PASEC Assessment Tools in the SDG4 Monitoring

• In Event: Data for foundational learning: What do recent data efforts tell us? Results from AMPL, ICAN-ICAR, PASEC and UNICEF’s FLM2.0

Proposal

Monitoring progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) requires robust, internationally comparable data on foundational learning. The Programme for the Analysis of Education Systems (PASEC), implemented by CONFEMEN, has played a central role in generating such evidence across francophone Africa for more than two decades. Building on successive cycles, the recent PASEC2019and PASEC2025 assessment introduced enhanced tools to measure reading and mathematics at Grades 2 and 6, with expanded psychometric rigor, contextual data, and stronger alignment to SDG 4.1.1 reporting requirements.
This paper highlights the contribution of PASEC assessment tools to SDG 4 monitoring, focusing on methodological innovations, cross-national comparability, and lessons learned from large-scale implementation. The analysis explores how PASEC results inform both national education reforms and regional policy dialogue, while also addressing challenges in scaling, linguistic adaptation, and ensuring inclusivity of marginalized populations.
By situating PASEC within the broader global architecture of learning assessments, this presentation examines complementarities with other initiatives, including UNICEF’s FLM 2.0, and considers how diverse assessment tools together strengthen the evidence base for equity-focused education policy and international monitoring.

Authors

• Clio Dintilhac, BMGF

• HILAIRE GUY HOUNKPODOTE, CONFEMEN