Over 4,700 learners to be assessed in national literacy and numeracy survey

More than 4,700 learners across Uganda are set to be assessed in a nationwide literacy and numeracy evaluation, The Observer has learned.

The assessment is being conducted under the People’s Action for Learning (PAL) Network, a unique South-South partnership that brings together 17 organizations across 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The initiative aims to generate actionable evidence to inform and influence policy, ultimately improving children’s foundational reading and numeracy skills.

Aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 4 which advocates for inclusive, equitable, and quality education, PAL Network plays a vital role in addressing global learning gaps, particularly in the Global South. For over 15 years, PAL Network has led Citizen-Led Assessments (CLAs), which directly measure basic reading and numeracy skills, mainly at the Grade 2 and 3 levels.

These assessments are conducted orally and one-on-one with children aged 5 to 16 in their homes, ensuring inclusivity regardless of school enrollment or ability level. This methodology has exposed a hidden crisis of foundational learning deficits, a situation further worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

CLA employs simple yet effective tools, prioritizes community involvement, and uses local citizen volunteers to carry out assessments bringing children’s learning outcomes to the forefront of education discourse.

Building on CLA’s success, PAL Network has also developed a globally scalable, low-cost tool: the International Common Assessment of Numeracy and Reading (ICAR). This tool aligns with the Global Proficiency Framework (GPF) and supports SDG reporting by measuring the proportion of children achieving minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics. In the 2024–2025 assessment cycle, PAL Network plans to reach over 99,000 children and 66,000 households across the 15 member countries.

The data will inform advocacy efforts, support gender equity, and assist member organizations in generating nationally representative learning outcome data. In Uganda, the assessment is being implemented by Uwezo, one of PAL Network’s local partners.

Robert Sserumaga, a researcher and a national trainer with Uwezo, is overseeing the exercise in seven districts within the Busoga region: Kamuli, Buyende, Jinja, Bugiri, Mayuge, Luuka, and Kaliro. Sserumaga confirmed that over 4,700 learners will be assessed across Uganda during the three-week survey.

The national initiative targets 20 households in each of the 119 districts, focusing on children between 6 and 16 years of age.

“There’s a significant gap in reading and numeracy. You can give a Primary Two-level task to a Primary Seven pupil, and they will struggle to understand it. This challenge is widespread across the country,” Sserumaga said.

Sserumoge emphasized the importance of data verification in ensuring the reliability of the results, noting that a GPS location is recorded for each household, and a review is conducted every three days during the survey.

Supervisors revisit sampled households to confirm the accuracy of the data collected. Prior to the survey, Uwezo mapped out selected villages and randomly chose over 20 households per area from which the data is now being collected.