The Center for Rapid Evidence Synthesis (ACRES)’s Post

📚💡 Education is the cornerstone of sustainable economic development in Southern Africa. Empowering individuals through education not only enhances human capital but also fuels economic prosperity and innovation. Addressing disparities and investing in education is crucial to uplift communities, boost productivity, and break the cycle of poverty. #EducationForAll #EconomicDevelopment #SouthernAfrica

Great to see positive findings in OECD - OCDE's Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Disadvantage in Ireland published yesterday. Ireland has demonstrated strong performance for equity outcomes internationally across primary and post-primary levels. In Ireland, the socio-economic gap in educational attainment is narrower than on average across @OECD countries 🏅 However, despite these achievements, differences in outcomes persist for students from areas of persistent and intergenerational poverty, as well as Traveller and Roma students. We are calling for Budget 2025 to be a #ChildrensBudget. It is crucial that children and families most at risk of poverty and disadvantage are at the forefront of decision-making. ➡️Read #Education Budget Asks here: https://bit.ly/4bzdbQp ➡️Read the OECD Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Disadvantage in Ireland here: https://t.co/UlG3mahfmA #EndChildPoverty #ChildrensBudget25

🏫D4I conducted an impact evaluation of the USAID- and PEPFAR-funded Malawi Secondary Education Expansion for Development (SEED) activity in collaboration with the Centre for Social Research (CSR) at the University of Malawi. Read this brief that highlights D4I’s partnership with CSR. https://ow.ly/90mB50T9fmK #CapacityStrengthening

Happy International literacy Month : Literacy is the Formula for Self-Sufficiency! Literacy empowers individuals to break the cycle of poverty and achieve self-sufficiency. It supports UN SDG 4, which seeks to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all." The African Union's Agenda 2063 emphasizes education as a cornerstone for "an Africa whose development is people-driven." Similarly, the National Development Plan goals focus on creating an educated, self-sufficient society, capable of thriving independently in a fast-changing world. By prioritizing literacy, we invest in a sustainable future for all. “With literacy, people don't earn more but everything they know is in their heads. They can go anywhere, do anything, ask for what they want, enter in. When people don't know reading and writing they are afraid” ~ Christina Mavale. #LiteracyForAll #SDG4 #Agenda2063 #EducationForSustainability #SelfSufficiency #ANCGoals #Education #Teachers #PrincipalsNetwork #LifelongLearning

Today, @Education.org wrapped up 2 days of dialogue and reflection about why we must challenge what #evidence-based policy and practice means in #Education, and how we can work collectively to make these more #inclusive and responsive to local needs, whereby transforming education systems. Read more in post below ⤵️

African Minds Transforming Futures: Building Resilient Education Systems I was thrilled to virtually provide the keynote address at this year's The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Africa Summit, renowned for its commitment to exploring the complexities and opportunities across Africa's socio-economic landscape, and stands as a testament to the collective dedication needed from our youth to shape a more prosperous future for our continent. The theme of this year's summit highlights one of the most critical pillars of development in Africa: education. It is especially attuned to the AfricanUnion theme of this year: “Educate an African Fit for the 21st Century: Building Resilient Education Systems for Increased Access to Inclusive, Lifelong, Quality, and Relevant Learning in Africa”. Currently, nearly 20.2 million children in Nigeria are not in school, even though primary education is officially free and compulsory, and according to UNESCO, out of the 244 million children aged 6 to 18 not in school globally, more than 40%, or 98 million of them, live in sub-Saharan Africa. The Wellbeing Foundation Africa has been at the forefront of prioritising education by actioning advocacy, developing curriculums and educational materials, and producing policy papers to promote the implementation of health education in collaboration with local and global partners. These evidence-based learnings, guidance, and recommendations are currently being actualised through various programs such as the #WBFA Adolescent Skills and Drills, #PSHE #WASH program. Education is indispensable for productivity, progress, and prosperity, and it is essential to allocate sufficient resources to improve infrastructure, train teachers, and ensure that every child and adolescent has access to quality education. We must also address the root causes of inequality that perpetuate the cycle of educational deprivation by empowering marginalised communities, particularly women and girls, and by addressing cultural norms that hinder their access to education. #EducationForAll #WellbeingEconomy #TeenageTuesday

