Our work in country
Education.org works closely with Ministries of Education and programme implementers to strengthen strategy and planning based on our evidence-based insights and actionable guidance, improving educational outcomes for marginalised learners.
We help governments improve learning outcomes by distilling complex evidence - often local - into action and enhancing capacity to turn evidence into impact.
This is a model of direct service coupled with systemic change. We act as a catalytic connector - working hands-on with ministries, implementers, and funders to understand their challenges and embed evidence into real decisions, while building the infrastructure, tools, and partnerships that allow systems to continuously improve over time.
To date, we have developed formal partnerships with the governments of Kenya, Sierra Leone and Uganda. And there is strong demand for our support around the world.
Our unique approach is supported by research, which shows that projects co-designed with policy makers are 17-20% more likely to lead to change (Bonargent, 2024).
Our evidence base covers 60+ countries; we have formal partnerships with three governments (Kenya, Sierra Leone and Uganda); and we are exploring deepening relationships in nine further countries (Colombia, Liberia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Malawi, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Pakistan).
We welcome collaboration with education leaders around the world, who are committed to strengthening their education systems using evidence.
If you're exploring evidence-informed approaches to improve learning outcomes, we’d love to work together but please note that we do not directly fund any projects.
Email us at info@education.org
Since 2020, our partnership with the Ministry of Education has supported evidence-led commitments to get an estimated 1.8 million out of school children back into learning, applying our insights on accelerated education to policies and programmes.
- Strengthened the use of evidence in Kenya’s Guidelines for Accelerated Learning, setting a precedent for future plans and policies.
- The National Education Sector Strategic Plan (2023–2026) addresses the needs of out-of-school children for the first time.
- Accelerated education curriculum and calendar will now align with the national system to reduce learning disparities.
- Kenya’s National Council for Nomadic Education (NACONEK) has committed to fast-track its development of catch-up and accelerated learning.
By together identifying solutions and building the capacity to tackle the identified challenges more effectively with evidence, Education.org is helping us to stand on our feet… This is different from all other partners, who tell you: ‘This is the water; drink it’.
Elizabeth Otieno, Deputy Director of Policy, Ministry of Education, Kenya
We have been working with the Ministry of Basic and Senior Seconday Education since 2022 to support policy and planning that addresses the needs of more than 500,000 out of school children as well as strengthening capacity to use evidence for policy making.
- New National Guidelines for Accelerated Education co-created with the Ministry of Education using the insights from our synthesis and deep stakeholder engagement across national and local government as well as implementing organisations.
- New fellowship programme launched, co-developed with the Ministry of Education, focused on strengthening government capacity to gather and analyse evidence to support improved policy making.
Education.org provides an important opportunity to accelerate our progress by drawing on work from other countries across a range of topics. We really need this.
Chief Education Officer, Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education
We have been working with Uganda's Ministry of Education and Sports since 2024 and are strengthening the capacity for evidence-informed decision making with a primary focus on meeting the needs of out of school children. An estimated 9% of children of primary school age are not in school.
- Localising and embedding insights from our evidence syntheses on Accelerated Education into national policies and plans.
We need to get used to working with evidence to avoid the tendency of always resorting to firefighting. Yet, we are not very comfortable with donor partners funding our policy research because what they do often does not reflect what we consider a priority... rarely have we relevant data to support our actions. Education.org’s objective of working alongside us in our daily business is very different from how our other partners work.
Commissioner, Ministry of Education and Sports, Uganda
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:How do your country partnerships typically begin? Who initiates the process?
A:
In most cases, our partnerships are initiated by ministries of education or senior government officials. This is often a result of word-of-mouth referrals, peer sharing between country leaders, or prior exposure to our work — such as during the COVID-19 period when we became a key resource for school closure/reopening decisions. For example, partnerships in Sierra Leone and Kenya were sparked by outreach from Ministers who were already familiar with our work through shared networks and platforms like GPE. Our model is increasingly recognised independently for its practical value and country-led orientation.
Q:What typically prompts a partner to reach out? What is a common request?
A:
Education.org is typically approached with a specific policy or programmatic challenge that needs addressing. These often relate to issues like learning recovery, inclusion of marginalised learners, or improving evidence use in planning and budgeting. The requests are not for generic advice, but rather for a trusted partner to help navigate an overwhelming and fragmented evidence base and to co-create actionable and context-sensitive solutions. We don’t arrive with pre-packaged recommendations but instead build on national priorities and work closely with local systems and stakeholders.
Q:How do you engage with civil society and local implementers?
A:
We work closely with national NGOs and implementing partners as part of the evidence translation and policy design process. These actors contribute to shaping contextualised guidance and often help bridge the gap between ministry leadership and communities. In countries with emerging institutional capacity, like South Sudan, we work through trusted local implementers first, before advancing to a formal government partnership.
Q:What are your criteria for selecting countries to work in?
A:
We assess readiness and potential for impact based on three main criteria: (1) the presence of committed and credible leadership (2) openness from policy and planning teams to co-creation and evidence use, and (3) an active civil society or implementing partner with existing, trusting relationships. The model works best where local ownership, demand, and trust can be established early.
Q:What are the common needs you’ve identified across countries?
A:
We identify common needs through direct consultations and periodic surveys with ministers and senior officials. Across LMICs, many of the key education challenges tend to be similar — such as improving learning recovery, reaching out-of-school children, and aligning policies with practical evidence. These issues come up through formal and informal channels, and we then screen their feasibility and potential impact.
Q:How do you tailor your approach across different country contexts?
A:
We don’t follow a one-size-fits-all model. In with well-established public institutions, we work more directly with ministry leadership. In more fragile contexts, we begin with trusted implementers and then engage higher-level stakeholders. We are currently analysing patterns across contexts to build a flexible, modular playbook for expansion.