Beyond letters and numbers: the COVID-19 pandemic and foundational literacy and numeracy in Indonesia

In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic spreading across Indonesia and around the world, INOVASI (the Innovation for Indonesia’s School Children) and the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT) initiated a study of foundational literacy and numeracy learning by Indonesian students and the impact of the pandemic on this learning. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) provided technical support. The study developed descriptions of literacy and numeracy achievement levels, referencing both global proficiency frameworks and Indonesia’s curriculum and assessment standards. Student results were benchmarked against descriptors of skills for the Global Proficiency Framework (GPF) Minimum Proficiency Levels (MPLs). The study aims to identify learning gaps between what the standards set for students to learn and actual student attainment. The findings of this study provide clear directions for taking necessary actions to optimise students’ learning recovery, in addition to designing and implementing school curricula in Indonesia.