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African Harmonised Early-Grade Assessment Data 2008-2021

Africa, 2008 - 2021
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Reference ID
afr-df-ahead-2008-2021-v1.1
Producer(s)
DataFirst
Metadata
Documentation in PDF DDI/XML JSON
Created on
Jul 31, 2026
Last modified
Aug 03, 2026
Page views
90015
Downloads
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  • Identification
  • Version
  • Scope
  • Coverage
  • Producers and sponsors
  • Sampling
  • Survey instrument
  • Data collection
  • Data processing
  • Data appraisal
  • Access policy
  • access_policy
  • Metadata production

    • Identification

    Survey ID number
    afr-df-ahead-2008-2021-v1.1
    Title
    African Harmonised Early-Grade Assessment Data 2008-2021
    Abbreviation or Acronym
    AHEAD 2008-2021
    Country
    Name Country code
    Africa AFR
    Abstract
    AHEAD pools and harmonizes microdata from Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) surveys conducted in African countries. The harmonisation was undertaken within the Gates funded 'African Foundational Learning Data Hub' project of DataFirst. Each constituent survey was originally captured with its own variable names, numeric codes, and value labels. The harmonization assigns a single canonical variable name, code, label scheme to comparable items across surveys to produce one analysis-ready pooled data file suitable for cross-country and cross-time comparative research on early-grade literacy and numeracy across diverse educational contexts. Survey-level documentation, including assessment sub-tasks, sampling design commands, and source-linking instructions, is available in Study Catalogue: [https://datafirst-aflearn.github.io/ahead/]
    Kind of Data
    Sample survey data [ssd]
    Unit of Analysis
    Individuals

    Version

    Version Description
    v1.1: Edited, anonymised data for public distribution
    Version Date
    2026-07-31
    Version Responsibility Statement
    DataFirst
    Version Notes
    Changes from Version 1 to Version 1.1:
    1. Two new projects were appended. They are Nal'ibali Story Powered Schools (SPS) in 2017, 2018, and 2019 from South Africa; and Literacy Achievement and Retention Activity (LARA) in 2017 and 2019 from Uganda.
    2. Three projects are excluded because the original source microdata for these records are not available. Users of Version 1 release that included these projects should treat the current file as authoritative and expect those country-years to be absent. These are Early Grade Reading Improvement Activity (MERIT) in 2016, 2017 and 2018 from Malawi; Tunoze Gusoma in 2022 from Rwanda; and a national assessment in 2021 from Zambia.

    No variables from the Version 1 were dropped.

    Scope

    Keywords
    Education Early grade reading Early grade mathematics Literacy Numeracy Learning assessment EGRA EGMA Early foundational learning

    Coverage

    Geographic Coverage
    National coverage
    Universe
    Early-grade primary school pupils assessed in the respective EGRA/EGMA samples. Exact target grades and eligibility rules differ by survey

    Producers and sponsors

    Primary investigators
    Name
    DataFirst
    Funding Agency/Sponsor
    Name Role
    Gates Foundation Financial support

    Sampling

    Sampling Procedure
    Constituent surveys used different sample designs. Harmonised survey design variables are present in the pooled file where supplied by the original survey. There is no single pooled sampling frame. Weighted and sampling error estimation analysis requires a separate survey design specification for each source.

    Survey instrument

    Questionnaires
    Different Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Mathematics Assessment (EGMA) instruments were used in data collection. Original instruments, languages of assessment, and field protocols differ by constituent survey.

    Data collection

    Dates of Data Collection
    Start End
    2008 2021
    Time Method
    Cross-section [cross section]
    Time periods
    Start date End date
    2008 2021
    Data Collection Mode
    • Face-to-face

    Data processing

    Data Editing
    Full description of the cleaning operations can be found in the User Guide in the Downloads tab.

    Data appraisal

    Data Appraisal
    Known limitations, residual unresolved codes, and cross-survey variable availability are documented in the User Guide.

    Access policy

    Location of Data Collection
    DataFirst data repository
    URL for Location of Data Collection

    access_policy

    Access conditions
    Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 attribution license
    Citation requirements
    DataFirst. African Harmonised Early-Grade Assessment Data 2008-2021 [dataset]. Version 1.1. Cape Town: African Foundational Learning Data Hub, DataFirst [producers], 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25828/2287-mw84
    Deposit requirements
    Researchers agree to cite the data in their publications using the recommended citation in this metadata record, including the DOI (unique dataset identifier)
    Researchers agree to send DataFirst a link to any research publication based on the data

    Metadata production

    Producers
    Name Abbreviation Affiliation
    DataFirst DF University of Cape Town
    Date of Metadata Production
    2026-07-31

    Metadata version

    DDI Document version
    3
    Version date
    11-08-2026
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