How community-driven accelerated education programmes can improve out-of-school girls’ transitions to formal education

What challenges do out-of-school learners face in Ghana and Sierra Leone?

Despite both governments’ progress in expanding basic education in Ghana and Sierra Leone, many children still struggle to access quality formal school opportunities. In Ghana, over 600,000 children remain out of school - mainly in northern regions and rural areas - due to poverty, language barriers, negative socio-cultural practices (fosterage and early child marriage), child labour, and migration (Ghana Ministry of Education, 2019). Many children enter informal work or migrate to cities, while others are excluded due to disability or limited access to primary schools. In Sierra Leone, nearly one in five learners at the primary and junior secondary level are not in school, with this number rising to more than one in three learners at the senior secondary level. ¹ Learners from rural communities are more likely to be excluded, while many learners also access education through informal institutions such as Koranic schools.

In both countries, girls and boys face unique challenges due to the intersection of livelihood strategies which require child labour and persistent negative socio-cultural practices which restrict girls’ participation and retention. Amongst the most marginalised are overage students who have never attended school, or working children and adolescents, for whom normal school hours (morning) are not feasible. At the secondary level, adolescent girls are more likely to drop out of school, due to an inability to pay school costs (direct and indirect), teenage pregnancy or informal marital unions (Dalan Development Consultants, 2022b). To help out-of-school children and youth (OOSCY) integrate into the formal education system - and to ensure each country can achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 on inclusive, equitable education - both the governments of Sierra Leone and Ghana have been implementing accelerated education programmes (AEPs).

What do AEPs look like in Ghana and Sierra Leone?

Ghana’s national education strategy prioritises accelerated learning through its Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme, which was institutionalised through the Complementary Education Agency Act of 2010 (Government of Ghana, 2010). Ghana’s CBE model offers a nine-month accelerated learning programme for out-of-school children aged eight to 14, implemented primarily in the country’s rural northern regions. Learners are taught foundational literacy, numeracy, and life skills in their home language, combined with life skills and participatory, activity-based pedagogy. Community-based facilitators - recruited locally - receive training in learner-centred teaching and inclusive classroom practices. Classes of 25 to 30 learners meet in community spaces or schools, with flexible hours to accommodate household responsibilities. The Ministry of Education and District Education Directorates oversee CBE quality standards and implement it in some districts, while non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as AfriKids, Ghana Institute of Linguistics, Literacy and Bible Translation (GILLBT), and School for Life (SfL) implement the CBE in remote rural areas, community mobilisation, teacher training, and transitions to formal school. Following the CBE cycle, learners transition into formal primary school, typically at Grade three or four. Indeed, the CBE is anchored in a supportive policy environment. The recent education sector plan describes the government's plan to expand the programme to 'ensure that no child is left out of education, and that every child has the opportunity to join the mainstream system’ (Ghana Ministry of Education, 2019: p.23). The challenge remains the funding for expanding this program in Ghana; therefore, more community driven approaches are needed.

In Sierra Leone, the government previously relied on AEPs as a temporary response to address the needs of the high number of OOSCY during crises such as civil war and the Ebola epidemic (Boisvert, 2017). As of 2013, the government formally incorporated AEPs into their education strategy, with their most recent Education Sector Plan describing AEPs as a bridge to formal education for out-of-school children, especially pregnant girls and adolescent mothers (MBSSE & MTHE, 2022: p.38). AEPs have been integrated as an immediate action in the country’s National strategy for out-of-school children (MBSSE, 2022), and its national policy on Radical Inclusion in schools, which focuses on the integration of girls, especially young mothers, as well as learners from rural areas and those with disabilities (MBSSE, 2021). AEP curricula is aligned to the national curriculum framework and guidelines (MBSSE, 2020), and in 2024 the government launched its national AEP guidelines, which help enhance oversight and uphold quality standards across diverse implementing partners (MBSSE, 2024; see also Education.org, 2025)

The Sierra Leone case study ² focuses on Save the Children International’s (SCI) 2016-2020 ³ AEP, which focuses on marginalised learners (ages 10-16), especially young mothers and overage learners who contribute to family income. The curriculum is delivered through flexible class hours, condensing six years of primary education into three and emphasising foundational literacy and numeracy as core subjects. It is an adapted version of the accelerated national curriculum, which is directly aligned with the national formal education curriculum. Learners who complete the third level of the AEP are supported to take the National Primary School Education exams for transition into secondary school (Dalan Development Consultants, 2022a). Teaching and learning take place using play-based instruction, which helps make learning fun, while increasing comprehension. Thirty teachers were recruited from the communities, and received ongoing training and development, including sexual and reproductive health and child protection (Ibid).

