African Ministers of Education urge UK to support foundational learning globally
The UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Education hosted a high-level ministerial roundtable attended by 7 African Ministers of Education, UK government representatives and members of the Coalition for Foundational Learning. Photo credit: Sujata Setia.
During the Education World Forum, seven African Ministers of Education attended a high level roundtable in the UK Parliament on foundational learning.
The Ministers from Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe showcased the successful initiatives in their countries that are driving up foundational learning outcomes, demonstrating the importance of the UK continuing to invest in learning.
UK MPs and government representatives committed to continuing to strengthen partnerships to ensure every child learns.
On 21 May, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Global Education hosted a high-level ministerial roundtable to demonstrate the progress being made to ensure every child learns, and to deepen global support to improve learning outcomes.
Convened in partnership with IPNEd and Results UK, Ministers of Education from across Africa, UK MPs and government representatives and members of the Coalition for Foundational Learning discussed gains being made in foundational skills and showcased country stories.
Other partners supporting the event were the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), Human Capital Africa, Better Purpose and the Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) Hub.
The event was chaired by Baroness Christine Blower, Vice-Chair of the APPG on Global Education, and took place in the UK Parliament on the sidelines of the Education World Forum, the world’s largest gathering of education ministers.
Ministers of Education from Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe demonstrated their nations’ commitment to ensuring children learn foundational literacy and numeracy skills through evidence-based initiatives.
At the heart of the discussion was a growing political consensus: Foundational learning is not just an education issue. It is a catalyst for economic growth, stronger human capital and more resilient societies.
Yet, despite its importance, education in general and foundational learning as a consequence is at risk of slipping down the UK’s development agenda, just as change is starting to take place.
African political commitment driving change
In sub-Saharan Africa, there are still 98 million children out of school and 90% of 10 year olds cannot read and comprehend a simple story.
The political will to reverse these statistics is clear. Ministers outlined their commitment to helping children not just stay in school, but to actually learn.
“For us in Ghana, basic education is a constitutional imperative. We've seen 36,000 out of school children return to and remain in school. But I still acknowledge that literacy and numeracy outcomes are low,” said Minister Haruna Iddrisu MP of Ghana.
From Sierra Leone’s high-budget allocations for education to Zambia’s targeted instruction programme, governments are showing that political commitment, when paired with strong partnerships, can deliver impactful results.
Ghanaian Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu MP, shared that Ghana has prioritised reducing the number of out of school children, and now the focus is on quality to ensure all children are learning essential skills. Photo credit: Sujata Setia.
Foundational learning drives economic progress
Investing in foundational learning is one of the smartest economic investments. When children are literate and numerate, they are more likely to continue onto secondary and higher education, earn higher salaries and be more productive citizens. This increases a country’s human capital.
Minister Douglas Munsaka Syakalima MP from Zambia said, “The best economic policy is education, the second one education, the hundredth one education.”
Opening the discussion, Dr. Benjamin Piper, Director of Global Education at the Gates Foundation and representative of the Coalition for Foundational Learning, pointed to the compelling returns that come from ensuring children learn to read, write and understand maths.
“For every dollar spent on foundational learning, there is a 30-dollar return. The economic return of investing in foundational learning is therefore substantial”, he said.
Minister Siviwe Gwarube MP from South Africa made clear the risks of deprioritising education and foundational learning.
“If we fail to invest adequately in foundational learning now, we will pay a far greater price in the form of lost potential, wasted human capital and rising inequality. And that's why I welcome this platform and call on all partners and governments and donors and research institutions to join us on this journey,” she shared.
A call for sustained UK partnership
While African Ministers of Education lead the way on learning, speakers stressed the need for the UK to support their commitment, particularly at a time when the Official Development Assistance (ODA) is being cut and education risks being deprioritised.
Participants called on UK policymakers to protect and prioritise education funding, noting that the return on investment is high and the stakes are even higher.
“The timing of UK and USAID withdrawal is not good at all, neither is the global economic outlook. Nonetheless, foundational learning must not only survive, but also thrive in this space, because strengthening human capital for the prosperity of our nation and the world is mandatory,” said Minister Madalitso Wirima Kambauwa MP of Malawi.
Minister of Education for Malawi, Madalitso Wirima Kambauwa MP, highlighted that she remains committed to foundational learning for economic prosperity and the development of human capital. Photo credit: Sujata Setia.
The roundtable made clear that foundational learning is a shared priority, not a sidelined issue, even amongst education leaders within the UK government.
“It's heartening in this current context, which we know is extremely challenging and likely to get more difficult, to hear such strong alignment across all your countries on the critical importance of foundational learning skills and how countries are leading the way, demonstrating ownership, commitment to action and the need to accelerate progress we know,” said Judith Herbertson, Head of Girls’ Education at the FCDO.
As the event closed, Joseph Nhan-O’Reilly, Executive Director and Co-Founder of IPNEd, underlined the collective ambition and urgency required to keep foundational learning on the global agenda:
“Political leadership is key to ensuring every child learns. We know that, and we can see that. We heard seven Ministers of Education from across Africa outline their country’s commitment to and successful action on foundational learning. It is a pity that it’s at this time the UK and the USA - two of the global leaders on this agenda and only donors part of the Coalition for Foundational Learning - have decided to leave the room. It leaves all of you, having been encouraged to do this issue, to face up to the challenge without the support that was promised. This will have practical costs because the technical expertise and the funding to act won't be there.”
