Sub-theme 4

Governance, System Alignment, Cost Effectiveness, and Financing

Foundational learning—literacy, numeracy, and socio-emotional skills acquired in the early grades—is the bedrock for productive skills development and inclusive economic growth. While many African countries have expanded access to education and articulated strong national commitments to foundational learning, improvements in learning outcomes remain uneven and often fragile. Persistent system-level bottlenecks continue to constrain impact, including weak alignment between policy and implementation, fragmented governance arrangements, limited use of data and accountability systems, and inefficiencies in education spending. 

At the same time, countries face intensifying fiscal pressures: constrained domestic revenues, competing sectoral priorities, growing demographic demands, responses to recurrent shocks, and a declining share of external financing. These realities make it imperative not only to mobilize more resources for foundational learning but also to ensure that available financing is spent strategically, efficiently, and at scale. 

The FLEX 2024 Declaration for Action, adopted in Kigali, underscored this challenge by calling on governments and partners to accelerate progress through intentional prioritization of domestic resources, increased cost-effectiveness, and the scaling of evidence-based interventions. FLEX 2026 builds on this commitment by focusing on the transition from policy intent to measurable results, with a particular emphasis on how governance, system alignment, and financing choices can either enable or constrain sustainable delivery at scale. 

Sub-theme 4 provides a platform for policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and development partners to share practical country experiences, innovative financing approaches, and lessons on aligning systems and incentives to deliver foundational learning outcomes more effectively. Cross-cutting topics—such as artificial intelligence and educational technology—may be addressed within this sub-theme and across other relevant sub-themes. 

Below is a brief description of each of these sub-levels under this sub-theme: 

4a. Domestic financing, cost effectiveness, and budget prioritization for foundational learning:

This sub-topic explores how governments can expand or better use fiscal space and secure adequate, predictable, and sustainable financing for foundational learning. Discussions will focus on expenditure prioritization within education budgets, improving allocative and technical efficiency, and using cost-effectiveness evidence to prioritize investments and link spending more directly to learning outcomes. 

4b. Pooled funding, public private partnerships (ppps), and outcomes-based financing mechanisms:

This session examines alternative and complementary financing modalities for foundational learning, including pooled funding mechanisms, public–private partnerships, and results-based or outcomes-linked financing. Examining when they are most useful, the trade-offs involved, and the conditions under which they can effectively support scale and impact. The session will also spotlight new funder collaboratives and support mechanisms available to governments on foundational learning. Speakers will share lessons on design, risk-sharing, accountability, and conditions under which these approaches can enhance ownership, scale, equity, and impact. 

4c. Governance, system alignment, and scaling:

This sub-topic focuses on the enabling institutional and system conditions required to translate financing into results. It will explore practical levers for alignment across key parts of the system (e.g., curriculum, instruction, assessment, teacher support, budget allocation and spending, policy, and political will). And explore the role of parliamentarians in the budget process and securing resources for foundational learning. While also discussing the most effective levers to defend education budgets in countries under fiscal pressure and how to effectively engage Ministries of Finance to budget for learning and protect education budgets in constrained fiscal environments. Discussions will cover governance arrangements, inter-ministerial and inter-agency coordination, alignment across curriculum, assessment, teacher management, and financing systems, and practical approaches to scaling reforms while maintaining quality. 

4d. Political economy and alignment of donor and government priorities:

This session will address the political economy factors that shape foundational learning investments, including incentives, stakeholder interests, trade-offs, and stakeholder dynamics that shape reform feasibility and sequencing, and sustainability. It will also explore how stronger alignment between government priorities and development partner support can improve predictability of financing, reduce fragmentation, and enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of reforms.