Despite the consensus that education is a human right and agreement on the role it plays in human and social development, the issue of out-of-school children and children at risk of dropping out is still a critical one. According to the UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS), the number of out-of-school children in Africa grew by 20 million between 2009 and 2021, when numbers reached 98 million with girls making up over 50% of this number. Even greater numbers of children and youth are at risk of failing to complete their education, which has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Accelerated Education Models (AEMs) are one of several innovative programs being used to address the educational outcomes of out-of-school children to support their transition and retention within formal education systems. This is why the Graça Machel Trust partnered with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) to conduct research to highlight possible collaborative and partnership opportunities in addressing the global and regional programme inefficiencies. The assessments were done in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. The findings have been used to inform the piloting and testing of scalable intervention approaches for the Back2School project currently being rolled out in these countries.
Some of the key findings of the assessment include:
In most countries, AEMs fall under adult education or other education sub-directorates and not the main ministry of education. This means a lack of oversight and resources from the education ministry, which leads to implementation challenges on the ground. Also, weak monitoring and evaluation methods as well as nationally standardised education performance assessment for accelerated education means it is difficult to assess the long-term impact of the models. Â A very interesting unintended consequence of AEM programmes though, is that many resource-constrained parents are now intentionally retaining their children from school to opt for a condensed ten-month program as opposed to an extended three-year education program.
The Back2School project pilot examines the existing types of accelerated education models offered in each country to identify empirical evidence of strategies required to improve policy and systemic barriers that impede efforts to increase enrolment, retention and transition of rural Out-Of-School-Girls (OOSG).
So while the long-term impact of AEM programmes has yet to be seen, it remains clear that there is a lot of work to be done to reduce the high number of out-of-school children, update the current accelerated education models and respond to the needs of learners and communities. It will take partnerships such as the one between the Graça Machel Trust and IDRC together with other key stakeholders, to make a significant dent in the 98 million children out of school. The full assessment report can be found here
The Trust supports and mobilises civil society networks on issues of ending child marriage, ending violence against children, ending female genital mutilation and promoting childrenâs rights, to carry out advocacy and action across Africa. Special focus is placed on Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia where child marriage continues to be a problem largely driven by poverty, gender inequality, harmful traditional practices, conflict, low levels of literacy, limited opportunities for girls and weak or non-existent protective and preventive legal frameworks.
Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Childrenâs Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescentsâ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trustâs goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a motherâs health and social economic conditions, the early years of a childâs life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.