Measuring thematic indicator 4.5.2: challenges and alternatives

This paper focuses on the one indicator of SDG 4 that has to do with language of instruction: thematic indicator 4.5.2. The measurement of this indicator has been a challenge, owing largely to the ambiguity of some of its terminology. In response to this challenge, the Technical Cooperation Group on Indicators for SDG 4 (TCG) has provided some recommendations on how indicator 4.5.2 could be measured in a comparable way across countries. In this paper we examine those recommendations. In addition, we review the features and benefits of UNICEF’s Foundational Learning Skills Module (FLS; UNICEF, 2019) for measuring indicator 4.5.2. Finally, we explore an alternative, complementary method of measuring indicator 4.5.2, using a policy and demographics approach.