-Saharan African countries need foundational learning-specific policies?

The global south and sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, face a paradox marked by high enrollment rates alongside alarming levels of learning poverty. As highlighted in the World Bank’s 2023 State of Learning Poverty Update report, education systems in the region are already struggling to address this deepening crisis. Despite more children attending school, many complete primary education without acquiring basic literacy or numeracy skills. Although many countries have adopted policies promoting access, equity, and quality, the question remains: Are general education policies enough to address foundational learning (FL) gaps?

This situation demands foundational learning—specific policies for several reasons:

  • Learning poverty requires urgent and targeted intervention

Decades of education interventions across Africa have successfully prioritized access, as demonstrated by the significant increase in primary school enrollment from 52% in 1990 to nearly 80% in 2019. However, this progress has been accompanied by a clear shortfall in educational quality. The situation is particularly alarming: according to the World Bank’s 2023 State of Learning Poverty Update, more than 87% of 10-year-olds in some sub-Saharan African countries are unable to read and understand a simple sentence. Addressing this crisis requires the development of specific foundational learning and numeracy policies, which can ensure the allocation of dedicated resources such as targeted funding, specialized teacher training, and appropriate learning materials—to effectively build foundational skills at scale.

  • Some equity gaps demand focused strategies

Generalized education policies often fail to adequately address the needs of highly vulnerable groups. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces some of the world’s most significant challenges:

  1. Out-of-school children: According to UNESCO’s 2024 Global Education Monitoring Report, the share of the global out-of-school child population in SSA increased from 32% in 2000 to 51% in 2023, with girls most adversely affected. 
  2. Refugee and displaced learners: UNICEF’s 2024 snapshot on migrant and displaced children shows that over one in four immigrants in Africa—6.2 million—are children, a rate twice the global average, with East Africa hit hardest. Also, at the end of 2023, more than half of all refugees in Africa were children (≈4.5 million). 
  3. Children with special needs (SNE): As noted by the United Nations, children with disabilities are significantly more likely to be out of school at all levels—and less likely to complete their education—compared to their non-disabled peers. 
  • Curriculum Shift: Coverage vs. Competency

Many African education systems continue to emphasize curriculum coverage over actual learning, which may explain why foundational learning outcomes remain persistently low. Specific Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) policies are essential to institutionalize competency-based approaches, ensuring that children master the basics before advancing.

This is well-articulated in UNICEF’s Curriculum Reform Think Piece by Cunningham (2018), which argues for a shift from traditional content-heavy curricula to competency-focused models that prioritize learning outcomes over rote content delivery.

Question 3: The advocacy gap—how can we effectively influence decision-makers?

The third critical question raised at CIES 2025 centered on the challenge of advocacy and influencing decision-makers. Even when strong evidence exists highlighting the importance of FL, reforms often stall. This is due to several factors, including

  • Misaligned incentives: Education systems reward the low-level and short-term visible outputs, such as increased enrollment numbers and new infrastructure, over the more complex and long-term outcomes of improved learning. 
  • Limited political will: Policymakers may favour quick, visible projects that align with political cycles or funder priorities over foundational reforms that require sustained commitment. 
  • Fragmented advocacy efforts: Researchers, NGOs, and practitioners operate in silos, sometimes even working at cross-purposes, which dilutes their collective influence.

Moving from questions to action: Addressing the challenges

Tackling these intertwined questions requires a multi-pronged, strategic approach. The path forward involves

  • Coalition building—uniting diverse stakeholders, including Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), teacher unions, and the media—is crucial to elevate FL as a national priority and create a unified voice. 
  • Evidence-based messaging—translating complex research findings into accessible, compelling policy briefs that resonate directly with leaders and policymakers—is vital for informed decision-making
  • Leveraging global platforms—utilizing international frameworks such as Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) 2025 strategy—can help hold governments accountable to their commitments to improving foundational learning.

