Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Education systems in humanitarian settings are characterized by inadequate resources, resulting in large classes that are often taught by untrained or undertrained teachers. Poor learning environments, coupled with pervasive patriarchal social norms that undervalue girls’ education, represent a dual burden for girls’ academic attainment and achievement in humanitarian settings.

This paper presents the results of a mixed-methods impact evaluation of a girls’ remedial education program implemented in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. The program bundled weekend and holiday classes together with teacher training to improve learning outcomes. Qualitatively, female students reported overwhelmingly positive perceptions of the program, noting that remedial classes provided a preferable learning environment in which it was easier to engage with teachers and ask questions about challenging course material.

Preliminary results from a randomized trial indicate high levels of remedial education attendance among girls assigned to the program. We find that these gains are offset by small reductions in primary school attendance. These offsetting attendance impacts combine to yield no statistically significant effects on learning outcomes, although all point estimates are positive, and the coefficient magnitudes are in line with meta-analysis findings on remedial education programs in low-and middle-income countries.

In addition, we find some exploratory evidence that the remedial education program could have positive effects on learning outcomes for children in food-secure households. Qualitative results suggest that the limited evidence of positive effects in Kakuma could be caused by implementation challenges, including a shortage of remedial teachers and insufficient training for remedial teachers.