On August 6, 2018, IPA and Ghana’s Ministry of Education (MoE) partnered to host an “Evidence Day” kicking off the Ministry’s annual sector review. The event showcased the ongoing co-creation of evidence in Ghana between IPA and MoE and connected this evidence with the real-time education policymaking occurring during the week’s annual sector planning.

IPA and the MoE jointly shaped the agenda of Evidence Day, which brought together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to connect evidence with the education policy agenda in Ghana. Researchers presented rigorous, high-quality research on a range of topics relevant to education policy questions in Ghana. These included the implementation of targeted instruction programs, the impacts of teacher training on kindergarten quality, and the impacts of apprenticeships on youth employment and skill development—among many others. (A full list of presentations, with links to presenters’ slides, is available below.)

These research discussions were accompanied by Ministry officials’ presentation of the priorities of the government reform agenda and future plans. These presentations laid the foundation for parallel sessions on key sub-sectors and cross-cutting issues to improve learning outcomes that occurred in the days following.

In the days surrounding Evidence Day, IPA also convened education policymakers from several countries to enable cross-country learning on key topics related to evidence-informed policymaking. Officials from Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, Zambia, Kenya, and Peru discussed strategies for overcoming challenges in different contexts on two topics: scaling targeted instruction programs within government systems, and building capacity for evidence-informed decision-making in government units.

For more information about the day's themes and goals, please see the Concept Note here.