Opportunities and challenges to support out-of-school children and youth through Accelerated Education Programmes: Case Study of Nigeria

Under the Accelerating Change for Children’s and Youths’ Education through Systems Strengthening (ACCESS) research project—led by the University of Auckland in partnership with the AEWG and funded by Dubai Cares under E-Cubed—this report presents findings from the first phase of research in Nigeria. Key questions this phase of the research sought to explore are:

1. To what extent does political commitment, capacity and will for institutionalising and integrating alternative and/or nonformal education (NFE) interventions such as AEPs exist within the national education system at present?
2. Where are there current levers and opportunities for the AEWG to lead and/or support systematic change which would better promote increased access to AEPs for learners who need it?

In Section 2 of this report, we specify the methodology used in this first phase of the research. In Section 3, we identify the distinct groups of OOSCY in Nigeria and assess the reasons theyare out of school; and in Section 4, we examine the current range of learning opportunities available to these out-of-school learners—including alternative, nonformal and informal learning opportunities provided by state and nonstate actors. In doing so, we locate where AEPs fit into the current NFE landscape, and briefly trace their development and growth in Nigeria to date. Further, we map out the key stakeholders involved at present in funding, operating, overseeing, and legislating these programmes—and with what effect. In Section 5, we analyse the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and adaptability of existing AEPs and/or other NFE options that provide equivalent, certified competencies for overaged OOSCY—the key target group for AEPs at present.In Section 6, we explore why this situation might exist by examining both current institutional, legislative, and structural conditions within the education system, as well as the wider national political economy within which these marginalised learners’ needs are recognised, resourced, and represented. In doing so, we identify key stakeholders and contextual factors that either support or hinder wider scale institutionalisation and uptake of AEPs within national education systems where there is a need. The last section of the report—Section 7—summarises the implications of these findings regarding opportunities and challenges in the AEWG engaging with national educational stakeholders to advance policy reform for overaged out-of-school learners.

A think piece synthesis on some of the key findings from across the five countries researched in Phase 1 is available here.