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

Unlocking the Power of Data in Africa’s Education Sector

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BY CHARLES GACHOKI AND NAFISA WAZIRI

In recent years, the open data movement in Africa has experienced remarkable growth. What started as a focus on government programmes and portals has expanded into a dynamic ecosystem where civil society, research institutions, and the private sector drive the demand for data. To offer some perspective on the growing interest and importance of this issue, the African Union has estimated that the economic benefit of open data could equate to around 1-2 percent of GDP in Africa. Rallying behind this call, initiatives like the Data Governance for Africa Initiative have invested over US$1 million in the last year alone. Despite this progress, Africa’s open data performance still lags behind the global average. 

At its core, the open data movement is about empowerment. By making public sector data accessible, citizens can better understand how their governments are performing and hold them accountable for unmet goals. In the education sector, the stakes are high. Data shapes narratives, and those narratives influence power, policy, and resource allocation. This underscores the core objectives of the Unlocking Data Initiative. Established in 2020, and with recent support from the Global Partnership for Education Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), this initiative has set out to strengthen education data systems and offer contextually responsive solutions to the challenges faced by researchers in Africa. 

Why Open Data Matters

As education reforms sweep across sub-Saharan Africa, the politics of data have become increasingly complex. Who controls access to data? Who decides how it’s used? And most importantly, how can data drive real change for learners, especially the most vulnerable?

Through the Unlocking Data Initiative, a consortium of Pan-African partners (eBASE Africa, EdTech Hub, ESSA, the University of Malawi’s Centre for Educational Research and Training (CERT), and Zizi Afrique Foundation) are at the forefront of efforts to answer these questions. This initiative (active in Cameroon, Kenya, and Malawi) aims to ensure that data becomes a powerful tool for educational transformation. 

To engage with partners and actors in the space, the Unlocking Data Initiative hosted a webinar on August 21, 2024, to launch the new phase of activities as part of the KIX grant. A wide range of organisations and participants including, representatives from the Ministries of Education in Cameroon, ⁠Mr TohMoh Joseph (Technical Advisor), Kenya, Mr Bartholomew Lumbasi (Director of Policy), and Malawi, ⁠Mr. Lanken Nkhata (Ag Head EMIS). These representatives joined researchers and education advocates through this interactive session to discuss data democratisation and explore ways of increasing access to and uses of education data. 

The Barriers to Unlocking Data

While the potential of open data is immense, early findings from the Unlocking Data Initiative research activities resonate with the experiences of stakeholders and partners. Simply put, significant challenges remain:

  1. Accessibility and Transparency: Many public datasets are difficult to access or not openly available, and the processes for requesting data can be opaque and bureaucratic. This includes a lack of clear metadata, original documentation, and contextual information to support the interpretation and appropriate use of the data. 
  2. Interoperability and Standardization: Data across different government agencies and programs often use different terminologies, formats, and definitions, making it difficult to aggregate and analyse data holistically. 
  3. Data Quality and Reliability: The quality of data collected is another critical issue. Inconsistent methods, outdated information, and political interference often undermine the reliability of evidence. For African nations to tell their stories and address challenges like learning poverty effectively, they need authentic, high-quality data that reflects their realities.
  4. Ethical Dilemmas in Data Sharing: Balancing transparency with confidentiality is a constant challenge. CSOs working with vulnerable populations must navigate ethical considerations, especially when data contains sensitive information about learners. Without proper anonymization and responsible use protocols, the risks of harm increase.
  5. Collaboration and Trust: Perhaps the biggest hurdle is the lack of collaboration between stakeholders. Mistrust, competing priorities, and unclear frameworks for data sharing create barriers that limit progress. For instance, while initiatives like Education Evidence for Action (EE4A) have made strides in fostering partnerships, much more needs to be done to bridge gaps and build trust.

A Path Forward

The Unlocking Data Initiative offers a promising model for change. By mapping foundational learning ecosystems, identifying gaps, and building capacity, this initiative is laying the groundwork for stronger, more collaborative data ecosystems.

Key strategies for success include:

  • Co-creation: Bringing together governments, CSOs, researchers, academics, and private organisations to design data tools and processes that are inclusive and responsive to local needs.
  • Digital Innovation: Establishing digital evidence hubs, such as the one proposed for Kenya’s Ministry of Education, to improve access and streamline data sharing.
  • Trust-Building: Developing clear policy frameworks and agreements to guide data sharing and ensure mutual accountability.
  • Capacity Building: identifying and plugging capacity gaps, especially with state actors and researchers, to not only be able to share data but also increase its usage in their decision-making.

