Why Peer Learning Visits Matter, Especially at Key Inflection Points

In the dynamic world of international education development, we often celebrate collaboration and peer-to-peer learning. We rarely question when it is most impactful, particularly for teams building education data systems in low- and middle-income contexts.

A peer-learning exchange convened under the Research on Scaling the Impact of Innovations in Education (ROSIE) initiative brought together four Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (funded by Global Partnership for Education and International Development Research Centre) supported projects across Africa. Five teams came together: the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) leading the KIX-SEEDS (Knowledge Innovation Exchange – Strengthening and Enhancing Education Data Systems (KIX-SEEDS), Zizi Afrique Foundation leading the Unlocking Data Initiative (UDI), the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), eKitabu and Educate!.

Importantly, participants came to Kigali from different stages of their project journeys. Some were still refining tools and partnerships. Others were already piloting, adapting, or preparing for wider scale. That variation did not dilute the exchange. It strengthened it.

It created a rare opportunity for teams to learn across phases. Early-stage initiatives could stress test assumptions and avoid predictable design traps. More mature initiatives could reflect on what changed in practice, where systems resisted, and what it takes to sustain momentum beyond a pilot. What emerged was a practical insight, that peer learning is especially valuable at inflection points, when teams are making decisions that shape everything that follows, such as how to define indicators, who to co design with, how to engage government, and how to embed inclusion from the start.

In other words, timing is not just about the beginning or end. It is about convening when learning can meaningfully shape and impact on the path.

Here’s what we’ve learned and why timing is everything.

While our projects primarily focused on strengthening education data, monitoring systems, and evidence use (in Uganda, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Kenya, Malawi, Cameroon, and Tanzania) are each unique, our challenges are strikingly similar. These dialogues have surfaced several critical, shared insights that point to where education data systems succeed or fail in shaping inclusive and sustainable decision-making. The peer learning therefore provided vital lessons:

1. The systems should be designed to incorporate Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) rather than retrofitting it to fill the gap: Critical data on learners with special needs within stage-based education systems is still largely missing in these countries. To be truly inclusive, we must design systems from the start that capture this data. Otherwise, entire learner groups remain invisible in planning, reporting, and decision-making. A key question here is how to engage governments to critically examine GESI data, how and when it is captured, and the decisions it can help make. The quality of the data coming into the system built is only as good as its source.
2. The crucial “mid-tier”: There is an emerging, powerful consensus on the importance of the sub-national level. This is where policies meet practice. Our collective experience shows that strengthening systems here is not enough. We must simultaneously build local capacity and plan for financial and operational sustainability beyond the project lifecycle to create lasting impact. There is value in supporting the middle tier to see that even the decisions they make that they feel are ‘small’ are still decisions that can be enriched by data.
3. The need for a unified front to scale and ensure sustainability: To amplify what works in the African context, we cannot operate in silos. There is a clear need for a formal network of initiatives to maximize the dissemination of findings and foster collaborative work. Furthermore, a coordinated engagement strategy with the government is essential. Data cohorts working on similar projects within a country must synchronize their efforts to avoid duplicating demands and to make optimal use of government officers’ valuable time. These coordination challenges are far harder to resolve once projects are already deep into implementation.

These lessons lead us to a powerful conclusion: there is an opportunity cost of not sharing insights early. Here’s why embedding peer-to-peer exchanges is a strategic game-changer:

• Earlier stage teams gained practical foresight about design decisions, partnership sequencing, and how to build in sustainability from the start.  This early alignment would allow for the collection of harmonized data, which is the bedrock for powerful global public goods like comparative studies across countries and initiatives.
• Teams further along were able to share what changed after implementation met reality, including where they had to simplify, pivot, or strengthen capacity to sustain uptake.
• Accelerated learning curves: Why should teams make the same mistakes? Across all phases, the exchange helped clarify where coordination could reduce duplication, strengthen government ownership, and accelerate scaling.

Rather than treating peer learning as a midpoint reflection, the Kigali visit highlighted its value as a mechanism for shaping strategy in real time, while projects still have room to adapt.

The Kigali meeting was more than just a meeting. It demonstrated the value of a connected learning ecosystem, where teams learn across phases, coordinate engagement, and build collective momentum for education data innovation.

It is evident that to build stronger, more inclusive, and sustainable education data systems, we must invest not only in collaboration but also in its timing. To strengthen inclusive, resilient, and scalable education data systems, we must invest not only in collaboration, but in convening at moments when learning can change decisions, design, and direction. For funders, implementers and conveners alike, the future of effective educational development isn’t just about working together; it’s about learning together.