PAL Network held the two-day biennial conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 5th-6th November 2019. The conference convened 160 people from over 25 countries. The conference resulted in the ‘Kathmandu Declaration’ that reaffirms the network’s commitment to citizen-led household-based assessments as an inclusive mechanism to track the learning progress for all children. View a collection of conference images and also watch videos of Dr. Rukmini Banerji and Prof. Lant Pritchett during the inaugural session.

Citizen-Led Assessment of Numeracy: Members Set to Release Comparable Data

Implemented in 13 countries, the PAL Network Citizen-Led Assessment of Numeracy (CLAN) will generate robust and comparable data on children’s learning levels. Having completed data collection between November and December 2019, member organizations implementing the assessment are gearing up for report writing and release of the assessment findings. Connect with us, @palnetworkHQ, for more developments.

Uwezo Uganda Launches its Eighth Learning Assessment Report

On 19th November 2019, Uwezo Uganda launched the 2019 learning assessment report titled ‘Are Our Children Learning?’ The report reveals a decline in literacy and numeracy levels of Primary 3 to Primary 6 pupils. The assessment conducted in October 2018, involved 1,900 volunteers, 45,670 children aged 6-16 years, in 16,859 households, in 954 schools and 32 districts of Uganda.

Uwezo Tanzania Launches the 2019 Learning Assessment Report

On 11th December 2019, Uwezo Tanzania launched its 2019 learning assessment report. The report dubbed ‘Are Our Children Learning?’ shows that the majority of children in Tanzania are enrolled in school (almost 90%), but literacy and numeracy levels for many children are below expectations for their age and grade. The assessment conducted in 2017, involved 64,639 children aged 3-16 years, in 25,532 households, in 1,677 schools, and 56 districts of mainland Tanzania.

ASER 2019  Early Years Survey Completed Across India

The Annual Status of Education (ASER) ‘Early Years’ survey conducted by over 1500 volunteers assessing about 35,000 children aged four to eight took place in approximately 1500 villages in 24 states across India. The report will be launched on 14th January 2020. Follow @asercentre page for more exciting updates.

ASER Pakistan to Release the 2019 Report in Mid-January

The launch of Annual Status of Education (ASER) Pakistan 2019 is set for mid-January 2020. The assessment covered 158 rural and 21 urban districts across Pakistan. The assessment included indicators on health, disability, and household wealth status. For the first time, the survey used a custom made application resulting in real-time data collection in nine districts. Follow @ASERPAKISTAN page for more information.

Zizi Afrique’s Accelerated Learning Program Expands to Cover 60 More Schools in 2020

Zizi Afrique, Kenya, appreciate teacher assistants and partners, who supported over 4500 learners in the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP). This year (2020) begins with expansion from 60 to 120 schools. In readiness, Zizi Afrique participated in the PAL Network’s action programs partners’ reflection and planning meeting that was held in Nairobi in early December to connect, engage, and plan for what is ahead.

Giving Schooling a Mining in Rural Mozambique

For the second consecutive year, Wiixutta Nithweelaka, a program of TPC, Mozambique, is improving reading and numeracy competencies of children. Working with grades three, four, and five children in six schools in Larde district, this approach is showing a broad potential for change. In 50 intervention days, it had built the foundation for learning for many children.

The four hubs of PAL Network that bring together members from 14 countries held their 2019 final meetings during the Conference in Nepal on 5th November. Members discussed gains made and deliberated on ways to bolster regional activities in 2020.

Looking Back to Understand What Lies Ahead: Action Program Workshop

PAL Network members implementing action programs convened for a reflective workshop in Kenya between the 30th of November and 1st December 2019. They learned from each other’s practices, experiences, varying contexts in implementing action-intervention programs and planned for 2020.

MIA Mexico and Xalapa City Council Collaborate to Improve Literacy and Numeracy Skills

Town Hall Session recently approved a collaboration agreement between the Xalapa City Council and MIA – CIESAS. The agreement seeks to improve reading, writing, and numeracy skills among primary school learners through educational innovations developed by MIA.

PAL Network to hold its 2nd Annual General Meeting in March

In early March 2020, PAL Network will hold its second Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting will deliberate on the annual narrative report and audited financial statements for the year ended 2019.

PAL Network at CIES 2020

Representatives from the PAL Network will make presentations in various sessions in the upcoming 2020 Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Conference scheduled for 22-26 March in Miami, USA.  

Education Systems in South Asia
The South Asia hub of PAL Network collaborated for the chapter in the Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia. The Chapter titled Education Systems in South Asia: Implications of Globalization and Economic Reforms cite data of PAL Network.

Educational Accountability or Social Accountability in Education? Similarities, Tensions, and Differences

MIA Mexico, is happy to share a working paper titled ‘Educative Accountability or Social Accountability in Education? Similarities,Tensions, and Differences’. The paper uses PAL Network examples and approaches to generate a new agenda of social accountability in education.

The Essential Role of Citizen-led Assessments: Reflections from the PAL Network Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal
By Joseph Bullough, Partnerships Coordinator, RISE Programme

Actions to Face the Global Learning Crisis in Mexico: The Case of Medición Independiente de Aprendizajes (Independent Assessment of Learning)
By Dr. Felipe J. Hevia and Dr. Samana Vergara-Lope. Coordinators of the Medición Independiente de Aprendizajes (MIA) (Independent Assessment of Learning

Why We Must Do More Assessments and Actions to Meet Education Commitments by 2030
By Izel Kipruto, Communication Officer, PAL Network