Developed in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Hempel Foundation, FLAT is a digital monitoring platform that provides data on Ghana’s progress in foundational learning, aligned with national education goals and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The platform will track national actions under the RAPID Framework, which focuses on reaching every child and keeping them in school, assessing learning levels, prioritising the teaching of reading, writing, and numeracy, enhancing instructional efficiency, and promoting psychosocial well-being.

Launching the initiative in Accra yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Apaak, said the tracker would strengthen literacy and numeracy by allowing pupils to begin learning in a familiar language before transitioning fully to English at the upper primary level.

He explained that FLAT would be used to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the foundational learning curriculum and guide policy decisions, saying that, “By leveraging data and evidence, we will strengthen our foundational learning policies and introduce measures to improve learning outcomes.”

Dr Apaak clarified that the use of local languages as the medium of instruction applied only from Kindergarten to Primary Three, in line with the national language policy.

He also announced a 20 per cent salary increase for teachers serving in rural and deprived areas to attract and retain qualified educators.

Commending Ghana’s efforts, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili of Human Capital Africa lauded the country’s leadership in addressing learning poverty, describing teacher motivation and foundational learning as key pillars for improving education nationwide.