Conclusion: Towards Foundational Learning for Every Child in Africa

The CIES 2025 discussions highlighted three unresolved FL challenges in Africa:

  1. Definitional clarity: We need a pan-African FLN definition and framework. 
  2. Policy prioritization: Foundational learning-specific strategies must address learning poverty and equity gaps. 
  3. Strategic advocacy: A coordinated, evidence-driven approach is key to influencing policymakers. 

The Unlocking Data Initiative remains committed to engaging ministries of education, researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders to collectively tackle these critical questions. By working together to demystify evidence, align policies with learning needs, and amplify coordinated advocacy efforts, we move closer to the ultimate goal: an Africa where every child achieves foundational learning.

When Data Speaks: Lessons from Cameroon, Kenya, and Malawi on Unlocking Foundational Learning

Posted on by Jillian Makungu in Blogs

By Nain Mirabel Yuh and Rigobert Pambe

“Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” — African Proverb.

In Africa’s evolving education landscape, the power to tell our own story, through data, is becoming a defining force. Yet, while vast amounts of evidence are generated daily, too often it remains trapped in PDF reports or scattered across systems. This disconnect has real-world consequences because when data is not accessible or actionable, children’s learning suffers. Foundational learning outcomes have persistently remained low, not because there is no data, but because the information is not reaching those who can drive meaningful change. How do we bridge the divide between data and real-world impact? How can African stakeholders collaborate to turn insights into action?

These were the central questions of the Unlocking Data webinar, held on 12 February 2025, under the theme “Evidence to Action: Leveraging Ecosystem Players and Platforms to Scale Evidence Use.” Bringing together education researchers, policymakers, and data strategists from Cameroon, Kenya, and Malawi, the event highlighted the promise and the persistent challenges of building inclusive, trusted, and responsive data ecosystems for foundational learning.

The Current Landscape: Data exists, but is it used?

Across the three countries, the panellists agreed: foundational learning data exists but remains underutilised, siloed, or inaccessible to those who need it most, hindering evidence-based decision-making.

In Kenya, Charles Gachoki (Zizi Afrique, Kenya) described a fragmented system where international actors easily access education data, while local researchers and NGOs face red tape. “It’s who asks that determines access,” he observed. This disparity means that research driven by local context and needs is often constrained. 

Esme Kadzamira (Centre for Educational Research and Training, Malawi) added that in her country, foundational learning data is split across ministries, hindering collaboration. Even promising tools like unique learner identities are underused due to a lack of analytical capacity among ministry staff and local educators.

Rigobert Pambe (eBASE Africa, Cameroon) spoke of mistrust: government stakeholders question external data, while researchers doubt the reliability of official statistics. The result? Fragmented systems and missed opportunities for unified action based on a shared understanding of the challenges.

Barriers to evidence use: Trust, access, and representation

Three persistent challenges stood out, often interacting with each other to create a complex web of obstacles:

🔐 Data silos and restricted access

Ministries holding vast administrative datasets often operate in isolation, like separate islands. In Cameroon, access is further constrained by donor priorities and bureaucratic hurdles, making it incredibly difficult for local researchers or NGOs to obtain necessary information for program evaluation or policy advocacy, while Kenya’s county-level data remains locked away, unused at the point of need, preventing local decision-makers from tailoring interventions effectively.

🤝 Mistrust among ecosystem actors

A lack of transparency between government, academia, and civil society creates suspicion. Government officials may be wary of research findings that contradict official narratives, while researchers may doubt the accuracy or completeness of government statistics. One attendee asked, “How do we build trust in data sharing?” The answer: through shared ownership, ethical practices, and open dialogue.

🧩 Gaps in representation

From Malawi’s missing data on early childhood education to Kenya’s lack of disaggregated statistics for students with disabilities or in informal schools, entire populations are left out of the data story. Without data on marginalised groups, policies risk perpetuating inequities”

What’s working: Promising practices and bold ideas

Despite these barriers, the webinar showcased bright spots of innovation, demonstrating that progress is possible when stakeholders commit to collaborative and innovative approaches:

  • Real-Time Dashboards in Malawi allow district officials to monitor foundational learning outcomes like numeracy and literacy rates, though training is needed to turn these insights into local action that directly impacts classroom practice and resource allocation.
  • Cross-sector data collaborations in Kenya are enabling counties and universities to co-analyse data and co-design solutions, fostering locally relevant, evidence-driven interventions.
  • Cameroon’s push for a centralized data repository aims to open up research access and align data flows across actors potentially breaking down existing silos and facilitating a more holistic view of the education system.
  • A data-sharing portal for education modelled after Malawi’s agriculture sector is in early design proof that solutions can cross sectors and borders. This cross-sector learning is vital for identifying innovative approaches to data governance and use.

