Developing AE for secondary and aligning with MOE, Uganda piloting tools

• In Event: Roundtable Session (Wednesday II)
  In Refereed Round-Table Session: Accelerated education working group: principles in action!

Proposal

Caroline Kennan and Ashley Meek of War Child Canada, will demonstrate the process of developing a lower secondary AEP and the process of aligning AE programs with the Ministry of Education strategy and plans in Uganda, collaborating with community members to identify AE center sites and students, and developing and piloting the curriculum. The presentation will highlight some of the preliminary reflections from the process, as well as preview War Child Canada’s efforts to support the Ministry of Education in DRC to validate the lower secondary AEP curriculum, using lessons learned from Uganda.


When afforded the opportunity to gain the skills they need to lead productive lives, gain employment, and positively contribute to society, children and youths affected by conflict have the potential to be the future leaders in rebuilding their home countries. However, in low-income countries, host to 28 percent of the world’s refugees, only 9 percent of children and youths attend secondary education (UNHCR, 2018), challenging both the immediate and long-term realities for these children and youths and their wider communities.

Uganda has been recognized for its progressive refugee policies, which include access to quality education for all, an important step toward successful integration with host communities and durable long-term solutions. According to research carried out in Uganda, for every extra year a refugee child spends in school, their income increases by 3 percent (UNHCR, 2018). The longer refugees spend in quality education, the more resilient and more likely they are to stand up for themselves. Today, however, at least 353,000 (57 percent) refugee children and 171,000 (34 percent) local children in refugee-hosting districts of Uganda do not have access to education (TheirWorld, 2018). War Child Canada is working to improve access to quality education for out-of-school refugee and host community learners.

According to the Accelerated Education Working Group’s 10 Principles for Effective Practice, alignment with Ministry of Education and policy frameworks are critical for effective implementation of AEPs. To that end, War Child Canada is collaborating with the Uganda Ministry of Education to develop an accelerated learning program for lower secondary students that is aligned with the Uganda Education and Sports Sector Plan (2017/2018 – 2019/2020) and is being reflected in the Uganda Education Response Plan. An ALP implementation strategy is being developed concurrently, establishing guidance for language accommodation as needed, a teacher training and support strategy, and clear guidance and agreement around certification of learning.

Further, War Child Canada is working closely with local community members to identify sites for the ALP centres and to assist with the identification of potential students for the program. The curriculum will be piloted in both refugee and host community contexts and rolled out in the 2019 school year. The success of the pilot, which demonstrated sustained attendance, learning outcomes, and teacher and student satisfaction, will help to inform the feasibility of developing ALP curriculum for the remainder of the secondary grades, recognizing the gap in opportunity for over-age children and youth wishing to earn their secondary diploma. In addition to formal education, the project includes transferable skills training and career guidance to prepare youths for alternative pathways, such as employment, entrepreneurship, or scholarship opportunities.
 
The project includes a significant learning component, and the presentation will highlight some of the preliminary reflections from the process, in addition to War Child Canada’s efforts to support the DRC Ministry of Education to validate the lower secondary ALP curriculum building on lessons learned from Uganda.

References:
UNHCR (2018). Left Behind: Refugee Education in Crisis.

TheirWorld (2018, September). Landmark refugee plan launched to tackle Uganda's education crisis.

Authors

• Ashley Meek, War Child Canada

• Alfred Okech, War Child Canada