By: Dr. Kirsty Newman
In recent years, there has been a surge in policy discussions centered around the importance of foundational skills, in particular literacy and numeracy. For example, multiple organizations including funders, governments, and nonprofits endorsed a Commitment to Action, promising to prioritize efforts toward improving foundational learning.
Perhaps because of this increased attention, we are often asked if foundational learning is now receiving too much focus compared to other education priorities.
Our response is simple: the increased policy attention is welcome, but the real work has only just begun. The world is facing a learning crisis with the majority of children in low- and middle-income countries not learning even the basics of literacy and numeracy. Solving this will require a radical change in strategy by governments and supporting organizations. It is time to translate the encouraging rhetoric into action. And if we want to see significant improvement in learning outcomes, these efforts will require focus and determination which will need to be sustained for years to come.
Dr. Kirsty Newman, Luminos Vice President of Programs
The world is facing a learning crisis with the majority of children in low- and middle-income countries not learning even the basics of literacy and numeracy. Solving this will require a radical change in strategy by governments and supporting organizations. It is time to translate the encouraging rhetoric into action.
The learning crisis is real, and it is getting worse, not better
It is easy to become numb to the steady stream of disheartening statistics, but the picture is clear: the learning crisis is real, and it is getting worse, not better.
The UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) report – in collaboration with the RISE research programme – has developed this powerful tool to visualize the proportion of children with basic literacy skills at different ages in various countries. Figure 1 shows the learning trajectories in five African countries, illustrating literacy levels of children from ages 7 to 14.
Figure 1: Learning trajectories across C.A.R., D.R. Congo, Malawi, The Gambia, and Ghana
These learning trajectories show that the crisis is not merely that children learn slowly, in many cases, they never learn.
These learning trajectories show that the crisis is not merely that children learn slowly, in many cases, they never learn.
The Lost Potential Tracker illustrates the gravity of the situation by showing how, with each passing moment, more and more children reach age 10 without learning to read. Children who do not meet this milestone are very unlikely to ever achieve literacy.
Unfortunately, learning levels are getting even worse across low- and middle-income countries. In recent years, this has been accelerated by COVID-related school closures, but in fact, the average learning levels for children completing primary school have been falling for decades.
Without foundational literacy and numeracy, millions of people are at a huge disadvantage in their ability to learn other skills and face exclusion from many life opportunities. For example, this review article highlights the difficulty of improving employability without first mastering foundational skills.
Very little funding is going to programs that succeed in building foundational skills
The majority of funding for education in low- and middle-income countries comes from national governments, and the amount of government funding going towards primary school education is far lower per child than funding per young person in secondary school or higher education. This pattern of funding disproportionately benefits wealthier families and those who already have the most education.
Official development assistance from donor governments for education is slightly more skewed towards earlier years compared to national government spending, but the total amount spent on basic primary and early secondary education is still only around 40% (see Figure 2), and this amount covers a vast range of interventions like school building, conditional cash transfers, ed-tech, textbook provision, teacher training, and school feeding.
Figure 2: Share of aid by the level of education
Only a small fraction of funding goes towards projects aimed at developing foundational skills. And, unfortunately, even these limited funds are primarily allocated to programs that are not proven to be effective in improving literacy at a population level. In fact, a study by CGD/RTI International discovered that the majority of major education funders could not identify a single program that was successfully improving literacy on a large scale.
We owe it to children to support foundational learning
We acknowledge that achieving learning for all is difficult – but it is also completely necessary to achieve the future we all hope for. At Luminos, we firmly believe that the goal of foundational learning for all children is too crucial to abandon. Literacy and numeracy are critical skills that unlock a child’s potential and set them on a path to lifelong learning.
Furthermore, Luminos has proven that donor-funded programs can significantly improve learning outcomes even for the most marginalized children. In Liberia, for example, previous external results show our catch-up education program moved children from reading 5 words per minute (WPM) to 39 WPM in merely 10 months.
Importantly, our work to build foundational learning places child welfare at the center. We prioritize child protection and promote a joyful approach to learning. In addition, we are working closely with governments so that over time, they increase their ability to deliver quality learning to children.
But there is still much to be done. The international education sector needs to transform words into action and tackle the learning crisis head-on. Donors have a critical part to play in supporting this journey. With their help and determination, we can work together towards a future where all children have equal access to joyful, foundational learning.
At Luminos, we firmly believe that the goal of foundational learning for all children is too crucial to abandon. Literacy and numeracy are critical skills that unlock a child’s potential and set them on a path to lifelong learning.
Dr. Kirsty Newman is the Vice President of Programs at the Luminos Fund where she oversees the global programs team to support joyful, foundational learning for children at the margins. Before joining Luminos, Kirsty held senior leadership roles in various bilateral, multi-lateral, and non-governmental development organizations. Kirsty trained initially as a scientist (she has a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology) and has worked throughout her career to enable local research and evidence networks to support decision-making.