Scaling what works: The way forward

To truly move from evidence to action, these recommendations build on the bright spots and aim to dismantle the identified barriers:

✅Embrace open data policies and anonymisation frameworks

Without privacy standards, governments hesitate to share data perpetuating silos and limiting access for researchers and civil society. Malawi’s experience with the Examinations Board shows how anonymisation tools can build confidence and unlock access to valuable datasets for public good research.

🧠Invest in capacity building at all levels

As Rigobert emphasised, data is underutilised not just because it’s inaccessible but because people don’t always know how to use it effectively to inform decisions. Training in analysis, visualisation, and storytelling is critical for policymakers, educators, and local officials to translate data into actionable insights.

🏛️ Empowering sub-National actors

Districts and counties often sit on untapped data. By building local capacity in data collection, analysis, and use and incentivising use, they can become laboratories for innovation and equity-driven reform.

Evidence is Power — But only if we use it for impact

The Unlocking Data webinar closed with a powerful message:

“Publicly funded data should be made a public good,” said Laté Lawson. “We must build cultures, systems, and policies that reflect this truth.”

The path forward is clear. We need:

  • Stronger collaborations across sectors, bridging divides between government, academia, and civil society.
  • Open and ethical data-sharing practices, supported by clear policies and anonymisation.
  • Investments in digital infrastructure and analytical capacity, empowering stakeholders at all levels
  • A cultural shift where data use is the norm, not the exception, driven by leadership and demonstrated success. Ultimately, the goal is not just to collect data but to use it effectively and equitably to improve foundational learning outcomes for every child.

📢 Join the movement

The Unlocking Data Initiative is building a continent-wide Community of Practice to connect data producers and users across education ecosystems. Whether you’re a policymaker, researcher, practitioner, or funder, there’s a seat at the table for you.

🔗 Join the community
📖 Explore the reports
🗣️ Share your insights, amplify your work, and be part of the movement to make evidence count—because education data should never go to waste.

Bridging the Data-Evidence Gap in Education for Improving Foundational Learning in Malawi

Posted on by Jillian Makungu in Blogs

By Paul Chiwaya, Louiss Saddick, Halima Twabi, and Esme Kadzamira

Invisible evidence and inaccessible data undermining the progress of foundational learning in Malawi. What will it take to make evidence visible and data accessible?

Introduction

In this blog, we explore gaps in evidence availability and data accessibility that hinder informed decision-making on foundational learning in Malawi, and discuss the key actions needed to make evidence visible and data accessible. We conducted a country situational analysis to map data and evidence on foundational learning since 2010. The findings reveal that despite increasing recognition of the importance of foundational skills such as literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional competencies, progress is held back by high internal inefficiencies, poor learning outcomes, and an underutilised evidence base that remains sparse, fragmented, and often inaccessible (⇡Kadzamira et al., 2025; ⇡Asim & Gera, 2024).

The state of Foundational Learning in Malawi

Malawi’s education system has long struggled with chronic resource constraints, inadequate infrastructure, high repetition rates, and high pupil-teacher ratios—factors that continue to undermine the delivery of quality foundational education. These systemic challenges have made it difficult to ensure that all children acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills. Despite concerted efforts by the government and development partners, learning outcomes at the foundational level remain alarmingly low.

National assessments conducted since the early 2000s, such as the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA), reveal that a significant proportion of Malawian learners in the early grades are not meeting the expected benchmarks for reading and numeracy (⇡Pouezevara et al., 2012; ⇡Brombacher, 2019). These challenges are particularly acute in rural areas, where shortages of qualified teachers and adequate learning materials are most severe (⇡Asim & Gera, 2024). 

