Incorporating the Accelerated Education Principles 10 Principles into EiE Programming in Northeast Nigeria

• In Event: Accelerated education: Application of the accelerated education working group 10 principles to programming

Proposal

The USAID-funded Addressing Education in Northeast Nigeria (AENN) is a 3-year program to help increase access to safe, relevant and quality education for over 300,000 conflict-affected children and youth, while building long-term resilience in the education system in Borno and Yobe states. The program builds the capacity of education authorities to effectively collect and utilize data, implement accelerated education programs for non-formal education, support conflict-affected schools through teacher training programs and school safety initiatives and increase community awareness and involvement.

To support the provision of accelerated education in non-formal learning centers (NFLCs), AENN is working to apply the 10 Principles of Accelerated Education developed by the Accelerated Education Working Group through the development of an accelerated education curriculum, capacity building of education authorities, and strengthening non-formal education policy. This presentation will provide an overview of how the AENN project has incorporated the use of the AEWG 10 principles into the planning and implementation of the project.

To increase access to certified high-quality basic education opportunities the AENN project established 600 NFLCs to provide over-age learners with accelerated education. Locations for NFLCs were selected based on RERA (Rapid Educational Risk Analysis) results, community mapping, IDP population data, security and accessibility. Classes are located in easily accessible areas and schedules were created to accommodate local needs. The AENN project developed an accelerated education curriculum that aligns with national standards so that students are able to pass school entrance tests and/or sit for national certification exams after grade 6. The curriculum follows the dosage and pacing outlined by the non-formal education policy and covers grades 1-6 in 27 months. The curriculum focuses on literacy, numeracy, and social emotional learning in the first level and incorporates additional topics such as science, health, and social studies in the second level. The curriculum was developed in collaboration with national and state level education authorities and experts from teacher training institutes/universities. Learning facilitators are recruited from local communities and are provided with comprehensive professional development through regular trainings, classroom observations and mentoring, and monthly peer learning circles. All NFLCs are overseen by community-based organizations, center-based management committees, and community coalitions.

AENN works to strengthen and support the implementation of national non-formal education policy through a variety of capacity building activities with education authorities on the 10 Principles and through the development of policy guidance notes. For example, to support the successful transition of learners from the non-formal to the formal sector, the AENN project has worked to provide mainstreaming guidelines that are accompanied by trainings for government authorities and head teachers as well as community awareness materials for parents and caregivers. The goal of this intervention is to standardize the enrollment process and requirements so that barriers to mainstreaming for displaced students are reduced. A tracer study will be conducted using funding from Dubai Cares to map the trajectories of NFLC participants after they complete the accelerated education program. Findings will be used to inform policy and future programming in accelerated education.

Author

• Kathleen Denny, FHI 360