What evidence of impact is there?

From its inception in 1995 to 2020, Ghana's CBE programme has reached over half a million learners, with over 90% transitioning into the formal education system (Associates for Change, 2022; Ministry of Education, 2023). Transition rates for girls and boys are high across implementing partners:

• AfriKids has reached nearly 16,000 learners, with girls’ enrolment rising from 42% to 59% between Cycle 1 and Cycle 5, and 96% cumulative transition rates across cohorts (AfriKids, 2021)
• GILLBT enrolled nearly 14,000 learners across five cycles, maintaining gender parity in enrolment and transition, with transition rates ranging from 85% in Cycle 1 to 100% in Cycle 5 (GILLBT, 2021)
• School for Life (SfL), the largest provider, has reached over 60,000 learners, with an 86% transition rate (SfL, 2021).

Longitudinal research tracking CBE graduates after they complete the programme, indicates that 41% make it to lower secondary level, an additional 38% make it to primary, and just 10% either remain in lower primary grade or advanced to the upper secondary level (Associates for Change, 2023).

In Sierra Leone, SCI’s AEP was implemented as a pilot programme from 2016 to 2020 across six communities in the country’s Pujehun district. In this time, it reached 720 participants (385 boys and 335 girls), with 82% of learners passing the National Primary School Exam (NPSE) in 2018, 92% passing in 2019, and 88% passing in 2020 (Dalan Development Consultants, 2022a/b). ⁴ AEP learners, especially at the junior secondary level, generally matched the performance of their peers who had been only exposed to the formal school system (Eshun & Yumkella, 2023), and in five of the six communities, the AEP graduates who scored the highest were all girls (Dalan Development Consultants, 2022b).

Longitudinal data also points to how SCI’s AEP demonstrate sustain impacts for marginalised girls and boys. A small-scale tracer study of 84 AEP graduates (47 female, 37 male) located for the study, 94% of girls and 95% of boys had successfully transitioned to junior secondary school (JSS) by 2021 after passing. ⁵

These learners also appear to have high retention rates. In 2024, three years after completing the AEP, 89% of girls and 92% of boys who had transitioned to formal school were still in school. Learners who transitioned from the SCI programme to JSS perform slightly better in word reading compared to their peers in the same class who have only been taught in the formal school system (65% average score compared to 62% respectively). Conversations with learners, their families, and the broader community reveal overall satisfaction, with beneficiaries and community members applauding and endorsing SCI's innovation. Pregnant girls who enrolled in AEP feel more comfortable within the AEP learning environment, which they described as more friendly, free of bullying and more favourable for learning (Ofori Owusu et al., 2023).

Beyond educational gains, the CBE and AEPs shifted norms within the community (Casely-Hayford et al, 2025; Associates for Change et al., 2022). In Ghana, the CBE reduced rural-urban migration, early marriage and child labour, while in Sierra Leone, rates of adolescent pregnancy reduced (AFC et al., 2022). These impacts are attributed to a combination of factors, including child resilience to complete school and “become a someone”, girls’ development of life skills and meaningful engagement of communities, as explored below.

How can community-driven AEPs improve learning and transitions for girls and other marginalised children and youth?

Community engagement has been central to the success of both Sierra Leone’s AEP and Ghana’s CBE model. In Sierra Leone, Save the Children (SCI) aligns the AEP programme design with both the formal education system and local realities, involving not only the Ministry of Education but also community members from an early stage. Community members and youth themselves were involved in determining key aspects of the programme design, including which students to target, where and how to establish infrastructure and learning facilities, or who to mobilise as community trained and paid facilitators. From the early stages, enrolment processes established gender equality as a core feature of the programme.