To help turn the tide, international organisations like Save the Children, USAID, and the World Bank have stepped in with programs to boost foundational learning in Malawi. These programs have introduced early literacy and numeracy interventions, teacher training, and community engagement initiatives. But there’s a catch—without reliable data to track progress, it’s difficult to determine their effectiveness, identify what works and what doesn’t, and sustainability build on any gains made.

Data gaps and inaccessibility: A major barrier to progress

A significant obstacle to improving foundational learning in Malawi is the lack of accessible and reliable data. Accurate data collection is crucial for understanding the state of learning in the country, identifying improvement areas, and measuring the effectiveness. One of the key issues is the sheer inaccessibility of data. Much of the data on foundational learning is collected through large-scale assessments, national surveys, and international evaluations. Yet, this information is not always publicly available or easily accessible to stakeholders who need it most. While government ministries, international organisations, and research institutions may collect valuable data, the lack of a centralised database or platform to share and access this data presents a major barrier to progress.

Data is often siloed, either within government agencies or within the organisations that commissioned the studies. These restrictions limit collaboration and hinder the use of data to inform national policies and programming. Without clear, open, and transparent data systems, stakeholders such as educators, policymakers, and civil society organisations struggle to make data-driven decisions to improve foundational learning.

Furthermore, limited access to education data in Malawi hinders efforts to identify gaps and inconsistencies in the data system, making it difficult to gain a clear understanding of the challenges learners face in acquiring foundational skills. For instance, while assessments like EGRA and EGMA provide some insight into literacy and numeracy learning outcomes, far less information is available about socio-emotional learning. Data on the learning environment, including teacher-student interactions, the quality of instructional materials, and the role of parental involvement, is also scarce. This incomplete picture means that interventions may only address a portion of the problem, inadvertently leaving critical areas overlooked.

The invisibility of evidence: A hindrance to effective policy

The problem of invisible evidence is closely tied to the issue of data gaps. Even when data is collected, it is often not synthesised into actionable evidence that can inform policy, programs, and decision-making. As a result, foundational learning interventions in Malawi are sometimes based on assumptions rather than robust evidence, reducing their overall effectiveness.

Another aspect of this challenge is the limited analysis of students’ progress over time. Although our mapping exercise revealed the existence of longitudinal datasets that can be used to analyse students’ progress over time, these datasets have not been analysed. As a result, it is difficult to determine whether interventions aimed at improving foundational learning have sustained effects on learners’ outcomes. Furthermore, limited research exists on the specific needs of different regions, such as rural versus urban areas, which can result in one-size-fits-all solutions that may not address the unique challenges faced by various communities.

Addressing the gaps: Steps toward improvement

While the challenges related to data and evidence are significant, they are not insurmountable. Several key actions can be taken to address these issues and increase the use and users of foundational learning data in Malawi:

  • Strengthening data systems through co-creation of a centralised data portal: One critical step is strengthening Malawi’s education data systems. This should involve creating a centralised platform where data from different sources—government assessments, donor programs, and independent studies—can be housed and accessed by all stakeholders. Such a platform should prioritise openness, accessibility, and transparency, allowing for real-time data sharing and breaking down existing data silos.
  • Improving data collection: There is a vital need to improve the quality and scope of data collection efforts. Beyond literacy and numeracy, data should also capture socio-emotional skills, teacher quality, classroom environments, and parental involvement. To ensure inclusivity and relevance for targeted interventions, data must be disaggregated by region, gender, socioeconomic status, and disability. Furthermore, regular feedback sessions are essential for identifying gaps in data collection methods and tools and for continuously improving data systems. 
  • Transforming data into actionable evidence: Collecting data is only the first step. Malawi must invest in systems and processes that transform raw data into actionable evidence. This includes establishing well-resourced national and sub-national data analysis units capable of synthesising complex datasets into clear, evidence-based policy recommendations. At the sub-national level, tools like dashboards enable rapid data visualisation and support timely, informed decision-making. These tools also play a critical role in identifying data gaps and improving data collection methods and tools.
  • Engaging stakeholders: Addressing the foundational learning crisis requires a collective effort from all stakeholders involved in the education sector. This includes the Ministry of Education, development partners, civil society organisations, and local communities. Regular stakeholder engagement will ensure that on-the-ground realities inform interventions and address the unique needs of different regions and groups, moving away from potentially ineffective one-size-fits-all approaches.
  • Fostering a culture of transparency and accountability: Finally, there needs to be a greater emphasis on transparency and accountability on data within the education sector. This can be done by, among other things, revising data-sharing policies to allow ethical sharing and access to important education data and creating agreements between the Ministry of Education and stakeholders to support evidence-based planning. By making data and evidence publicly available, the government can foster a culture of transparency and accountability. This, in turn, will encourage education stakeholders to utilise data-driven approaches in designing, implementing, and evaluating foundational learning programs, ultimately leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes.

