Annual Reports 2023
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National Governments Petition

Home National Governments Petition

Commitment to Action

Accelerating Change Through Foundational Learning Data

Key Messages

  • There is a foundational learning crisis that urgently needs to be addressed. In mid to low-income countries, 7 out of 10 children cannot read and understand a simple story by age of 10.1 In low-income countries such as those in Sub Saharan Africa, it is 9 out of 10 children2.

  • With only 6 years left to accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals, the foundational learning crisis is deeply undermining countries’ efforts to achieve SDG 4 which calls for free, equitable and quality education for all by 20303.

  • The world desperately needs data on foundational learning. This is why the Sustainable Development Goal indicator, SDG 4.1.1a4, was instituted to measure foundational learning outcomes when it matters most, early in a child’s education journey. However, large data gaps5 prevent us from fully understanding learning outcome trends and how to effectively address learning gaps.

What happens when we don’t measure Foundational Learning at the early grades?

  • Without basic reading and math skills, children are unable to make the critical transition from ‘learning to read’ to ‘reading to learn’.  
  • Vulnerable groups such as children who are out of school, those with disabilities, and those in emergencies may be further disadvantaged by not receiving the necessary support for their foundational learning outcomes.  
  • In the long run, lack of basic literacy and numeracy skills hampers countries’ human capital potential, limiting economic growth and sustainable development. 

Commitment Statement

Recognizing the critical importance of foundational literacy and numeracy, we make the following commitments: 

We commit to Measure Early

We commit to prioritize the collection and reporting of data on basic reading and math skills early in children’s education. By doing this, we can act on evidence-based interventions to reduce by half the number of children unable achieve a minimum proficiency level in reading and mathematics by age 10 in our country. This commitment includes participating in global efforts to improve data reporting under SDG 4.1.1a.   

We commit to Measure Well

We commit to establishing/strengthening reporting systems for foundational literacy and numeracy that are aligned to SDG 4.1.1a to facilitate examination of trends in foundational learning and continuous refining of evidence-based educational interventions. 

We commit to Measure All

We commit to continue taking decisive action to ensure that all children, regardless of background or circumstance, achieve a minimum proficiency level in reading and mathematics by age 10. This commitment includes ensuring that both data and evidence-based interventions aimed at addressing the foundational learning crisis remains inclusive of vulnerable groups such as out-of-school children, children with disabilities, and those in emergencies. 

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