Accelerated Secondary Education as an Alternative to Returning to School

As education leaders and politicians alike think about how to the tackle the challenges to school systems that have been brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, it should not be forgotten that this is not the only reason that young people have missed out on school. We also need to consider those who are unable to completely return to school or forced to drop out for reasons such as early and unwanted pregnancies, forced marriages, conflict, or poverty. As we all think about Building Back Better, we can’t do so by leaving some children or young adults behind. 

As such Windle Trust International (WTI) strongly believes that alternative learning programmes are key to bringing back everyone to school. Young adults who have completed primary school, or secondary school dropouts, regardless of their circumstances, should be given second chance through Accelerated Secondary Education to complete their secondary education. We at WTI firmly believe that completing secondary education with school leaving certificates opens multitude of opportunities. In our latest report we explore our experiences of accelerated education in South Sudan and explain why we believe it to be an essential tool in increasing access to secondary education for all.