60 years after the UN created the World Campaign for Universal Literacy (1965), progress has stalled and for the first time, and we are at serious risk of the number of illiterate adults growing.

We are failing millions of children: first, there are still 250 million children who do not have access to school. In Africa, that’s one in every five children of primary school age.

Second, access to school doesn't guarantee learning. A staggering 70% of 10-year-olds in low- and middle-income countries are unable to understand a simple story.

To make matters worse, this crisis in learning isn’t widely regarded as one.

Writing on the eve of International Literacy Day, the former President of Nigeria H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo said, “My friends and fellow leaders have not yet seemed to fully grasp the urgency and severity of the situation. There is an urgent need to accelerate action and deliver it at scale.”

Political leadership is clearly key. It must be built on a shared understanding of the problem and a commitment to implement collaborative, mission-oriented plans to get every child in school and ensure that in doing so, they acquire foundational skills, including the ability to read and write.

To help build that understanding and commitment among members of parliament, the International Parliamentary Network for Education (IPNEd) has set out 5 practical steps to help turn around the learning crisis and ensure every child learns.

1. Acknowledge the extent of the challenge

As President Obesanjo pointed out, the learning crisis is neither widely understood nor a matter of priority.

In a recent survey, 80% of government officials overestimated literacy proficiency in their countries and underestimated the extent to which this crisis can damage the growth and development prospects of their countries.

Parliamentarians can use their position both in and out of parliament to help their fellow MPs, their government and their constituents understand that foundational learning is the critical building block to achieving all other education priorities and many other important national goals.

2. Mobilize society-wide support for learning

The job of improving the quality of basic education requires a sustained, collaborative effort with educators, providers, suppliers of education inputs, families and administrators, to whole-heartedly commit to long-term transformation.

Other key groups—like the business community and civil society organizations—also need to help build momentum, support learning in the community and play a part in encouraging governments to prioritize learning.

3. Measure children’s learning

Unfortunately, there is no data on the learning levels of two-thirds of African children. If we don’t know how and whether children are in fact learning, it’s impossible to take action to address this issue.

Governments need to implement learning assessments with three central qualities.

1. Measure early: ensuring to collect data and implementing evidence-based interventions earlier in children’s education journeys.
2. Measure well: ensuring that the data collected is of high quality, in that it is standardized and comparable.
3. Measure for all: ensuring that data on foundational learning and subsequent evidence-based interventions are inclusive of marginalized and vulnerable groups, including out-of-school children, children with disabilities, and those affected by emergencies.

It is impossible for parliament to perform its core function of holding governments to account for the quality of education our children receive if we don’t know whether they are learning in school.

Members of parliament should be advocating for learning assessments and asking their governments what they are doing with the data they generate.

4. Set clear targets to focus efforts

Once a country has a baseline measurement of student learning, it can use it to set targets.

Targets should cover both enrollment and learning, and they should be straightforward enough that they can be used to rally support from teachers and parents and the broader coalition of groups supporting learning.

In addition to overall targets, it is important to set targets specifically for the groups of children who are furthest behind.

Once again, members of parliament can play a central part in encouraging governments to set targets and in building support for them.

5. Fund learning

Adequate funding is critical to reverse the learning crisis.

In my continent of Africa, education is severely underfunded. In 2019, only eight out of 44 governments with data spent 20% or more of their total government budget on education.

Even more distressing is that eight governments spent less than 10% on education. We must invest more and we must invest better.

I’m pleased that President Hassan supported the Heads of State Declaration on Education Financing and is committed to increasing public spending on education to reach the global target of at least 20%.

Despite an extremely challenging fiscal environment, domestic financing is moving in the right direction.

Unfortunately, external support for education has declined, not just in Tanzania but across sub-Saharan Africa.

By investing efficiently in proven interventions, governments can not only improve learning outcomes but also save in the long run by reducing the staggering costs of repetition, drop-outs, low-skill workforces, and widening income inequality.

We as parliamentarians have a pivotal role to play here. We can influence and advocate for budget-smart decisions that use both domestic and external funds, to prioritize learning, ensuring funds are directed where they can have the most lasting impact.

The learning crisis is not an insurmountable challenge - it’s a problem we have the power to solve.