Jul 2026· Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice· pp.
1-19
· 0 citations· 29 references
Medicine
Abstract
Background
Research-policy partnerships are widely used to support evidence-informed reform, yet how evidence actually shapes policy and practice in low-income education systems remains poorly understood. This article asks how, and under what relational and institutional conditions, evidence generated by Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE) Ethiopia contributed to national policy on equity, learning and accountability.
Methods/data
The study uses qualitative data, drawing on 22 semi-structured interviews with senior federal policy makers, regional officials, development partners and local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), complemented by documentary analysis of RISE outputs, education sector plans and policy materials.
Approach
Interview transcripts and documents were analysed using a thematic analysis framework, combining deductive coding organised around bounded mutuality, sustained interactivity and policy adaptability with inductive coding of emergent evidence-to-policy contribution pathways.
Results
RISE evidence contributed to the bottom-up design of the four-year Education Transformation Programme and its implementation vehicle, Education Transformation Operation for Learning (2025-2029), supported a reframing of national discourse from schooling expansion towards foundational learning, helped develop an equity narrative grounded in observed learning gains among disadvantaged students within a school year, and informed COVID-19 school-reopening deliberations. Contributions were clearest where trusted relationships, timely decision windows and actionable evidence converged; where any of these elements was weak, policy impact was correspondingly less direct.
Conclusion
The article shows that policy contribution was enabled by relational conditions that allowed evidence to be heard, trusted and acted upon. It offers a transferable framework for embedding research in policy systems and underscores the need for sustained institutional investment in the capacity for evidence use.
This study examines the design, implementation, and outcomes of Uganda’s Gender in Education Sector Policy II (GEPII) within higher education, focusing on women’s access, disciplinary participation, and academic progression. Despite its comprehensive gender mainstreaming framework, the policy’s effectiveness in achieving substantive equity remains limited. Guided by feminist institutionalism and policy implementation theory, the study employs a qualitative case study design, drawing on documentary analysis of policy texts, institutional reports, and national higher education statistics from the National Council for Higher Education. Findings show that GEPII is normatively strong and aligned with global gender equality and human capital development agendas; however, implementation is uneven and largely characterised by procedural compliance rather than structural transformation. While institutions have introduced gender units, revised policies, and implemented affirmative measures, these have produced limited change in entrenched inequalities. Quantitative evidence indicates improved female participation in higher education (45.7% of total enrolment), yet persistent disparities remain in technical and STEM fields (19.4%), academic staffing (32.3%), and doctoral attainment (20.3%), reflecting a pronounced “leaky pipeline” in women’s academic progression. Financial and institutional interventions have also yielded only marginal redistributive effects. The study concludes that Uganda has achieved notable progress in gender inclusion but limited transformation in gender equity, contributing to feminist institutionalist and policy implementation scholarship by demonstrating how informal institutional norms and weak accountability mechanisms mediate policy outcomes and sustain the gap between policy intent and practice in higher education.
Bonny Opeto, D. Onen· East African Journal of Inte...· 0 citations
It is concluded that achieving equitable digital transformation in Nigerian education requires a shift from infrastructure-centred implementation toward an equity-driven strategy prioritizing teacher professional development, inclusive policy design, coordinated governance, and sustained public investment.
Surajudeen Sadiq, N. Orunbon, Isioma Stella Olagunju· Journal of Education and Lea...· 0 citations
Uganda's transition to competency-based education and training represent one of the most significant pedagogical and regulatory reforms in contemporary African education policy. This article critically examines the legal and policy frameworks underpinning this transition at national, regional, continental, and international levels. Through a qualitative case study design employing document analysis and the IRAC framework for legal analysis, the study draws on parliamentary records, assessment data, labour market surveys, and recent scholarly literature. The findings reveal a fundamental implementation paradox: institutional compliance with regulatory mandates coexists with persistent deficiencies in applied competencies that competency-based education was designed to cultivate. Despite possessing one of the most progressive legal frameworks in Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda faces significant challenges including definitional ambiguity in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act 2025, delayed issuance of subsidiary legislation for the Skills Development Levy, inadequate teacher preparedness, resource disparities across institutions, and weak industry engagement mechanisms. The study identifies three interrelated gaps: legislative ambiguity, institutional capacity deficits, and absence of outcome-based accountability. These gaps are compounded by regional and gender disparities, with labour underutilization reaching 58.3% among youth aged 15-19. The article concludes that sustainable reform requires moving beyond regulatory compulsion toward outcome-based accountability, genuine industry partnership, equitable resource distribution, and policy coherence across national, regional, and international frameworks. Evidence from across Sub-Saharan Africa confirms that legal mandate alone is insufficient without congruent resource allocation, pedagogical transformation, and sustained stakeholder engagement. The article offers targeted recommendations for legislative amendment, regulatory development, and equity sensitive implementation.