The promise of foundational learning in Malawi cannot be realised without addressing the critical gaps in data and evidence. Strengthening data systems, improving the accessibility of information, and turning data into actionable evidence are essential to building an education system that provides every Malawian child with the skills they need to succeed in life. By confronting these challenges head-on, Malawi can ensure its foundational learning programs are effective, equitable, and sustainable, laying the groundwork for a brighter future for all. 

References

  • Brombacher, A. (2019). Research to Investigate Low Learning Achievement in Early Grade Numeracy (Standards 1–4) in Malawi: The victory of form over substance. HEART. https://docs.edtechhub.org/lib/AIUSUUNA
  • Kadzamira, E., Saddick, L., Twabi, H., & Chiwaya, P. (2025). Exploring the Foundational Learning Data and Knowledge Ecosystem in Sub-Saharan Africa: Malawi’s Situational Analysis. Unlocking Data. https://doi.org/10.53832/unlockingdata.1019

EVIDENCE USE – INCREASING USES AND USERS IN EDUCATION

Posted on by Charles Gachoki in Blogs

“Strategies implemented in schools to maximize student learning should be evidence-based.”-The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership 

Evidence-based education is an approach to teaching and learning that emphasises using empirical research to guide classroom instruction decisions and practices. This approach aims to ensure that educational methods and interventions are effective, efficient, and aligned with the latest available scientific findings on how students learn and develop. 

Florio, (2016) traces the foundations of evidence-based education back to the success of evidence-based practices in other fields, such as medicine, healthcare, and management. The growing momentum of evidence-based education over the past three decades has been driven by the desire to move away from reliance on intuition, tradition, or personal experience, and instead base educational decisions on rigorous, objective, and replicable research.

Multiple sources of evidence

One of the key features of evidence-based education is the emphasis on using multiple sources of high-quality, rigorous scientific studies and empirical evidence to inform decision-making, teaching methods, strategies, and interventions researched and proven to be effective.

Evidence can come from a variety of sources, including randomised controlled trials, longitudinal studies, meta-analyses, and case studies.

Challenges in application

There is a lack of good-quality research evidence to tell us how to mobilise evidence into use in education.

Although the role of evidence in the education system is not currently in doubt, equally research also tells us that teachers rarely apply this evidence to inform their classroom teaching. While this pool of evidence exists ways and means are scarce of mobilising this evidence into usable bits for classroom use. Simply put a lot of innovative education interventions exist but only a handful are put to use due to a lack of awareness of their existence as well as application evidence on how to use them. 

According to the Glossary of education reforms, the debates about and around evidence use in education systems depend largely on the existence and actual use of the available evidence. For instance, policymakers at national and sub-national levels, teacher trainers, teachers and researchers sometimes argue that the body of existing evidence is too big a forest to mine what is useful, or even impossible, for schools and educators to act thoughtfully and appropriately on available evidence, given that it is not synthesised and therefore would classify it as unavailable. In other cases, governments, schools and school systems may largely or entirely ignore available evidence; subsequently, perpetually known school problems may go unaddressed on one hand, while effective, well-established teaching practices and innovations are never adopted and the system is plunged into a “rudderless mass” of evidence-informed policy initiatives. 