SCI also established ten AEP committees in each of the six communities in the Pujehun district to ensure the sustainability of AEP. Each committee included a chief, women leader, teacher from the formal school and from the Koranic school, the head teacher from the formal school, and at least one AEP male and female student (Boisvert, 2017). These committees were trained in child protection, so that they could report issues of gender-based violence or abuse and facilitate referral pathways for girls and other marginalised learners (Dalan Development Consultants, 2022b). Throughout the programme committees mobilised in support of girls, in one case actively preventing a child from marriage (Associates for Change et al., 2022).

In Ghana, the local CBE committees are pivotal to the CBE implementation and sustainability, enhancing learner outcomes, including transitions to formal school. Focus group discussions with School Management Committees (SMCs), Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), and headteachers in Ghana highlight how strong local ownership supports learner retention. Community leaders actively mobilise parents, monitor attendance, and challenge cultural barriers to girls’ education and child labour. This has had unintended positive effects within the community, with community members reporting fewer children migrating to urban centres for menial jobs or street activities (commonly known as kayayei).

This spillover effect also indicates a positive behavioural shift linked to increased schooling opportunities: as learners and their families see the value of investing in education, they are more likely to remain in school, and less likely to move in search of employment.

Home language of instruction further strengthens outcomes. Teaching in learners' home languages enables learners to grasp concepts easily, build literacy, and gain confidence. In both countries, students who participated in focus group discussions identified the use of local language, games, songs, and feedback provided by the teachers as enablers to help them understand better. This was also echoed by members of SMCs and PTAs. As one member from Ghana noted:

Learners who transition reveal that their home language helps them navigate formal school learning environments. When faced with challenges learning in English, CBE graduates can use the phonetic approach to sound out letters and words, translating into their home language and understanding it better. Learning in one’s home language can also be a gateway to community engagement (Akyeampong & Higgins, 2025), leading to unintended positive results outside of the CBE. As learners gained functional literacy skills, they were able to participate more in community development and cultural events and activities. This was especially valued by parents and families, who recognised how the CBE contributed more widely to community life and to nurturing the cultural identity of learners (Akyeampong et al., 2018).

Using local language instruction was also beneficial for children with disabilities, particularly those with hearing or learning difficulties, as it enhanced comprehension and classroom engagement. To facilitate the inclusion of learners with disabilities, some communities in Ghana mobilised the enrolment of these learners, while also making informal adjustments to lesson pacing and peer support arrangements. Despite this progress, challenges remain, including the absence of accessible learning materials and assistive devices, limited teacher training on disability-inclusive pedagogies to address the diverse needs of learners with different types of disabilities, and stigma and discrimination towards these learners. ⁶

Recruiting teachers from the local communities was key to the time on task of learners and helped to facilitate the use of local languages of instruction, and communities valued seeing youth from the community become teachers. As one community member from Sierra Leone noted, ‘The AEP was very important because education is key to the development of our communities, and our brothers and sisters were employed as teachers’ (Dalan Development Consultants, 2022). Indeed, most of these teachers (23 of 30) went on to become certified teachers, independently enrolling in distance education to obtain full teaching certificates. ⁷

Targeted transition support in the form of incentives to attend school or logistical support to access exams was also a key element of both programmes. CBE and AEP implementers provided incentives—such as school uniforms, books, and bicycles for girls (in Ghana)—to further reduce economic barriers and promote participation, by alleviating household financial burdens. In Sierra Leone, SCI supported beneficiaries to prepare and sit for the National Primary School Examination (NPSE).

These forms of support were not only instrumental in sustaining attendance during the transition into formal schooling. In several communities in Ghana, such material assistance continued into the early stages of formal education, helping to maintain the high transition rates recorded—often above 90% (AFC, 2022). Indeed, research on AEPs in similar contexts confirms that in-kind support can contribute to increasing enrolment and attendance (Boisvert, 2017).

However, stakeholders noted that sustaining learners’ engagement after transition required more than one-off support. In some cases, graduates of CBE and AEP programmes dropped out due to persistent economic demands/pressures, lack of parental support, shortages of teachers in receiving schools, or the absence of systematic follow-up mechanisms to monitor and assist them. Community members suggested that stronger engagement of CBE committees along with School Management Committees and Parent-Teacher Associations could help track graduates’ progress, address emerging challenges, and liaise with schools to provide additional support. They also recommended targeted interventions such as exam preparation support or tutoring to help CBE graduates meet the academic demands of the formal system, as well as continued provision of uniforms and learning materials for at least the first year after transition. In Sierra Leone in particular, engaging parents to take part in initiatives such as village savings and loan schemes, equips parents to support their children's education beyond AEPs. Such measures, stakeholders argued, would improve not only access but also retention and learning outcomes for former CBE learners.

