How Data Drives Progress

123 low- and middle-income countries

contributed data to the Foundational Learning Action Tracker 2024 to document global progress on improving foundational learning outcomes.

Global

Education

PartnersUnicef

Why

The world is facing a global learning crisis. Millions of children are going to school but not gaining basic reading, math, and socio-emotional skills - a challenge that demands better data to track progress, identify gaps, and drive effective solutions.

Education

Foundational skills are the building blocks of all future learning - essential for ensuring that children reach their full potential.

Countries worldwide are making progress in tackling the learning crisis, but far more needs to be done. Governments must take decisive political action and invest efficiently in proven strategies to improve children’s foundational learning outcomes. However, without reliable data and evidence, it is difficult to direct resources and policy efforts toward interventions that truly make a difference.

To bridge this gap, UNICEF and the Hempel Foundation launched The Foundational Learning Action Tracker in 2023. This tool monitors progress and drives action on foundational learning in low- and middle-income countries, ensuring that every child gets the start they deserve.

Read the full report: "From Commitments to Action"

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70 %learning poverty

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In low- and middle-income countries, about 70 percent of children are estimated to be unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10. This is what the World Bank defines as learning poverty.

10%of future GDP could be lost

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According to the World Bank, learning poverty could cost countries up to 10% of their future GDP due to a less skilled workforce.

How

Launching the Foundational Learning Action Tracker together with UNICEF, our joint aspiration was to create a tool that could serve as an accountability mechanism for governments by annually tracking their commitments as well as actions toward improving foundational learning outcomes

Education

With the Foundational Learning Action Tracker we aim to highlight best practices that can inspire and inform governments and policymakers on how foundational learning policies and strategies can be implemented and taken to scale.

After launching the second report in September 2024, we believe that the Foundational Learning Action Tracker serves this purpose building on the RAPID Framework for accelerating foundational learning.

The RAPID Framework Identifies five key actions needed to ensure progress on foundational learning:

To REACH every child and keep them in school
To ASSESS learning levels regularly
To PRIORITIZE teaching the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy
To INCREASE the efficiency of instruction, including through catch-up learning
To DEVELOP psychosocial health and well being

Read the full report: "From Commitments to Action"

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Our partners

We work with trusted partners to improve children’s learning outcomes by strengthening education systems, supporting teachers, and ensuring every child gains the foundational skills they need to thrive.

Unicef

UNICEF works globally to ensure every child has access to quality education, with a focus on the most marginalized. By improving school access, teacher training, and foundational learning, UNICEF helps children gain essential skills and advocates for policies that address the learning crisis.

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The Foundational Learning Action Tracker enables us to track progress every year, identify the gaps, unpack those gaps and invest in proven solutions, so that we ensure that every child achieves their learning potential.

Pia Rebello Britto

UNICEF Global Director, Education and Adolescent Development

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Accelerating Change

The Road to Change

Collecting Data
The Power of Data: Turning Overlooked Challenges into Actionable Insights
Many countries have committed to foundational learning under global initiatives like Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which aims for inclusive, equitable quality education. However, progress has been uneven, and an accountability mechanism like the Foundational Learning Action Tracker is crucial to track actions and ensure governments meet their commitments.

Without reliable data on foundational learning policies and practices, it’schallenging to identify gaps, allocate resources effectively, and implement evidence-based interventions. The Action Tracker provides a clear framework for evaluating progress across key dimensions of education systems.

The newest data from the Foundational Learning Action Tracker shows that governments in low- and middle-income countries are taking action to address this learning crisis.
Key insights from the Foundational Learning Action Tracker include:
Increased Use of Data: About two-thirds of countries are now using learning assessment data for policy and planning, a significant improvement from previous years.
Adoption of Structured Pedagogy: Over 40% of countries have implemented nationwide structured teaching methods, compared to 26% in 2023.
Defined Learning Outcomes: Nearly 80% of countries have established clear foundational literacy and numeracy goals in their Grade 1–3 curriculums
Promoting Best Practice
From Data to Action: Advocating for Foundational Learning on the Global Stage
Advocating for data-based action is essential to improving foundational learning globally. Through our partnership with UNICEF, we are working to ensure that reliable data becomes a driving force for education policies and investments. By convening key stakeholders at global events - such as our joint event at UNGA 2024 - we bring attention to the critical role of data in addressing the learning crisis.

At these platforms, we highlight proven approaches, share insights, and advocate for evidence-based solutions that can be scaled to achieve measurable impact. By promoting data-driven decision-making, we empower governments, organizations, and educators to prioritize foundational learning, turning evidence into action and ensuring no child is left behind.
Building Strong Partnerships
Stronger Together: How Partnerships Drive Change in Global Education
Collaboration is at the core of driving change. The partnership between the Hempel Foundation and UNICEF is built on a shared vision: to ensure all children have access to quality education and the foundational skills they need to thrive. UNICEF brings unparalleled expertise and reach in education systems, while the Hempel Foundation contributes resources, support, and a commitment to measurable results.

Together, we are not only developing tools like FLAT but also supporting initiatives that improve education quality where it is needed most. Strong partnerships enable us to take collective action to address one of the world’s most pressing challenges: learning poverty.
Taking Data-based Action
Guided by Evidence: Using Data to Transform Education
Data is the cornerstone of everything we do. It informs us on how we act, where we should invest, and which initiatives we should support. From identifying challenges to measuring impact, data helps us ensure that our work creates tangible results for children’s foundational learning. By using evidence to guide our actions, we can prioritize solutions that drive systemic change - whether it’s strengthening education policies, programmes or tools to monitor progress.

In addition to supporting the generation of data and evidence for efficient education policy decision-making, we fund the development of cost-effective program solutions that can be scaled by governments.