Rise and Fall of Early Grade Education in the Global South

• In Event: Access to Education Amidst Displacement, Conflict, and Climate Emergencies: A Qualitative Lens

Proposal

Within international and comparative education and policy transfer studies, the early grade foundation learning (EGFL) policy reform is emblematic of one of the most influential and understudied reform packages to proliferate across the globe. Between 2005 to 2024, EGFL evolved from a single policy instrument and tool–the infamous EGRA–to a reform package including assessments, teaching and learning materials, and teacher professional development. Over two decades, the EGFL reform package–geared towards improving kindergarten through grade three literacy, numeracy, and socioemotional learning skills– circumvented the world to over 59 countries. I argue that the scope of the EGFL reform package evolved through three iterations, significantly expanded from a concerted focus on early grade literacy to incrementally including early grade numeracy and socioemotional learning. The EGFL reform package is emblematic of one of the greatest examples in international and comparative education, of a policy that transferred, was borrowed and lended, and locally adopted.

While substantial research has investigated the impact of such reforms, proving which instruments and components work and which do not, little research has examined how the EGFL reform evolved and why it persisted for over two decades. The evolution of EGFL policies, between 2005 to 2024, highlight shifts in the role of experts and networks in global governance and formalization of the reform package. Moveover, the nature of EGFL policy transfer is complex–moving beyond linear transfers from the Global North to Global South–the EGFL reform package reflects a dynamic process of reformulation from international organizations and borrowing and lending between Global South countries.

This study aims to answer the following questions: What is the origin of EGFL and what drivers promoted its diffusion? How has the EGFL evolved? How were EGFL policies locally adopted and translated? Did social, economic, and political factors influence the trajectory of how instruments and program components were adopted? This paper is a multi-method qualitative research study based on 40 in-depth interviews with policy makers, education stakeholders, government officials, and donors engaged in the EGFL and document analysis of over 300+ policies, programmatic reports, databases, and strategies. This research includes both the macro-global perspective through diffusion analysis of 59 countries implementation of the EGRA between 2005-2024 and the local-perspective of a country case study of how the EGFL reform package was adopted and translated.

Author

• Mia A Chin, Columbia University Teachers College