Do you know how many school-age children in your country are actually going to school, or what your government is doing to help children learn to read? Are teachers able to grow as professionals? Twenty countries in Sub-Saharan Africa now have ready access to data on these and other aspects of the education programming context, thanks to a compilation EnCompass and MSI recently completed with funding through USAID’s Data and Evidence for Education Programs (DEEP) activity.
Synthesizing Education Data in Sub-Saharan Africa
Each brief in the compilation provides a snapshot of one country’s educational situation. To construct the briefs, the team gathered information from sources such as UNESCO, the World Bank, and ILO, along with USAID performance data and targets that convey progress against the Mission’s objectives. The briefs also feature data from all 20 Sub-Saharan countries across several indicators. Individually and as a collection, they enable national and regional comparison of each country’s progress and needs in the education sector.
Accurate and reliable data are essential to support assessment of countries’ educational needs and progress toward targets. We designed these regional and country-specific education data and analyses to help USAID’s Africa Bureau, USAID country missions, and partner country decision makers prioritize needs and investments.
The collection is available on EducationLinks. We also invite you to explore each country brief at the links below:
- Djibouti
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Ethiopia
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mozambique
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Somalia
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
Good Evidence Supports Self-Reliance in Education
Even if you don’t work in global development, you’re likely well aware that countries around the globe are scrambling to adapt to rapid changes. As they do, they need accurate, actionable evidence. High-quality data and evidence of what works (and doesn’t) is essential for planning how and when to deliver funds and human resources for both urgent needs and longer-term planning for sustainability and self-reliance.
EnCompass is proud to be a partner to USAID, MSI, and education practitioners and researchers in this effort. We look forward to sharing more updates on DEEP’s work to strengthen a culture of data use and grow the evidence base for education programming.
Photo c/o USAID via U.S. Government Works