Education in Emergencies Protracted Crises (EiEPC)

Whether children are out of school, at risk of dropping out, or struggling to stay engaged in formal classrooms, the challenge of keeping every learner in education is widespread. For the millions of children and youth who are not in school, accelerated education programmes (AEPs) have proven to be an effective approach to catch learners up on foundational skills and integrate them into formal education. Education.org’s (2022) AEP synthesis identified nine characteristics of effective AEPs, centring on government ownership and the need to embed AEP policies and guidelines into the formal school architecture. This (2025) Transitions synthesis completes the story, adding a tenth characteristic that is a crucial lever of success for all AEP models and transition pathways, especially those to formal schooling: close collaboration between AEPs, formal schools, and communities. It presents the STEP Framework, for Supporting Learners Through Evidence-based Planning (STEP), which follows the AEP learner on their transition journey, not just until they enter formal school, but ensuring they thrive within it (see image below).

In Kenya’s refugee camps, Accelerated Education Programmes (AEP) run by the Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children are helping over-age out-of-school learners catch up and transition into formal schools. Success goes beyond academics - daily psychosocial support, teacher wellbeing, and cross-sector coordination build confidence, resilience, and smoother transitions. By training both AEP and formal school teachers, supporting peer integration, and linking education with health and protection services, these models improve retention and wellbeing. Kenya’s experience shows how practical, holistic strategies can transform refugee education in crisis and low-resource settings.

As education systems worldwide are under intense pressure from conflict, climate change, displacement, Accelerated Education Programmes provide a crucial, adaptable pathway for reaching out-of-school and displaced learners, offering policymakers evidence-based strategies to expand inclusive, resilient education.

This High-Level Policy Guidance offers evidence-based recommendations and practical examples to help policymakers design, strengthen, and scale Accelerated Education Programmes as inclusive solutions for out-of-school and displaced children and youth.

How Luminos is delivering a second chance at learning after civil war, Ebola, & COVID-19

As governments face mounting pressure to tackle the urgent challenge of out of school children with increasingly constrained budgets, decision makers need clear guidance on policy and implementation of accelerated education initiatives.

How a targeted programme helped displaced and marginalised children regain access to education, with lessons for broader policy efforts

An intervention that could be a blueprint for Accelerated Education in places with large numbers out of school

Why Accelerated Education Programmes must incorporate psychosocial support