Dr Peter Materu might have only joined our Advisory Committee in 2024, but he’s long been a friend to our foundation. We spoke to Peter about his background in education, becoming an advisor, and how global philanthropic organizations can work together to spur progress.

Can you share a little about your background and what led you to focus on education?

My career began in academia, but a turning point came when I was invited by the World Bank for a short-term assignment at a time when technology was just starting to play a role in education. What began as a hobby — thinking about how to integrate technology into higher education — became a 17-year career. Africa has lagged behind in education access and outcomes, but I saw technology as a way to leapfrog traditional infrastructure challenges and reach more learners.

Why did you decide to become an advisor for the Yidan Prize Foundation?

What drew me in was a strong mission and values alignment. When I visited the foundation and met with Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, I was deeply impressed by his humility and commitment to using his own resources to drive change in education. The path forward isn’t always clear, but his belief in the mission and his willingness to take the journey alongside us made it something I wanted to be part of.

What are some key challenges facing education right now?

For me, challenges are opportunities for growth. And I see three which are particularly important to address.

The first is the tension between expanding access and maintaining quality. As we use technology to widen access, the increase in student numbers can make individual attention harder. Africa has seen one of the fastest expansions of education. But who are those we have left behind? This is an ongoing journey.

The second is the traditional mindset in higher education. Many institutions still operate with an inward-looking approach — focusing only on teaching and academic progression rather than seeing themselves as agents of societal transformation. Instead, universities should play an active role in helping young people succeed in life.

Finally, we need resilient learning systems. Covid highlighted how easily education can be disrupted. We need systems that allow learning to continue despite disruptions, such as hybrid learning models.

Why is evidence-based decision-making important in education?

Without data, we can’t measure; and if we can’t measure, we can’t manage. Data is essential for making informed decisions, planning effectively, and preparing for change.

We also need data to tell the story of impact. No single organization can solve education challenges alone — we need to inspire others to join the effort. Having solid evidence helps us do that.

Research also drives innovation. The world is constantly changing, and every policy decision raises new questions: how does this affect education? What adjustments need to be made? Data helps answer these questions.

Unfortunately, using data for decision-making isn’t as mainstream as it should be in education. There’s a big effort to improve this. But we must ensure data collection benefits the communities providing it. It should be a closed loop: the insights gained should also serve the people and societies they come from.

How can funders and foundations work together to scale education initiatives effectively?

Pooling money under one leader doesn’t always work well. Instead, it’s more effective when different organizations align around a common mission while maintaining their own approaches. Collaboration across disciplines — whether in research, policy, or practice — creates the biggest impact.

A great example of this is PhET, an interactive science and math simulation project that aligns well with Africa’s educational needs. It didn’t matter who started it — what mattered was recognizing its value and figuring out how to scale it in various ways.

When I joined the Mastercard Foundation, there was very little support for secondary education in Africa. To address this, we partnered with several other foundations. We shared information and met annually to coordinate efforts, which worked well for several years. However, leadership changes can shift priorities, making sustained impact challenging.

This is why having an anchor organization committed for the long term is critical. Education outcomes are generational; they take 10 – 15 years to materialize.

What is your vision for the future of education?

Education is evolving, but it will always be important. The key will be leveraging technology to make learning more flexible — allowing people to access education from different places at different times. This shift means we should focus on teaching young people how to learn, rather than simply delivering fixed content since knowledge itself is evolving rapidly. We now gain new knowledge every 18 months, and that cycle is getting shorter.

Beyond academic knowledge, we also need to foster ethical leaders committed to improving their communities. At the Mastercard Foundation, we’ve supported around 40,000 young people. Even if only a third become knowledgeable, ethical leaders with a service mindset, that can create significant change.

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Photo credit: GO-GA (Go-Lab Goes Africa)