Foundational Learning

At Speak Up Africa, we believe education is the bedrock of equity, agency, and long-term development. Yet across Africa, millions of children are completing primary school without mastering foundational literacy and numeracy, undermining lifelong learning, economic opportunity, and democratic participation.

Our work on Foundational Learning strengthens the systems shaping education policy, financing, and accountability across Africa.

Powering a Continental Movement: The Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Advocacy Hub

Speak Up Africa hosts and leads the FLN Advocacy Hub, a pan-African platform designed to elevate African-led advocacy for foundational learning. The Hub connects civil society leaders, researchers, practitioners, and champions to align evidence, narratives, and political strategies that drive reform. By supporting coordinated, country-anchored advocacy and amplifying African voices in regional and global spaces, the Hub works to ensure that FLN is prioritized, financed, and embedded in education delivery systems across the continent.

Driving Systems Change in Senegal

In Senegal, our education advocacy is anchored in the Modèle Harmonisé d’Enseignement Bilingue au Sénégal (MOHEBS), a nationally recognized reform that places mother-tongue-based bilingual education at the heart of foundational learning. Speak Up Africa supports MOHEBS by helping build a broad, inclusive national movement that brings together government, civil society, educators, researchers, unions, media, youth, and communities. Our focus is on translating technical consensus into sustained political commitment, public understanding, and the institutionalization of evidence-based practices within the education system.

From Evidence to Impact

Across both the FLN Hub and MOHEBS, our approach is consistent:

• Center African leadership and lived experience
• Translate evidence into compelling narratives and policy action
• Build coalitions that endure beyond projects and political cycles

By linking continental advocacy with deep national engagement, we work to ensure that every child gains the foundational skills needed to learn, thrive, and shape the future.