Foundational learning
Foundational skills encompass literacy, numeracy and social-emotional skills. These core skills, developed from early childhood through to secondary education, are essential for school success and facilitating learning throughout life.
Foundational learning begins in early childhood and lays the groundwork for lifelong success. The early years are a critical window for brain development—when a child’s brain is most receptive to acquiring the cognitive and social-emotional skills that underpin all future learning. During this period, children develop important executive functions and self-regulation skills, which are critical for learning and interdependent with literacy and mathematics development ()
Weak foundational skills are related to early school leaving and exclusion from school. Of the 251 million out-of-school children and young people, 71 million are primary school-age children and 57 million are adolescents of lower secondary school age. Findings show that students who do not reach the end of lower secondary school are highly unlikely to be proficient in reading and mathematics (UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2024).
Yet, school attendance does not necessarily equate to successful learning. Recent statistics indicate disturbingly low levels in basic literacy and numeracy among students. Globally, 58% of students achieve the minimum proficiency level in reading and 44% in mathematics at the end of primary school (UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2024).
Those lacking basic literacy and numeracy are ill-prepared for navigating increasingly complex, technical and digital employment sectors, limiting their prospects for decent work and social outcomes.
It is now well established that social-emotional development is a precursor to successful literacy and numeracy learning (UNESCO-UNICEF, 2024).
Lack of teachers, especially qualified teachers, exacerbates the quality of foundational learning.
According to , 6 million pre-primary educators are needed by 2030 to meet SDG4 targets. indicates a shortage of 44 million primary and secondary teachers worldwide.
The Global Coalition for Foundational Learning
To tackle these challenges, 91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ been collaborating with partners of the Global Coalition for Foundational Learning, one of seven global initiatives launched at the 2022 Transforming Education Summit, to improving foundational learning for all children, helping every child unlock their full potential. This Global Coalition for Foundational Learning is driving evidence-based solutions, scaling up initiatives and advocating for Foundational Learning as a top priority on the international agenda. In addition, The Coalition is working with governments to support and amplify efforts to scale effective foundational learning interventions.