Professor Sarah Howie and Dr Brent Abrahams of Stellenbosch University (SU) were part of the team facilitating the workshop in Livingstone, Zambia (from 29-31 July 2025), where representatives from African Union Member States, technical experts, and partners convened to review and validate contents for (see Zambian Ministry of Education and the Examinations Council of Zambia) a continent-wide assessment framework aimed at transforming how learning outcomes for reading and mathematics are measured and addressed across African Union (AU) Member States (see AU press release). This important initiative is led by the African Union Commission through the African Union Pan-African Institute of Education for Development (IPED), and in partnership with the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA) and the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), with technical support from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and GEM Report UNESCO.

Professor Howie (Professor of Curriculum Studies and Director: Centre for Capacity Development in Africa) is coordinating the technical project towards developing  the Continental Assessment Framework and leading the development of the reading framework, in collaboration with colleagues from SU, the University of the Witwatersrand and McGill University (Canada) and supported by Dr Brent Abrahams (Programme Manager - International Higher Education in Africa Research) and staff from the Centre for Capacity Development in Africa, SUI, Stellenbosch University. This work was commissioned by UNESCO (see UNESCO news release) to project manage the technical development of the Continental Assessment Framework under the guidance and in support of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa (AEAA) Technical Committee and to lead the technical development of the reading framework.  According to UNESCO, while four in five children in Africa complete primary school, fewer than two in ten achieve minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics. This learning crisis poses a major threat to the attainment of both continental and global education goals, demanding urgent, systemic reforms.

The Framework provides a shared, technically sound approach to assessing foundational learning, enabling AU Member States to adopt harmonised benchmarks for reading and mathematics proficiency in line with the Continental Education Strategy for Africa (CESA 2026–2035) and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Indicator 4.1.1.

For more details se the AU Press release