With an estimated 251 million children and youth out of school, research, policy and guidance tools focusing on out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY) have multiplied.

Children and youth experiencing inequalities based on socioeconomic status, gender (especially girls), ethnicity, language, religion, disability and location are more likely to be left behind.

Meeting their learning needs requires enhanced school-based practices, with accelerated education programs (AEPs) becoming an increasingly viable solution.

The GPE Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) – a joint endeavor with Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) – has funded several projects in support of scaling promising or proven innovations that address education access and retention for OOSCY:

• A comparative study of AEPs and girls-focused education models (GFMs)
• The Back2School Project: Scaling an accelerated learning model for out-of-school girls in rural communities
• A new model of bridging classes to improve learning for out-of-school children and youth
• Assessing the effectiveness and scalability of programs for children who are out of school and at risk of dropping out.

Our recent synthesis report summarizes lessons from these projects on key features of AEPs and enhanced in-school practices and strategies for effective, sustainable scaling, and provides recommendations for stakeholders.

AEPs: Adapting to learner needs in and out of emergency contexts

Most AEPs can be characterized as flexible, age-appropriate programs run in an accelerated time frame. As they aim to provide access to education for disadvantaged, over-age and/or out of school children and youth, AEPs are often developed and implemented in emergency contexts.

AEPs are increasingly being used in non-emergency contexts where traditional forms of education do not fully serve children and youth.

Ministries of education are beginning to integrate some core features of AEPs (including flexible timetabling and mother-tongue based instruction) within the formal education system to better match students’ needs.

Filling evidence gaps

While they have the potential to increase access and retention, limitations of AEPs include a lack of policies, standards and guidance for designing programs, ad hoc implementation and inconsistent financing.

Knowledge and evidence gaps have also been identified, particularly regarding policy context and scale, cost-effectiveness, alternative transition pathways, dropout prevention, gender equality and inclusion, capacity of stakeholders and limited availability of data.

Our synthesis report aimed to address these gaps and share cases where AEPs have had positive outcomes. Learner-centered pedagogies, flexible learning schedules adapted around common routines and mother-tongue based instruction were central to successful AEPs.

Additionally, engaging parents and communities helped transform socio-cultural norms that have kept children and youth out of school, such as child marriage, perceived low economic relevance of education, and domestic and child labor.

Similarly, working with community-based facilitators and teachers helped ensure student retention in remote regions or areas experiencing conflict, and enhanced understanding of local barriers to education. Covering school fees, providing learning materials and occasionally food, transport, and sanitary supplies were also strong incentives for participation in AEPs.

The four projects covered in our synthesis report demonstrate the powerful impact of AEPs at individual, school, community and national levels, captured in the infographic below.

Implications for scaling and policy uptake

The synthesis report notes several strategies to scale AEPs and school practices to improve access and prevent dropout:

1. Building alliances and coalitions of local authorities, civil society organizations, ministries of education, and technical and financial partners to coordinate implementation, monitoring, knowledge mobilization, strategic decision making and financing
2. Developing the capacity of teachers, facilitators, local government officials, and communities to improve the quality of AEPs and address education challenges
3. Engaging with students’ communities including parents, guardians and influential community leaders
4. Mobilizing existing government budget allocations for AEPs and new international funding.

GPE KIX projects focused on OOSCY resulted in education policy uptake. In Sierra Leone, guidelines on accelerated education for OOSCY were developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, through the coordination of partners, and based on evidence of the effectiveness of education programs designed to reach OOSCY.

In Ethiopia, research partners engaged with the Ministry of Education and the Department of Adult and Non-formal Education on draft policy guidelines and directives for AEPs.

GPE KIX’s continued commitment to OOSCY

Our recent scoping study of national priorities and initiatives supporting children’s school re-entry and retention, teacher training and student well-being in emergency settings and contexts affected by fragility and conflict indicated the continued need to support OOSCY.

Interviews with key informants examined how to address the education barriers OOSCY face in these settings. In Somalia and Sudan, radio programming successfully supported internally displaced and/or pastoralist learners. In Nigeria, a scholarship program that trains women to teach in their home villages helped ensure girls remain in education.

Key informants in Pakistan indicated the importance of recognizing AEPs as equivalent to traditional forms of education and integrating them within ministry bodies. The country has a well-developed education management information system (EMIS), teacher frameworks, and other policy apparatus needed for scalability and sustainability of AEPs within the mainstream education system.

GPE KIX research has demonstrated how AEPs can improve access to education, increase school retention, and boost learning outcomes for vulnerable youth. This evidence has equipped policy makers with clear guidance on why and how to fund and scale these strategies as a key solution for addressing OOSCY.

While further research will be valuable to fill remaining evidence gaps, GPE KIX remains committed to providing quality education to OOSCY with the findings of this research shaping the focus of a GPE KIX call for applied research projects (2024–27) in emergency contexts.