Community-based education: informal and invaluable

Worldwide, around 244 million children and young people (aged 6 to 18) were out of school in 2021. For many, formal education is no longer (or never has been) a feasible option. This may reflect the limited capacity of some governments to reach underserved areas, particularly in contexts of emergency and protracted crises, and remote and rural communities. For some learners, especially those who are overage for their grade, the formal system may not meet their needs. For example, the pedagogical approach in formal schools may not be appropriate for older learners who have never been to school, the course content may not be relevant to their everyday needs, or the learners may not speak the language of instruction. In these contexts/situations and for many other reasons, community-based education (CBE) can provide a tailored approach to meet the needs of, and fulfil the rights to education of marginalised groups – often in their preferred language. Thus, in many countries, CBE is valued as a way of reaching those who whose needs are not met by the formal system, or those who have no viable access to formal education opportunities. While CBE can be a valuable long term offer, CBE can be a temporary solution to ensuring a cohort of learners who are out of the formal system are not left behind.