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Africa Knows! It is time to decolonise minds

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Accepted Paper: B12-03. To panel B12.

Title of paper:

Authors:

Zaida Mgalla (Uwezo Tanzania);

Amos Kaburu (PAL Network).

Short abstract paper:
This paper demonstrates the experience of PAL Network in fostering knowledge exchange, adaptation and creation in Africa through adaptation of Citizen Led Assessment of literacy and numeracy competencies among children aged 5-16 years, through PAL Network.

Long abstract paper:
Africa is culturally diverse, eventually affecting education and knowledge creation. Knowledge in its acquisition through observation, sharing, or and phenomenologically that adds value by benefiting learning.

Formal education delivery in modern Africa complies with international commitments, recently the SDG 4. Measuring learning in many countries has long been associated with measuring children's mastery of curriculum content than competencies that are useful for knowledge application in daily life.

In 2008 a team of education experts from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania visited Pratham organisation in India to learn about the citizen led assessment approach that involved assessing literacy and numeracy competencies among children aged 6-16 years (ASER, 2008, Uwezo East Africa, 2013,2015). The visit birthed the CLA approach in East Africa through adaptation. (Jones et al. 2014, Uwezo 2013). The findings of the assessment became a wake-up call for respective governments by revealing the learning crisis. The assessment revealed that many children lacked foundational skills in reading and numeracy. Even 5% of the primary school completers could not read a grade two text. (Jones et al. 2014; Uwezo 2017).

In 2015, Peoples' Action on Learning (PAL) Network was established to coordinate all countries that are implementing Citizen Led Assessment and related actions to improve learning outcomes. Within few years, PAL network facilitated the hosting of many organizations from African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Malawi, Mozambique and Botswana) in East Africa for knowledge sharing and capacity building to adapt and conduct CLA. The adaptation of CLA in Africa took many forms and processes to make CLA relevant and appropriate to the African context as guided by education policies and school curriculum. Through citizen-led assessment, we have become a generator of sound, innovative and appropriate policy ideas to guide policy and curriculum changes and planning for delivery of quality and equitable learning for all.

This paper presents systematic adaptation and spread of the Citizen Led Assessment took place and in Africa with a focus on citizen involvement process, tools, language in specific countries, government consultation process, and data management for cross country comparability. The paper reveals that these connections within and outside Africa bred contextual assessments, new knowledge, collaboration, and coherence, resulting in a community of practice.

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