UNGA 79: Call for an Africa-Led Approach to the Learning Crisis

Central to the conversation was the political will to make sustainable change. We were delighted to welcome the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ministers of Education from Cote d’Ivoire, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Ghana, as well as Dr. Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi. As the continent faces the urgent need to improve foundational literacy and numeracy, our event emphasised a collective commitment to leveraging Africa’s youthful population to drive meaningful change and development. With South Africa set to chair the G20 in 2025, African leaders recognised this moment at UNGA as an opportunity for Africa to take the lead in addressing this critical challenge on a global scale.  

Investing in Africa’s Future

Foundational literacy and numeracy are crucial for Africa’s future. A staggering nine out of ten children in sub-Saharan Africa cannot read by age ten, a statistic that underscores the urgent need for investment in foundational skills. This learning crisis not only limits individual potential but also impacts Africa’s economic growth and social stability. By ensuring that every child gains foundational skills through primary education, African countries can establish a solid foundation for sustainable development, improved health outcomes and empowered communities, in line with the aspirations of Africa’s Agenda 2063.  

In a video message addressed to attendees, Hakainde Hichilema, president of the Federal Republic of Zambia, highlighted the significant benefits of investing in education: “Education is key to unlocking the potential of our continent’s greatest asset: our youth. The African Union has recognised this in declaring 2024 as the year of education. With over 70% of our population under the age of 30, we must urgently prioritise investments in education to ensure our youth are adequately prepared for the future”. Dr. Joyce Banda, former president of the Republic of Malawi, echoed this sentiment, expressing that “the future we dream of for Africa, a future of innovation, prosperity and global influence, begins in the classroom, with a child learning to read and count.”  

Central to the conversation was the political will to make sustainable change. We were delighted to welcome the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ministers of Education from Cote d’Ivoire, Malawi, Sierra Leone and Ghana, as well as Dr. Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi. As the continent faces the urgent need to improve foundational literacy and numeracy, our event emphasised a collective commitment to leveraging Africa’s youthful population to drive meaningful change and development. With South Africa set to chair the G20 in 2025, African leaders recognised this moment at UNGA as an opportunity for Africa to take the lead in addressing this critical challenge on a global scale.  

A Partnership Approach for Foundational Skills

VVOB's commitment to foundational literacy and numeracy is evident in our collaborative approach, working closely with ministries of education to empower teachers with the skills needed to equip their learners with strong foundations in literacy and numeracy. A key aspect of this approach is recognising that learning is not a one-size-fits-all process. This is where remedial learning methods come into play, acknowledging that each child's learning pace is unique.  

Through the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methodology, for example, every child engages in activities tailored to their skill level, building on what they already understand. Through this approach, VVOB, together with partners such as Teaching at the Right Level Africa, UNICEF and the Ministry of Education in Zambia, have been supporting the scale-up of Teaching at the Right Level across Zambia — often referred to as the Catch Up Programme, which is allowing learners to catch up on their education.  

Building on the success of Catch Up in Zambia, VVOB has been delighted to partner with the Hempel Foundation to implement Teaching at the Right Level in Uganda now as well. Our joint commitment accelerates the acquisition of foundational skills through engaging, interactive and playful activities. This ensures that all learners can thrive and develop a deep-seated love for learning.   

Cost-effective evidence-based solutions like Teaching at the Right Level were highlighted at the event as an example of how, through partnerships, we can accelerate learning outcomes. Reflecting on the event and the examples shared, Tom Vandenbosch, Global Director of Programmes, VVOB, said that “true transformation in education requires approaches that meet learners where they are. Through structured pedagogy, remediation and the Teaching at the Right Level approach, we can ensure that each child progresses with the foundational skills they need.” 

Together, participants acknowledged previous calls to action which urged Heads of Government, through the African Union, to take the following decisive steps to address the learning crisis: 

• Acknowledge that the delivery of Agenda 2063 and its social, economic and developmental objectives is deeply connected with learning outcomes.
• Call for South Africa to embed enhanced learning outcomes in its agenda for the G20 and rally African voices to lead the global response.
• Recognise the transformative impact that foundational learning can have on continental productivity, empowering millions and driving economic growth.
• Collectively commit to all children reading with comprehension and doing basic mathematics by the age of ten by 2030.
• Commit to more efficient use of existing resources to deliver better learning outcomes and develop innovative new financing models that can unlock investment in a resource-constrained environment.
• Take action to implement cost-effective evidence-based solutions like Teaching at the Right Level and structured pedagogy that can accelerate learning outcomes, while recognising the need for more and better cost data for governments to inform their delivery of foundational literacy programmes.
• Expand data collection and the active use of available tools that allow countries to measure learning outcomes early, consistently and comparatively.
• Build a continental mechanism that allows countries, development partners and citizens to hold each other accountable for learning outcomes and peer review progress. 

As seen at the 2024 Africa Foundational Learning Exchange #FLEX2024 which took place 11-13 November in Rwanda, innovative solutions to catalyse the scaling of successful interventions that enhance and transform foundational learning across Africa exist. We stand with our partners in amplifying our joint efforts to ensure sustainable, equitable and quality foundational learning education for every child on the continent.