Accelerated quality education for children in Liberia (AQE) : midterm performance evaluation

USAID/Liberia?s Accelerated Quality Education for Liberian Children (AQE) activity, implemented by the Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), is a $33.9 million, four-year activity from March 2017 to 2021, established to increase access to education for approximately 48,000 out-of-school children. Social Impact, Inc. (SI), conducted this midterm performance evaluation of AQE through Liberia Strategic Analysis (LSA) from May to August 2019, examining the following: (1) AQE?s development hypothesis, which centers on institutionalization leading to improved teaching and safety and in turn supporting learners? transitions to conventional schools; (2) access to education; (3) safety; (4) effects of class time allotted on learning; and (5) local actors, including government, that can support alternative education (AE) over the long term.

AQE demonstrates several successes, particularly in developing high-quality teaching and learning materials. However, facilitators experienced challenges covering lessons from the ?packed? AQE curriculum. To address this, the evaluation recommends that AQE extend literacy and numeracy sessions, while reducing science and life skills. Despite AQE?s effective community engagement, hunger, farming, and many other factors still inhibit access to education. AQE schools also face barriers to safety, including unsafe roads and limited facilities. To support both access and safety, AQE can further engage Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and foster linkages with outside resources such as the police. Finally, collaboration with government is central to the AQE approach, yet this work is inconsistent; moving forward, AQE must share resources, jointly