2026 Course: Mastering Data Interpretation and Communication

The African Foundational Learning (AFLEARN) Data Hub is dedicated to African foundational learning data, measurement, research, and capacity building. The hub’s mission is to enhance quality and capacity across the full data life cycle – from collection to impact. This upcoming one-week residential course focuses on maximising the impact of foundational learning data. The course is made possible through generous funding from the Gates.

Overview of the Foundational Learning Data for Impact Course

The third one-week residential course will be held at the University of Cape Town from 4 to 8 May 2026. This five-day course aims to enhance your skills in effectively communicating research findings. You will learn how to critically review foundational learning data, accurately interpret results, and present them in ways that resonate various education stakeholders. The course offers hands-on experience with education data and practical guidance on creating written outputs tailored to your organisational needs.

Who this course is for

This course is ideal for:

Policy and data analysts from NGOs
Officials from African statistics offices and education ministries
Postgraduate students and researchers from African institutions

The course will benefit those who wish to:

Improve their data interpretation skills and communication techniques
Strengthen their skills in creating clear and compelling data visualisations that are accessible to diverse audiences
Present education research results in concise and accessible formats for consultation, program implementation, and advocacy

What you will learn

This five-day course aims to equip participants with the skills and insights to interpret and communicate foundational learning data effectively.

Key focus areas include:

Strategic Communication: Learn to identify communication objectives, define key audiences, and craft evidence-based messages aligned with specific policy goals.
Data Interpretation: Understand how to avoid common pitfalls in data analysis, account for and communicate uncertainty effectively, and appreciate challenges with the metrics used to convey and compare learning outcomes.
Data Visualisation: Discover core principles of data visualisation, including how visualisation increases comprehension and the essential design elements needed to tell a story with data.
Writing for Non-specialist Audiences: Develop skills in clear, simple writing and learn to structure policy briefs for maximum impact with policymakers and other non-technical audiences.

How the course will be structured

The course will feature a combination of lectures, hands-on data analysis, small group sessions, and individual and group projects.
Participants will critically assess examples of effective and ineffective data visualisations and evidence communication, identifying common pitfalls and misconceptions along the way.
Guest lecturers will provide insights on topics such as how policymakers engage with evidence, using evidence to inform advocacy, and writing for the media.
The hub will offer follow-up support via online sessions with facilitators in the months following the course.
A key goal of the course is to build and strengthen a community of professionals working with foundational learning data in Africa.
To foster networking, social events will be held throughout the week.

Prerequisites

The course is designed for participants with a reasonable level of data literacy and research experience. Basic skills in data summarisation will be assumed. The course will be conducted in English.

Course Facilitators

Professor Cally Ardington is the director of DataFirst at the University of Cape Town. She is a Professor in the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) in the School of Economics. She has extensive experience in the design, management and micro-econometric analysis of social surveys and quantitative (experimental and quasi-experimental design) impact evaluations. Her current research focuses on emergent and early literacy and numeracy, social-emotional skills and executive functioning amongst kindergarten and primary school children.

Dr Linda Zuze is a Zambian economist with over 15 years of experience in policy research at both the local and international levels. She holds both a PhD in Economics from the University of Cape Town. She has worked and published extensively on topics that address inequalities in education, labor markets, and access to financial services. Her current focus is on strengthening African early-grade reading assessments, analysing gender dynamics in education, and promoting the inclusion of children with disabilities.

Dr Chifundo Kanjala is a Senior Research Officer at the African Foundational Learning Data Hub (AFLEARN), University of Cape Town, where he contributes to foundational learning research, capacity strengthening, and data governance. Previously, he worked with UNICEF Malawi on data analytics and monitoring and supported research, data stewardship, and integration through the Analysing Longitudinal Population HIV/AIDS Data in Africa (ALPHA) Network and the Malawi Epidemiology and Intervention Research Unit.

Jack Thunde is a Research Consultant with the Africa Foundational Learning (AFLEARN) Data Hub at DataFirst, University of Cape Town. With more than five years of experience in the social development sector, his focus has been on promoting evidence-based decision-making across various sectors. His work centres on capacity building and the use of foundational learning data to inform policy and improve education outcomes across Africa

Guest Lecturers

Professor Hellen Inyega is a distinguished scholar and practitioner in education, specialising in language, literacy, and early childhood development at the University of Nairobi. With a PhD in Reading Education from the University of Georgia, in Athens, USA and decades of experience, she has led transformative research and policy initiatives across Africa, including USAID’s Tusome program and World Bank-funded projects on foundational learning. A champion of African-led solutions, Professor Inyega bridges research and practice through government partnerships, scalable pedagogies, and innovative assessment tools. She has advised ministries, NGOs, and global institutions like ADEA, Canadian Organisation for Development through Education (CODE); Education sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA); International Development Research Centre (IDRC); Norwegian Refugee Council; Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International and UNICEF on foundational learning, teacher training, and education system strengthening.

Dr Nompumelelo Nyathi Mohohlwane was recently appointed as Director (Reading) in the Department of Basic Education in South Africa, where she was previously Deputy Director in the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate. She has a Doctorate in Education Policy from Stellenbosch University; her thesis contributes to the language in education debate through an analysis of history, policies, and large-scale data. She is part of the research team for the government-led Early Grade Reading Study randomised control trials. Her recent research has focused on issues around language in education. She is a non-resident fellow with the Centre for Global Development and an Associate with the University of Stellenbosch.

Sipumelele Lucwaba is a Fellow at the Binding Constraints Lab with a wealth of experience in the education sector having worked for Tshikululu Social Investments, the National Education Collaboration Trust and Funda Wande. She is the Secretariat of the Reading Panel, South Africa’s most prominent annual event focused on early grade reading. The panel draws mass media attention and around 150 delegates including business leaders, NGOs, philanthropies and media representatives. She is also the Secretariat of the Right to Read campaign that focuses on strategic litigation to enforce minimum norms and standards. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Law at the University of Pretoria focusing on the Right to Read and Write.

Pippa Green was educated at the University of Cape Town and at Columbia University in New York. Her work has been published widely in magazines and newspapers in South Africa and the United States, and she is the author of Choice not Fate; The Life and Times of Trevor Manuel. She has served as deputy editor of The Sunday Independent and Pretoria News and as Head of Radio News at the SABC. She was a recipient of the Nieman Fellowship at Harvard in 1999 and was Ferris Visiting Professor of Journalism at Princeton University in 2006. From 2009-2014 she headed the Journalism Programme at the University of Pretoria, before moving back to Cape Town where she is a communications and media consultant on REDI. From 2019-2021, she served as the National Press Ombudsman

How to apply

Complete the application form by 30 Jan 2026
Spaces are limited, and successful applicants will be notified
The hub will cover flights, visas, accommodation, meals, and local transport
For questions, contact datafirst@uct.ac.za