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Non-formal Education for Adolescents and Youth in Crisis and Conflict:

Proposed Taxonomy and Background Paper

April 2021

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Significant number remain out of school
Formal education not always accessible
Formal education may not be relevant
NFE programs provide flexible, responsive education that may be better suited
Enables learners to continue or to complete missed education
Provides opportunity to build necessary life and professional skills

Significance of NFE in EiE for Adolescents and Youth

Photo: Abdul, Z., Uganda, 2020

With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, the global community reasserted its commitment to the provision of high-quality, inclusive, and equitable education for all by 2030 (UNGA, 2015). Despite this pledge, a significant number of adolescents and youth living in crisis- and conflict-affected contexts around the world are currently out of school. Non-formal education (NFE) programs offer an alternative to formal education for out-of-school children, adolescents, and youth, and for learners for whom the formal education system is not a good fit. NFE programs provide a flexible, responsive education that is better suited to the unique circumstances of these groups, and it enables them to continue or to complete missed education, and/or to build necessary life and professional skills.

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Programs vary widely in content, delivery modalities, educational quality, certification, and target populations
Little shared language or common understanding on which needs NFE programming addresses, and for whom
Difficult to establish clear policy, design, quality, and operational guidance

Challenges of NFE in EiE

Photo: Ayene, M., IRC Ethiopia, 2016

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Two papers developed:

Background and Taxonomy on NFE
Policy brief on Issues and Considerations for Creating an Enabling NFE Environment

Commissioned by Alternative Education Workstream within INEE’s Education Policy Working Group
Consultative process with INEE members with extensive review from stakeholders in the sector

Addressing the Challenges

INEE Network Spaces

This Background Paper was commissioned by the Alternative Education Workstream

(AEWS), which operates within the Education Policy Working Group of INEE with the

aim of developing a suggested set of definitions and taxonomy of NFE programs in

conflict- and crisis-affected contexts across the globe.3 The intended audience for this

paper is INEE members; this includes practitioners, donors, researchers, and policymak-

ers who support NFE in crisis- and conflict-affected contexts. The aim of this work is

to prompt discussion and encourage consensus among NFE’s diverse stakeholders re-

garding NFE program definitions, components, purposes, and target populations, and

to provide the existing links to NFE programming within the INEE Minimum Standards

so that such programs can be optimized to meet the needs of out-of-school adolescents

and youths affected by crisis and conflict.

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Highlight complexity of NFE
Propose a taxonomy and definitions of NFE programming
Summarize the historical and current use of terms
Reflect on current policy and programmatic use of terms
Support policymakers, practitioners, and donors working EiE contexts with creating an enabling NFE environment

Purpose

Photo: Hammam, A., IRC Syria, 2020

This Background Paper and its companion Issues and Considerations Paper aim to address the confusion about NFE’s definition, purpose, audience, and quality. The Background Paper proposes a taxonomy and definitions of NFE programming for adolescents and youth in conflict- and crisis-affected environments. It summarizes the historical and current use of terms related to NFE and reflects current policy and programmatic use of these terms. The companion Issues and Considerations Paper highlights the essential NFE-related challenges faced by adolescents and youth affected by crisis and conflict, and offers ideas for how to address them. Both papers are written for the benefit of education practitioners, donors, and policymakers working in crisis- and conflict-affected environments. The taxonomy proposed in this Background Paper locates non-formal and alternative education within the broad landscape of education program options relevant to crisis- and conflict-affected contexts (Figure 1). It is intended to provide a shared understanding of the boundaries, relationships, and intersections between NFE and other forms of education, with the goal of supporting funders, policymakers, and implementers in conceptualizing how education programs may serve out-of-school adolescents and youth most effectively. The aim of the taxonomy is to represent various educational options that are equally valuable and have different purposes and benefits based on context.

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Proposed Taxonomy

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Formal and Non-formal Education in INEE Taxonomy

FORMAL Education is often...

institutionalized, intentional and planned through public organizations and recognized private bodies
organized in two tracks: traditional academic schooling and TVET
implemented and managed by national governments
leads to the accreditation

NON-FORMAL Education is...

an overarching term that refers to planned, structured, and organized education programming that is outside the formal education system
characterized by their variety, flexibility, and ability to respond quickly to the new educational needs
holistic, follows learner-centered pedagogy
may or may not be accredited

Photo: Rich, S., UNHCR PAKISTAN, NRC, 2015

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Other NFE programs:

are often implemented by non-education actors,
may be more ad hoc, temporary and single issue due to the nature of the crisis.

Alternative education programs:

work in close cooperation with MoE
Seek to provide comparable competencies as formal system

Under the umbrella term ‘non-formal’:

‘alternative programs’ are those that aim for equivalence to formal education
‘other non-formal programs’ do not.

Transitional programs provide skills necessary to integrate into formal or other alternative education programs

Defining difference = equivalence to formal education in terms of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes gained.

Difference between alternative education and other NFE lies in the intentionality, structure, and intensity of the programs.

Key feature of alternative education programs is cooperation with national systems and actors, and the related comparable competencies an alternative education program seeks to provide.

In contrast, other NFE may be more ad hoc, temporary, and single issue, usually due to the nature of the crisis it is implemented in. In the absence of formal education or fully equivalent alternative education programs, other NFE programs fill a much-needed gap, but they may not provide the structure, intensity, and certification of a full alternative education program.

Other NFE programs often are implemented by non-education actors who have identified a need and responded with good intentions.

Transitional programs seek to provide students with the skills necessary to integrate into either the formal system or other alternative education programs (e.g., AEPs). Objectives of these programs: include bridging, catch-up, and remedial education for over-age learners
The taxonomy and definitions should be read as a part of a larger ecology of educational, social, health, protection, and other interventions to meet the needs of out-of-school adolescents and youth in crisis- and conflict-affected contexts.

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NFE is part of a larger ecology

NFE Categories

are not fixed; boundaries are fluid and overlap
do not imply a hierarchy but represent various educational options, equally valuable, but fit for context

Each form of education should prioritize entry and re-entry points

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Value in having shared terminology for- and understanding of NFE and alternative education programming
Further discussion and research on this topic for the sector needed
Recommend in-depth global mapping of programs and country policies/strategies
Recommend review and analysis of funders’ policies relating to NFE

Key Takeaways

Photo: Wade, A., IRC Sierra Leone, 2019

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To engage further with issues related to NFE, we encourage individuals and groups to consider the following key questions:

What are some of the reasons why non-formal education may be necessary in crisis-contexts?
What has Covid 19 taught us about disruption to education and the need for alternative models of delivery?
What are some of the benefits and opportunities offered by NFE?
What are some of the potential limitations of NFE?
How can this Background Paper and Taxonomy support NFE and help overcome these challenges?
What more needs to be done to strengthen non-formal education?

Discussion

Photo: Romtveit, G., NRC Tanzania, 2018

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Resources

IN PROGRESS

Issues and Considerations for Non-formal Education for Adolescents and Youth in Crisis and Conflict Contexts

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