23-27 February 2026 | Cape Town, South Africa
AFEP Fellows deepen their skills to enhance Africa’s capacity for high‑quality, data‑driven education research.
Group photo of the third cohort of the Africa Fellows in Education Program (AFEP) during the Education Data Workshop in South Africa.
The third cohort of the Africa Fellows in Education Program (AFEP) convened last week at the University of Cape Town (UCT) for a one-week residential Education Data Workshop designed to deepen researchers’ ability to work with complex education datasets and generate rigorous, policy‑relevant evidence.
Hosted from 23 to 27 February 2026 at UCT’s School of Economics, the workshop brought together AFEP Fellows, programme leadership, and partner institutions for high-level training delivered by the AFLEARN Data Hub.
Over the course of the week, participants explored the landscape of education datasets available across the continent, assessing their potential and limitations. The training emphasised hands‑on skills in data management and analysis using R and Stata, equipping Fellows to select analytical methods suited to the structure of their own data. A mix of lectures, group work, and applied exercises ensured that learning remained practical, interactive, and directly relevant to ongoing research projects.
“AFLEARN strengthened my capacity in educational economics and data analysis using R and Stata. The hands-on sessions enhanced my ability to translate evidence into policy-relevant insights, while the collaborative environment fostered valuable cross-country learning.”
— Carl Mensah, AFEP Fellow
Researchers from partner organisations, including Zizi Afrique, the African Health and Population Research Center (APHRC), and scholars from the UCT-IIASA PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme (funded through the 2024 Yidan Prize) attended selected sessions. Their participation strengthened cross-institutional collaboration and peer learning.
Asking the Right Questions of Data for Education Policy
In education policy, the quality of decisions depends not only on the availability of data but also on the questions researchers bring to that data. Poorly framed questions can obscure inequality, misinterpret trends, or lead to policy recommendations that fail to address structural constraints within education systems.
Across many African contexts, education datasets are growing in scope and sophistication. However, without strong analytical foundations and contextual understanding, data risks being underutilised or misapplied in policy debates.
“The workshop provided practical insights into managing large-scale education datasets and refreshed our understanding of quasi-experimental approaches to education research. Thanks to the excellent instructors, I left feeling far more equipped to tackle the next phase of my fellowship journey."
— Dr Tayla Stephen, AFEP Fellow
For PEP and the broader education research community, strengthening Fellows’ capacity to critically interrogate data is therefore essential. Asking the right questions enables researchers to identify what drives learning outcomes, where inequities persist, and which interventions are most likely to generate measurable improvements.
“The AFLEARN workshop was an enriching experience that significantly strengthened my ability to work with education datasets, conducting rigorous analyses and interpreting results for policy use. It deepened my understanding of how to critically interrogate data and align research findings with real education policy challenges in Africa.”
— Mamadou Mouminy Bah, AFEP Fellow
By deepening Fellows’ methodological skills and analytical judgement, the workshop strengthens the link between research and policy ensuring that evidence is not only technically rigorous, but also relevant, grounded, and capable of informing real-world education reform.
Looking Ahead
The Education Data Workshop is a key component of AFEP’s broader commitment to nurturing the next generation of African education researchers. As fellows advance their individual research projects, the analytical skills strengthened this week will play a vital role in shaping high‑quality findings that inform education policy across the continent.
“The AFLEARN workshop came at an opportune time as I was working on my fellowship paper and needed to refresh my econometrics knowledge. The instructors provided thorough explanations of key empirical concepts, strengthening both my conceptual understanding and applied skills.”
— Takudzwa Mutize, AFEP Fellow
