In a 2023 FreshEd interview with Josh Muskin, PhD, the discussion centered around the innovative Speed School program, which is transforming education for out-of-school children in Uganda and Ethiopia. Before the pandemic, an estimated 260 million children worldwide were out of school, a significant barrier to achieving development goals. To address this, Speed School was introduced to provide children in these two sub-Saharan African countries with an opportunity for accelerated learning.
Speed School is designed for children aged 9 to 14 who have missed out on formal education for a multitude of reasons. The program offers a condensed version of the official government curriculum which is structured around core learning competencies and contextualized in thematic instruction that reflects the students’ everyday environments. The program is divided into three phases, allowing children to complete a third to fourth-grade education in only 10 months. In Uganda and Ethiopia, classes are often held in community spaces, including traditional school classrooms, farms, churches, and mosques, with around 30 students per class.
Rather than relying on textbooks, Speed School emphasizes student-centered learning, continuous assessments, and project-based activities. The program is designed to make learning fun and motivating, with more hours per day than traditional schools, incorporating lunch, recess, playtime, and other engaging activities. This approach has not only helped to keep students excited about learning, but it has also generated interest from mainstream teachers, with Speed School classes often running alongside conventional classes on the same campus.
The program boasts impressive outcomes, with 95 percent of students completing the Speed School program, and a high percentage transitioning into traditional schools—about 70 percent advancing to Grade 4. The Speed School program originally targeted children who had been out of school for at least two years but has since become more flexible. The Speed School program aims for full gender equality and includes children with disabilities. In Ethiopia, Speed School initially served children who had never attended school, but it has gained such popularity that some children now desire to leave conventional schools to enroll in Speed School, prompting discussions with educational authorities to prevent dropouts from mainstream schools.
What sets Speed School apart from similar programs run by other global organizations is its holistic training model and condensed curriculum. Facilitators in both Uganda and Ethiopia often have no formal teaching certification, but they receive intense training to ensure they are equipped to effectively teach. Despite initial resistance from education ministries, studies have shown that Speed School teachers outperform many certified, university-trained teachers. In Ethiopia, the government has become heavily involved, with plans to expand the program to 700 schools and integrate it into the national education strategy. In Uganda, Speed School works alongside primary teacher colleges to train and support facilitators. The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges, particularly in Uganda, where the crisis hit early in the school year. However, both countries adapted by implementing home-based learning solutions, helping students continue their education despite the setbacks.
The Speed School program’s success is a testament to the power of adaptable, community-driven education that can transform the lives of out-of-school children, helping them build the skills needed to succeed in their communities and beyond.