LISTEN: How the collection of learner-level data will aid dropout prevention efforts

Pumza Ndamase, Project Lead for the Reading for Meaning programme at the Zero Dropout Campaign, speaks to Umhlobo Wenene about the need for improved learner-level data collection and monitoring. Ndamase explains how learner-level data can help educators to better understand the complex lives of South Africa’s children and why they drop out. She further elaborates on how understanding trends in enrolment over time is essential for evidence-based planning and dropout prevention. Without unique learner identifiers in national-level administrative education data, it is not possible to trace the trajectories of individual learners through the system.