Strengthening System Learning Through Evidence: Inaugural Report of the Regional Community of Practice in the Centre Region

This learning brief reports on the first meeting of the Ministry-led Regional Community of Practice (CoP) on Foundational Learning Data Use in Cameroon’s Centre Region. Convened by MINEDUB with eBASE Africa under the Unlocking Data Initiative, the meeting brought together 26 stakeholders from government, councils, civil society, research, and schools to improve how data and evidence support literacy and numeracy for children aged 4-10.

The meeting produced a validated Regional Learning Agenda covering six domains: governance, pedagogy, inclusion, parents and communities, financing and decentralisation, and education data systems. An “Evidence Rush” exercise rated existing evidence using a traffic-light system, finding that evidence is stronger on inputs and compliance than on classroom practice, inclusion, learner motivation, and social and emotional learning. Participants also openly discussed how fear of audits, funding competition, and selective reporting weaken data quality and use.

The brief concludes that data should be reframed from a tool of control to a tool for learning. It sets out governance arrangements (MINEDUB as chair, eBASE Africa as technical secretariat) and recommends prioritising evidence synthesis before new data collection, building trust and incentives for honest reporting, and strengthening feedback loops to schools and councils.

Authors: Rigobert Pambe, Claude Fotso, Andrew Tangang, Patrick Okwen

Read the full Report here.