Mpaata Ibrahim Kaziba, Richard Wemesa, Joshua Mwesigye et al.· Journal of scientific report...· 0 citations
Educational governance is a critical determinant of educational quality, equity, and learning outcomes globally. Despite sustained policy reform efforts by successive Nigerian governments, the educational system continues to face significant challenges including poor learning outcomes, inadequate infrastructure, teacher shortages, weak accountability systems, and persistent regional disparities. This study examines the relationship between educational governance and policy effectiveness in Nigeria and investigates how governance mechanisms influence educational outcomes. Adopting an explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design, the study engaged educational policymakers, school administrators, teachers, and community stakeholders drawn from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. A sample of 1,200 respondents was selected using multistage sampling, while 48 key informants participated in in-depth interviews. Data were generated through the Educational Governance and Policy Effectiveness Questionnaire (EGPEQ) and a semi-structured Key Informant Interview Guide. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis; qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The study is theoretically anchored on Policy Implementation Theory, Governance Theory, and Human Capital Theory. Findings reveal that governance quality (r = .684, p < .05), accountability mechanisms (β = .412, p < .001), stakeholder participation (β = .298, p < .01), and leadership effectiveness (β = .465, p < .001) significantly influence educational outcomes, collectively accounting for 62.4% of the variance in learning outcomes (R² = .624). The study concludes that strengthening governance institutions and enhancing implementation mechanisms are essential for achieving sustainable educational transformation in Nigeria. Evidence-based recommendations are offered for policymakers, educational leaders, and development partners.
Emenike Umesi· International journal of res...· 0 citations
Public policies frequently encounter difficulties during execution, yet the institutional processes through which governments convert those experiences into organisational learning and policy reform remain poorly understood. While implementation research explains why policies encounter difficulties in practice and policy-learning scholarship examines how governments adapt through experience, the institutional pathway connecting these two traditions has received comparatively little attention. This article addresses that gap through a qualitative comparative case study of Denmark, Austria and Pakistan based on documentary evidence drawn from ombudsman reports, audit findings, legislative documents and official government publications.
The study develops the Implementation Learning and Reform Framework (ILRF), a middle-range analytical framework that explains how practical experience is translated into progressively different levels of governmental response through six sequential stages: evidence production, evidence aggregation, institutional attribution, response selection, implementation and verified learning. The comparative analysis demonstrates that operational setbacks do not automatically generate organisational learning or policy reform. Instead, reform depends on institutional processes that interpret recurring evidence, attribute responsibility and authorise organisational responses. Although the three cases differ substantially in administrative traditions and state capacity, they exhibit a common institutional sequence through which experience is converted into administrative correction, organisational adaptation or policy reform. By specifying this sequence, ILRF explains why governments confronting similar implementation challenges often follow markedly different reform trajectories. The article contributes to comparative public policy by integrating implementation research and policy-learning scholarship within a single explanatory framework while providing a practical analytical tool for examining institutional learning across diverse governance settings.
Syeda Masheea Fatima· The social science· 0 citations
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in higher education, empirical evidence on how institutional governance shapes its equitable and responsible implementation in South African universities remains limited. This study examined how institutional policies and governance practices influence the implementation and equitable use of AI in undergraduate education while contributing to international discourse on responsible AI governance. Guided by an interpretivist research paradigm, the study adopted a qualitative approach and employed a single-case study design within one public university in South Africa. Participants comprised university leaders, academic staff, professional support staff, and undergraduate students involved in or affected by AI governance and implementation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis and analysed using thematic analysis supported by inductive coding. The findings indicate that limited policy transparency, context-insensitive governance frameworks, unequal access to AI technologies, and weak institutional accountability can reinforce educational inequalities, particularly among first-generation and under-resourced students. Conversely, participatory governance, transparent decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and enhanced digital literacy promote more equitable and responsible AI implementation. The study proposes a multi-level governance model integrating institutional policy, stakeholder participation, and pedagogical practice to strengthen equitable AI adoption. It concludes that higher education institutions should develop context-sensitive AI governance frameworks, strengthen institutional capacity, and expand equitable access to AI technologies to advance fairness, inclusion, and responsible AI implementation.
R. Lumadi· International Journal of Stu...· 0 citations