An empty classroom. PHOTO; pexel
For millions of children across Africa, the promise of education is becoming a cruel cycle: out of school once, brought back through accelerated or non-formal learning, and then shut out again when transition into formal schooling fails.
A new report by Education.org, launched on September 18, 2025, at an event co-hosted by UNICEF, warns that this cycle is leaving crisis-affected children trapped at the margins.
Speaking at the launch, Harun Yussuf, CEO of Kenya’s National Commission for Nomadic Education, acknowledged the uneven progress.
“The reality is that progress in access has been uneven. And unless we act collectively, the dream of education for all will remain a dream.”
The Missing Link: Transitioning from Learning to Schooling
The findings land as African leaders gather for the 80th UN General Assembly, where education is once again on the global agenda.
Of the 272 million children and youth out of school globally, half are in sub-Saharan Africa, and the share is growing (UNESCO, 2025).
UNESCO warns that even this may be an underestimate, given the scale of emergencies in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Mali, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, where conflict and displacement continue to disrupt learning.
Accelerated Education Programs (AEPs) remain one of the fastest routes to learning for children and youth who have missed years of schooling.
Designed to deliver condensed, flexible curricula, they are often the only viable lifeline for displaced or marginalized learners.
But Education org’s review of nearly 400 studies—67% from sub-Saharan Africa shows that globally, only half of learners transition successfully from AEPs into school, and in crisis contexts, the figure drops to just four in ten.
Despite this, fewer than half of the 38 national and subnational education strategies reviewed in Africa even mention AEPs, and only five include measures to support graduates after completion.
“This is a missing link in the fight for universal education,” said Dr. Randa Grob-Zakhary, Founder and CEO of Education.org.
“Without deliberate, cost-effective strategies to help children transition into schools and stay there, we are condemning millions to fall through the cracks a second time.”
Shrinking Aid, Growing Risk
The challenge is deepened by declining aid. International funding for education is projected to drop by more than a quarter by 2027 (UNESCO, 2025).
For already fragile AEPs, this is a devastating prospect. Education.org warns that nearly six in ten programmes (58%) are at risk of collapse, threatening at least two million of the four million learners currently enrolled worldwide.
With tracking still weak, the true numbers are likely higher.
Cuts are already eroding fragile gains in communities where schooling has been disrupted by conflict, climate shocks, or poverty.
For learners in refugee settlements and informal urban areas, where education often begins through non-formal routes, the collapse of AEPs would leave few alternatives.
Sarah Bugoosi Kibooli, Uganda’s Commissioner for Special Needs and Inclusive Education, said the new guidance is critical for sustainability:
“Accelerated education programs cannot fulfil their promise without deliberate support for transitions into schools, skills, or work opportunities.”
STEP Framework: Closing the Gap
To confront this crisis, Education.org has launched the STEP Framework (Supporting Transitions Through Evidence-Based Planning). It outlines five essentials:
- Align AEPs with national curricula and life skills.
- Guarantee completion opens school doors.
- Link AEPs with nearby schools.
- Provide support at enrolment and beyond.
- Ensure schools are flexible and inclusive enough to sustain learners.
The framework emphasizes collaboration between schools, communities, and non-formal providers.
Evidence shows that when AEPs and schools are linked through shared governance structures, children are twice as likely to succeed.
The implications extend well beyond AEPs. Community schools, refugee learning centers, catch-up classes, and digital pilots face the same challenge.
Without clear pathways into recognized schooling, older youth risk permanent exclusion, while girls, young mothers, and children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to dropping out again.
Dr. Kilemi Mwiria, Education org’s Africa representative, summed up the urgency:
“Accelerated education proves we already know how to teach literacy and numeracy quickly and well. What we are failing to do is close the transition gap, and without that, millions of children who finally start learning again won’t get the chance to reach their full potential.”
About Education.org:
Education.org is an independent, non-profit initiative dedicated to bringing the best available evidence to education leaders worldwide.
Its mission is to transform the learning of every child and young person by helping leaders access and use the best evidence to guide their national policies and plans.
Operational since 2020, Education.org is supported by a visionary co-investor collective and is growing partnerships across governments, agencies, NGOs, universities, businesses, and foundations around the world. For more information visit: www.Education.org.
