Asanda Lobelo is Senior Research Associate at J-PAL Africa and is in the process of submitting her dissertation in fulfilment of the Master of Commerce in Applied Economics at the University of Cape Town. Prior to her current role, she worked as an Intern and Research Analyst at J-PAL Africa.
Her research interests are in applied development economics, with a focus on the education and labour market sectors. Her dissertation research focuses on the use of the newly established early grade benchmarks for local African languages in the classroom. It specifically focuses on how those benchmarks can be used to support teachers in responding earlier to learning gaps in literacy development.