ADEA Foundational Learning Exchange 2026

GEEAP participated in the ADEA Foundational Learning Exchange (FLEX) 2026 in Lilongwe, Malawi, a major platform for country-to-country exchange on foundational learning across Africa.

GEEAP coordinated two technical sessions during the conference. The first, “Teaching in Languages Children Can Understand: Learning from Evidence, Successes and Challenges”, explored how language of instruction affects children’s ability to learn to read. The session included contributions from Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. Clement Apaak, alongside speakers from ESSA, UNICEF, TaRL Africa, VVOB, and government representatives from Ethiopia, Senegal, Nigeria and Uganda. Ben Piper, representing GEEAP and the Gates Foundation, presented evidence from GEEAP’s literacy and Smart Buys work, highlighting the importance of teaching children in languages they understand, alongside strong teacher support, appropriate materials and system alignment.

GEEAP also coordinated the session “Teaching at the Right Level: Designing, Adapting and Scaling within National Systems,” focused on how governments are adapting and scaling targeted instruction within national education systems. The session was chaired by Titus Syengo from TaRL Africa, with Maria Brindlmayer from the GEEAP Secretariat facilitating. Speakers from Zambia, Nigeria, Uganda, Eritrea and Eswatini shared practical lessons on programme design, adaptation, teacher development, implementation research and moving from pilots to scale.

Across both sessions, GEEAP helped connect global evidence with country experience, creating space for policymakers and partners to discuss how proven approaches can be adapted to different linguistic, institutional and implementation contexts. The event underscored the importance of grounding foundational learning reform in rigorous evidence, while creating space for countries to share practical lessons on adapting and scaling what works.