Education and skills
Education systems in low and middle income countries face complex interconnected challenges that require system wide change.
National policy reform needs to go hand in hand with improvements to school governance, inclusion, teacher training, quality assurance, community and parental engagement, and building local government capacity.
This requires interventions based on evidence of what works from across a wide portfolio of projects and the use of robust systems to assess progress and demonstrate results.
What can we do for you?
For more than 40 years, our specialist education consultancy, Cambridge Education, has been working with partners to build stronger education systems in countries across Asia and Africa.
Build resilience
We help build strong education systems that can achieve lasting improvements in educational opportunities and learning outcomes for all children. We remove barriers to change at national, regional, local, school and community levels by addressing multidimensional challenges such as gender inequality, disability inclusion, violence in schools and climate resilience.
Develop local talent
Our focus on attracting and retaining local country education experts helps us to deliver successful and sustainable improvements in education systems by carrying knowledge of the policy and education environment from one project to the next over many years and even decades.
Strengthen data systems
We improve monitoring and evaluation within education systems by establishing robust processes for collecting, sharing and analysing data. This leads to better informed decisions about how to scale up projects and direct resources where they are most needed.
Share knowledge
We apply lessons learned from a large portfolio of projects in low and middle income countries to remove barriers to high quality education. We share insights about how and why interventions drive change, what reduces their impact and what does not change.
Social inclusion
We work with government partners to build inclusive education systems that address the needs of marginalised groups, drive empowerment and improve equity across society.
The Girls' Education South Sudan programme is helping girls overcome barriers to staying in school and performing well.
Building the future through education and skills development
We use our expertise, country knowledge and programme delivery capability to develop, test and scale up solutions to complex education challenges.
Our experience
We test and adapt education programmes in countries across Asia and Africa, removing social and economic barriers to quality education for all children. Our programmes include:
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ACCELERE!2, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)This eight-year programme, funded jointly by UK aid and USAID, was focused on improving quality, inclusiveness and safety of learning for girls and boys in DRC's government primary schools.
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Education sector support programme (ESSPIN), NigeriaThrough a decade of interventions at federal, state and school and community levels, this programme focused on improving the overall standard of education in Nigeria. Working with international donors and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, it directly benefited 6.2M children – and many of the country’s poorest children gained the most from changes in teaching and community led inclusion.
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Flight Works Alabama, USAWe provided design and construction oversight for Flight Works Alabama, an innovative learning center located near the landmark Airbus Final Assembly Line. Flight Works Alabama offers excitement, learning, and workforce opportunities. It features an interactive exhibition area, classrooms, a collaboration room, a workshop, a restaurant, and a gift shop.
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Girls’ Education Challenge, Asia and AfricaThe UK aid funded Girls’ Education Challenge programme has been improving teaching and learning opportunities for marginalised girls and young women across 17 countries in Asia and Africa since 2012. As joint manager of the programme since 2020, our education experts at Cambridge Education have captured and shared evidence of how to implement girls’ education programmes effectively.
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Girls’ Education South SudanWe are leading the Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) programme funded by the US, UK, Canada, Sweden, Norway and the EU. GESS aims to reduce barriers to education through cash transfers to girls and capitation grants to schools, and by mobilising learners to enrol in school.
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Jouer pour Apprendre, DjiboutiUSAID funded project Jouer pour Apprendre (play to learn) aims to provide high quality, equitable, safe and inclusive early childhood education services to children across the country. As lead contractor, we are working with our government partners to create better opportunities for young children in Djibouti, to learn through play in classrooms and at home.
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Leh Wi Lan, Sierra LeoneWe're implementing the UK aid funded Leh Wi Lan (Let’s Learn) programme in Sierra Leone, providing comprehensive support for students, teachers, school principals and education officials. Our technical experts at Cambridge Education focus on strengthening the country’s education system at national, district and school levels to put government policies into practice. It has helped to increase participation by girls and children with disabilities and has improved secondary school exam results.
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Shula Bora, TanzaniaShula Bora is a UK aid funded programme to improve quality, inclusiveness and safety of learning for girls and boys in Tanzania’s government primary schools.