The ongoing problem of education in some of our beloved African countries. What role should government play in light of the SDG 2030 goals. E.g reduction in poverty, improvement in quality education? Problem 1. We have a theory-action gap. E.g actions fall short of educational goals Problem 2: Most people are unwilling to do what is best, even though they know what it is, and are able to do it. (Socrates), (e.g more community and corporate involvement, fewer silo efforts, and more collective activism). Problem 3: People are overcome by a desire for immediate pleasure, and remain ignorant of the greater balance of good to be achieved by right actions, (amassing wealth for self). Problem 4: Ignorance fosters wrong action. (No long term vision or understanding of the global impact of not investing in education, brain drain of a huge % of those who do invest in their own education). Problem 4: Removing ignorance does not motivate moral behaviour.(Broader reforms in social and institutional concepts at the community level is also needed). Problem 5: Education is the ticket for spreading ethical behaviour, shaping desires, and sharing knowledge. Maybe it's time to build lessons on values and patriotism into our educational curriculums in Africa, and communities to model effective behaviour. We can design courses to overcome the theory- action gap. I ask you, what topic will you introduce or like to see as a part of the courses? #Bridgeafricafoundation #trevornoahfoundation #christinesesay #bookstoafrica #africaimpactfoundation #classroomofhope #segalfamilyfoundation #katiebuntenwamaru #kaysfoundation #malalafund

Higher education plays a crucial role in strengthening primary and secondary educational systems. The U.S. Government Strategy on International Basic Education (2024–2029) stresses the importance of engaging higher education systems to: ➜ Train teachers, policymakers, and school leaders. ➜ Conduct research on teaching and learning methods. ➜ Develop twenty-first-century curricula and textbooks. Read the strategy to learn more: https://bit.ly/3ZTDP4j #highered

Canadians tell us that literacy is important: The majority of Canadians (92 per cent) believe improving literacy rates in Canada would improve Canadians’ standard of living.* United for Literacy is continuing to meet with Canadian leaders to discuss how literacy changes everything and must be a top priority. Our former Board Chair, Suzanne Anton KC, CEO Mélanie Valcin, MA, and Director of Government Relations, Angela Briscoe, recently had the opportunity to discuss with former Premier of British Columbia, Christy Clark, about the importance of literacy skills for success at school and work, advancing individual and community prosperity. *source: According to a 2024 Pollara survey commissioned by United for Literacy (formerly Frontier College). https://lnkd.in/eh3gceRA #Literacy #UnitedForLiteracy #LiteracyMatters #LiteracyForAll #LiteracyChangesLives

Yesterday, I had the privilege to attend the Improving Education In Africa: The Role Of Civil Society event, hosted by Data for Governance Alliance - Africa and Afrobarometer. It was an enlightening session featuring remarkable speakers. Below are my key takeaways: ✔️The notion of the right to education doesn't automatically guarantee quality education. Unfortunately, achieving the right to quality education remains elusive. Why is this the case? ✔️It's disheartening to learn that 748,275 children in South Africa are currently out of school. ✔️South Africa cannot aspire to excel in international standards assessments until standardized national assessments are established. ✔️Before pursuing big innovations, we must first ensure that the fundamentals of quality education for all are in place. ✔️Education, as one of the core SDGs, isn't receiving the attention it deserves and requires reassessment. Empowering school principals is crucial for advancing quality education. ✔️It's imperative to emphasize education beyond traditional methods. The current moment calls for Make Africa Digital (MAD) to assume a central role. ✔️Long-term, sustainable, and innovative strategies are essential for realizing access to quality education. These strategies should be accompanied by monitoring and evaluation methodologies to measure impact. ✔️Decentralizing education is an urgent need. Our responsibility is to empower the marginalized while holding the government accountable. Quality education serves as a valuable asset! ✔️It's evident that addressing education challenges necessitates a transdisciplinary approach—an all-hands-on-deck strategy #AfricanVoicesForAfricanPolicy #SocialJustice #YearOfEducation #Agenda2063 #Education #Sustainability #Leadership #SGD4 AfricanUnion UNESCO South African SDG Hub Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) Good Governance Africa Gumiso Chisi Asafika Mpako Divine Kpe, MEd. Justice Alfred Mavedzenge, PhD Mmabatho Mongae Chido Cleopatra Mpemba