Increasing Use and Users of Evidence

So how can we increase the uses and users of education evidence in the education ecosystem? While this blog was not intended to answer this question it was intended to ignite other questions. While previously funders have supported extensive efforts to expand the production of evidence in education the wind is blowing from generation towards uptake of the evidence generated. Think of it this way: researchers and organisations have carried out research over several years whose results and learnings lie with them or the funder. Proponents of evidence-based practice propose platforms for knowledge sharing and collaboration generated through co-creation initiatives to synthesise such findings into one document or theme. Such platforms act as repositories of published research outputs, grey research as well as public goods such as ed-tech, guidelines and frameworks which go a long way, especially in making research products available, accessible and affordable. 

Platforms for knowledge sharing and collaboration generated through co-creation initiatives can synthesise findings into accessible documents or themes.

Such co-creation initiatives by different actors in the education ecosystem overcome the multiplicity of evidence generation. Tons of papers inform of student theses lie in libraries and occupy space in their online repositories while there is no chance that the findings lying there will ever be found and at least shared if not implemented. The immense evidence in those Masters and PhD theses does not become invalid just because they are unpublished or are published in “predatory” journals based on some classification. Evidence is evidence unfortunately the “fountains of knowledge” repositories do not communicate with each other. How do they even ensure the originality of the student’s work in the face of AI? How can we motivate the students and faculties to get their work published to enhance the visibility of the evidence generated? 

Barriers to evidence use

This blog cannot be complete without addressing the politics and gatekeeping in access to data which cuts across the data landscape. Even within the government different departments cannot share evidence and even when it is possible none is willing to use the other departments’ evidence-sometimes departments within the same organisation. Issues of the government not trusting the credibility of evidence generated by non-state actors demand co-creation. Where funders are involved, gatekeeping comes in the form of ownership of the evidence generated. A probable solution to this challenge apart from co-creation is establishing communities of learning where evidence generators and users share a platform to discuss the generation and use of evidence.

“Expanding the skill to recognise quality research is essential to help teachers and school leaders become better consumers of evidence.” ~Teacher Magazine

The assumption so far is that while evidence is available synthesised or otherwise, the users have the requisite capacity to use the evidence in their processes and decision-making. Far from it, evidence generators must ignite the demand for evidence users to utilise available evidence in education. The trend has been to address the supply side by making research findings as simple as possible and using different mediums to present the evidence. The demand side, however, requires equal attention to ensure we address the width and the breadth-increase the uses and users of the available evidence produced. The establishment of a community of learners as a platform for stakeholders to learn can be used as a platform to set research agendas that guide the whole country’s research compass towards demand-driven research and innovations.

Education system cultures that vary by jurisdiction may not be encouraging or seen to promote the use of evidence because teaching practice is heavily dependent on directions from respective ministries. A study of teachers in Australia showed that teachers sometimes view the adoption of external evidence as a way of taking away the teachers’ autonomy in the classroom. The issue of validation of proven innovations may affect the adoption of evidence especially where assessment data does not support the practitioners’ innovation. There is also observable affinity by the government to hold at a higher value and adopt external evidence compared to locally generated and assembled evidence.  For instance, Kenyan teachers in National schools may fail to adopt innovations from County and extra-county schools.

“In Australia, 83 percent of educators believe that using research will help improve student outcomes; 45 per cent believe that their schools do not support the use of research. 32 percent of educators do not feel confident to analyse and interpret research.” Monash University-Q project

What comes out clearly and shown by research is that mere accessibility to raw or synthesised research evidence is not generally an effective way of getting it used, even if that evidence is presented to users by knowledge-brokers, in short courses or workshops. What is more likely to work for both policy and practice is the packaging of high-quality evidence into a more usable format and presenting it actively or iteratively via a respected and trusted conduit, or through other mediums such as legislation. Having the users do the research is another promising approach. funders should require grantees to use evidence assembled in evidence hubs and libraries created using their grants in previous projects. This can be facilitated by a supportive evidence-use culture across the education ecosystem.