Leveraging Education Analysis for Results Network (LEARN)

The Leveraging Education Analysis for Results Network (LEARN) is an African Union (AU) basic education peer-learning mechanism launched in 2022.

The LEARN Network brings together the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA) implementation clusters on education planning, curriculum and teacher development. It acts as a catalyst for cross-cluster collaboration to address the critical issue for foundational learning in Africa.

Implemented under the overall guidance of the Director at the AU Department of Education, Science Technology and Innovation, the LEARN Network is coordinated by the education planning cluster, which is responsible for reporting on implementation on behalf of the Network members. Activities are coordinated with the CESA Monitoring, Evaluation and Implementation Platform.

Its goal is to forge better, evidence-based policies to promote foundational learning in Africa.

Its outputs are fourfold:

1. CESA clusters supported with better information from countries.
2. Peer-learning sessions organized.
3. Recommendations to the Specialized Technical Committee and C-10 coordinated.
4. Common action proposals formulated in selected areas.
   

The Network has five key objectives

1. Build the knowledge base, including through the Spotlight report series on basic education and foundational learning in Africa.
2. Promote peer-to-peer knowledge-sharing and opportunities among AU member states through quarterly learning events.
3. Strengthen network of African researchers to inform policy dialogue at national and continental level.
4. Contribute to alignment of education policies and strategies towards improved foundational learning.
5. Identify and propose areas of common action.

LEARN aims to enhance not only the knowledge generated for AU member states but also how that knowledge is used internally to inform policies and strategies on foundational learning, aiming to identify and propose areas of common action.

The Network focuses on areas where common action can benefit Member States, including for instance on learning assessment, textbook development or initial teacher education programmes.

Core public goods and deliverables in 2025 include:

• The development of the Continental Assessment Framework for Africa (CAF- Africa) to address data gaps on foundational learning on the Continent.
• The development of a new policy dashboard, mapping countries’ policies on core themes essential to foundational learning. This tool will be guided by recommendations from the Spotlight series of reports on foundational learning in Africa and will help identify areas where action has been taken and where it is needed will be developed in collaboration with the AU and the Global Education Monitoring Report UNESCO.
• A new continental education financing indicator will also be included, designed as a crucial tool. It will chart country progress toward domestic financing goals.

A work plan to support the AU Decade of Education, including through the implementation of the Continental Assessment Framework for Africa (CAF-Africa) is under development.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Adoumtar Noubatour, African Union Commission
E-mail: adoumtarn@africanunion.org  Website
Mr. Shem Bodo, CESA Cluster on Education Planning
Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA)
E-mail:  s.bodo@afdb.org Website
Ms. Josephine Lutta Kiyenje, Spotlight Series Lead, Global Education Monitoring Report
E-mail:  j.kiyenje@unesco.org Website