###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 22, 2024

KAMPALA, UGANDA - The Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) and IPA Uganda will host the 3rd Cross-Country Learning Exchange (CCLE) in Kampala, Uganda, from April 23rd to 25th, 2024. This event aims to facilitate South-South learning and sharing among government Embedded Evidence Lab teams on using data and evidence for better decision-making.

Embedded Evidence Labs are teams within government ministries, committed to improving the policymaking process through data and evidence. They achieve this by identifying the data and evidence needed to address policy challenges; developing and implementing strategies for generating relevant data and evidence; and applying the insights gained to improve policy decisions that impact people's lives.

This year’s CCLE workshop will convene ten Ministries of Education and early childhood institutions from Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, the Philippines, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

“This event marks a significant step in our commitment to enhancing evidence-based policymaking in the education sector. By incubating and institutionalizing Embedded Evidence Labs within the Ministry of Education and Sports, we are empowering policymakers with the tools and knowledge necessary to address the complex challenges facing education policy in Uganda,” said IPA Uganda Country Director Patrick Nalere.

“We are bringing together Ministry of Education officials from various countries who are involved in the design and implementation of Embedded Evidence Labs. This event will enable governments to learn from each other about how they create and run their Embedded Evidence Labs,” said IPA’s Senior Director of Embedded Labs, Juan Hernandez-Agramonte. "

"In exploring the vital role of data and evidence in shaping our Ministry's policy landscape, it's apparent that high-quality data serves as a cornerstone for driving innovation within our sector. This entails not only thorough analysis but also a commitment to continuous learning from our data, sharing insights, and establishing a repository of evidence to foster collaboration and informed decision-making," said Commissioner Brighton Barugahare of the Department of Education Policy and Research (EPAR) of the MoES. 

In Uganda, despite notable progress in expanding access to basic, secondary, and tertiary education, the country still grapples with low levels of learning, a substantial population of out-of-school children, and inadequate evidence to assess effective strategies, according to a UNICEF and African Union Commission report. A World Bank report estimates that 83 percent of children in Uganda at late primary age today are not proficient in reading.  The Embedded Evidence Lab will not only enhance the Ministry staff's capacity to use data and evidence but also enable them to shape policies that directly improve learning outcomes.

IPA collaborated with the Ministry's EPAR department to collect and analyze data on the science subjects’ performance in the lower secondary level in order to understand the cause of poor performance. This collaborative effort underscores the shared commitment of the Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports and IPA to foster evidence-based decision-making in Uganda's education landscape to create a world with more evidence and less poverty.

###

Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a research and policy nonprofit that creates and shares evidence and equips decision-makers to use that evidence to reduce poverty. For 20 years, IPA has led the field of development in cutting-edge research quality, innovation, and impact. Our long-term presence in 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean has enabled us to build long-term relationships with key decision-makers whose questions and needs drive our research. To learn more, visit www.poverty-action.org.

MEDIA INQUIRIES

Carolyne Atuhura  | IPA Uganda Policy and Communications Officer

Email: catuhura@poverty-action.org