The Unlocking Data initiative, pioneered by ESSA, Zizi Afrique Foundation and EdTech Hub to support access, use, and sharing of education data to effectively tell the story of education in Africa.

Increasing access to data, especially in low resource settings, will help researchers generate policy-relevant empirical evidence, providing policymakers with a comprehensive picture of challenges and feasible policies. 

In 2020, we hosted a series of workshops that aimed to unpack the biggest barriers in data sharing. At these workshops, the community of practice realised that before we can truly discuss (re)using education data effectively, we need to understand what data exists, where the data gaps are, and what data indicators are needed for decision-making. To delve into the topic further, we hosted an event to showcase early ‘Lessons Learnt from Education Data Mapping in Africa’ and created a working methodology for education data mapping.

Unlocking Data and its partners have been working towards mapping education datasets in selected African countries. Through sharing lessons between the different mapping exercises, we realised that mapping education data happens in different ways. This could involve various stakeholders and can be conducted for a wide range of purposes. We found these different practical aims and approaches to be enlightening and incredibly beneficial to others, so we combined them into a guidance note on mapping Africa’s education data. Building on the data mapping methodology, the guidance note takes the theory to practice, sharing practical experiences, lessons learnt, and challenges encountered.

Publications

• BE2 Deep Dive Summary Report

• Summary and Synthesis of July 2020 Workshop 

• ILO Summary and Synthesis Report

• Draft Unlocking Data Methodology