The combination of gender-responsive and transformative strategies in Ghana and Sierra Leone contributed to shifting community attitudes and practices around girls’ education. Interventions such as providing uniforms, exercise books, and bicycles reduced financial and safety barriers; flexible scheduling eased household demands; and community sensitisation campaigns with parents and traditional leaders challenged gender biases. Female facilitators and role models also built trust and inspired participation. In Ghana, these deliberate efforts translated into measurable results. AfriKids data show female enrolment rising from 42% in Cycle 1 to 59% in Cycle 5, while SfL reported notable improvements in girls’ transition outcomes. Such gains suggest increasing societal acceptance of girls’ education, shifting deeply entrenched cultural norms that often pose challenges for girls and young women.

Stakeholders explained that progress was made possible due to interventions that went beyond immediate barriers to actively reshape norms and increase girls’ decision-making power. Gender equity was embedded into local leadership and community governance structures through the CBE community committees. Members of the Community Committees, acted as champions of girls’ education, while the AEPs acted as safe spaces, where girls could access support and important information on sexual and reproductive health, financial literacy, and broader life skills (Associates for Change et al., 2022; Casely-Hayford et al., 2025).

This combination of practical support and normative change addressed intersecting economic and gender-related barriers that marginalised girls often face (Salem et al., 2023). As a result, the AEP and CBE programmes have gradually reduced the historic preference for boys’ education, resulting in lower rates of early marriage and adolescent pregnancy, and laying the groundwork for more sustainable gender parity in education.

Despite strong transition outcomes, challenges remain. In Sierra Leone, communities have been unable to sustain project activities since the SCI programme ended in 2020, pointing to the need for practical sustainability and handover plans in the design of AEPs. Without stronger national policy integration and resource allocation, CBE risks operating as a parallel system. To sustain the AEP models, the research in both Ghana and Sierra Leone points to the need for more community driven approaches which include income generation for families and students, and savings and credit models which improve the livelihoods of parents and learners. The Ministry of Education’s future vision will also need to embed accelerate education principles into national teacher training and education sector planning (see a case study from Ethiopia for an example of how this is already happening), and ensure communities continue to be engaged as champions of children’s education within the formal school system.

Lessons for Similar Contexts:

1. Government leadership and policy frameworks enable sustainable transitions: A favourable policy environment and committed leadership are critical to address the educational needs of out-of-school children. Both the governments of Ghana and Sierra Leone recognise that investing in basic education is pivotal for achieving broader developmental objectives. While there is a need for increased funding towards CBE and AEPs, existing policies and legislation commit to the provision of accelerated education services that target marginalised groups and draw on community-driven approaches. Ghana’s CBE policy and Sierra Leone’s national AEP guidelines and curricula ensure recognition of AEP graduates and helps to facilitate their transition into formal school. Government ownership and oversight also help to uphold quality across diverse implementation contexts and NGO partners.
2. Community engagement drives ownership and access to education: Key to the success of these AEP programmes is the ownership and management by the community to steer and sustain AEPs. The community selection of facilitators and their out-of-school learners is often the first step to community management, and throughout the programme, parents and cultural leaders are engaged to strengthen demand for schooling, and increase participation. Community leaders in particular played a crucial role in ensuring compliance to rules and regulations and enhancing regular attendance, while members of School Management Committees and Parent-Teacher Associations acted as important champions of girls’ education. Meaningful participation of community members helped to shift norms and increase support for the education of girls and other marginalised groups. Other more sustainable community driven models of AEP and CBE will have to include income generation components for learners and their families in order for them to sustain participation at Junior and Senior high school levels of education.
3. Inclusive, context-relevant pedagogy accelerates learning: Learner-centred pedagogies allow optimal classroom interaction and enhance attention towards the unique needs of all leaners. Teaching in local languages and drawing on learners’ contexts increases accelerated literacy acquisition, comprehension and engagement, including for learners with disabilities. This also facilitated smoother transitions, setting girls up for success in formal school. Nevertheless, training formal school teachers in disability-inclusive and gender-responsive methods is vital to sustain support for AEP graduates who transition.