SDG 4.1.1a - Providing evidence of learning improvement in Africa

The recent decision of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs) to downgrade Indicator 4.1.1a from Tier 1 to Tier II has generated a lot of debate. This is largely due to the unavailability of reliable data to measure this indicator in at least 40 percent of countries where this indicator is relevant.

Stakeholders working in education have construed this to imply that early-grade learning carries little significance. But learning poverty data, especially in sub-Saharan Africa implies that this indicator needs to be closely tracked and will indicate if Africa is building the right education foundation for its future. Some stakeholders have also argued for existing tools used for national assessments to be repurposed to report on the 4.1.1a indicators. But counter arguments say, among other things, that these tools are inadequate for global reporting.

In this podcast, the CEO of PAL Network, Armando Ali, provides deeper insights on this issue, following his introductory conversation on Indicator 4.1.1a, published by Africa Practice. We will try to unpack the issues to help us understand how best to achieve a consensus on the best reporting tool to improve data availability for all the SDG4 goals.