By addressing these challenges head-on, Africa’s education sector can harness the full potential of open data to improve learning outcomes, reduce inequities, and drive sustainable change.

Join us!

Unlocking data isn’t just about technology or policy—it’s about collaboration, trust, and a shared commitment to the future of Africa’s learners. As the Unlocking Data Initiative and other efforts gain momentum, it provides a blueprint for how data can transform education systems and, ultimately, lives.

The question is no longer whether open data can make a difference but how we can overcome the barriers to make it a reality. Let’s continue the conversation—and the work—of Unlocking Data for a brighter future. Please visit our website and follow our partners CERT. eBASE, EdTech Hub, ESSA, and Zizi Afrique Foundation on social media. You are also invited to participate and contribute to this work by joining our community of practice and Unlock the potential of Data!

Guidelines for Mapping Education Data in Sub-Saharan Africa

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BY TASKEEN ADAM AND IRENE SELWANESS | Originally posted on EdTech Hub

© SHUTTERSTOCK/1417078181

Are you a government official, NGO or researcher looking to understand what education data is available locally? Our new guidance note shares practical lessons learnt from mapping the availability of education data in Kenya, Malawi, and Sierra Leone.

Last year, we posted about the Unlocking Data initiative and its goal to support access, use, and sharing of education data to effectively tell the story of education in Africa. In 2020,  we hosted a series of workshops that aimed to unpack the biggest barriers in data sharing. At these workshops, the community of practice realised that before we can truly discuss (re)using education data effectively, we need to understand what data exists, where the data gaps are, and what data indicators are needed for decision-making. To delve into the topic further, we hosted an event to showcase early ‘Lessons Learnt from Education Data Mapping in Africa’ and created a working methodology for education data mapping.

Moving from theory to practice

Unlocking Data and its partners have been working towards mapping education datasets in selected African countries. Through sharing lessons between the different mapping exercises, we realised that mapping education data happens in different ways. This could involve various stakeholders and can be conducted for a wide range of purposes. We found these different practical aims and approaches to be enlightening and incredibly beneficial to others, so we combined them into a guidance note on mapping Africa’s education data. 

Building on the data mapping methodology, the guidance note takes the theory to practice, sharing practical experiences, lessons learnt, and challenges encountered.

READ THE GUIDANCE NOTE

What can you find in the guidance note?

This guidance note would not have been possible without the key insights from the partners we interviewed. We are grateful for their contributions:

  • Eldah Onsomu shared insights on the mapping of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) data in Kenya
  • Esme Kadzamira shared insights on the mapping of administrative and survey data in Malawi, and
  • Iman Beoku-Betts and Chris McBurnie shared insights from the mapping of the supply and demand for education data in Sierra Leone.

The guidance note explores the different questions, purposes, successes, challenges, and key considerations learnt from these mapping initiatives, highlighting factors that other countries and stakeholders pursuing data mapping may find useful.

Initiating a data mapping project can be quite daunting. We found that it is important to scope it well from the onset, understanding what you are — and are not — hoping to achieve from the exercise. To assist future data mappers in scoping, the guidance note unpacks various rationales and approaches of the three data mapping projects through the following questions:

  1. What are the different purposes driving data mapping? 
  2. Who are the potential stakeholders in the process, and who are the end-users for this data mapping exercise? 
  3. What is the area of focus in education?
  4. What are the types of data that the data mapping intends to cover?

What key challenges did we identify in these data mapping projects?

Our review of  the different mapping projects identified  key challenges that are useful for data mappers to consider:

  1. Accessing and analysing data: Issues such as lack of data availability and/or accessibility, trust in data security, and skills to analyse data impact and the use of, and demand for, secondary data.
  2. Coordinating stakeholders: Data mapping involves multiple stakeholders (e.g., government officials, researchers, and non-governmental organisations) and getting a commitment from and convening and coordinating stakeholders is challenging.
  3. Presentation and dissemination of the mapping project output: Decisions around the most effective means of cataloguing and visualising the mapping output (i.e., whether a presentation, report, database or dashboard) have not yet been ascertained.
  4. Resources: Scoping the timeline and human resources needed for the mapping project is difficult as the amount of data is unknown, existing skillsets within teams vary, and the availability of key stakeholders can be erratic.

What’s next for Unlocking Data?

The strength of Unlocking Data is in its community, therefore, we want to learn more from you! What are you or your organisation doing to support access, use, and sharing of education data? In the next few weeks, we’ll be launching our call for more content, so you’ll be able to share your experiences with the network! To keep up-to-date with our knowledge-sharing blogs, upcoming events, and report releases,  

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE