Dakar, Senegal · 15 June 2025
The Global Education Analytics Institute (GEAI), in collaboration with the Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP) and supported by the Yidan Prize, has announced the first cohort of the Africa Fellows in Education Program (AFEP). Up to 10 fellowships were awarded in June 2025 to young African researchers motivated to improve education outcomes across Sub-Saharan Africa, marking the launch of a two-year research and policy development initiative designed to address the critical shortage of local capacity in education policy analysis.
The program aims to build a network of Africa-based leaders capable of developing evidence and shaping educational policies relevant to their countries. Each fellow receives a $35,000 research grant, with the program directly covering up to an additional $25,000 in expenses for mentorship, study visits, conference travel, and in-country workshops.
Addressing the Local Capacity Gap
The program's design is rooted in a well-documented problem: while many developing countries have expanded access to schooling, the quality of education remains critically low. Most children in Sub-Saharan African countries complete primary school without acquiring functional literacy and numeracy skills, reflecting educational systems that struggle to prepare large numbers of students.
A key bottleneck is the lack of local capacity to effectively use student outcome data to improve policy and schools. While external consultants can provide temporary expertise, this approach is neither sustainable nor conducive to developing sound, well-informed decision-making in domestic education systems.
Program Structure and Timeline
The two-year fellowship is organised around a combination of in-country research activities and international training opportunities:
| Component | Description | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Training Cycle 1 | Two weeks of short courses on evaluation methods, communications, and testing | September–November 2025 |
| Training Cycle 2 | Additional two weeks of training | March 2026 |
| Research Project | Fellows develop and execute an education research/evaluation project in their home country | Year 1–2 |
| International Conferences | Attendance at CESifo Economics of Education conference and AEFP conference | Throughout fellowship |
| Final Conference | Presentation of final reports | June 2027 |
Fellows will work closely with both local scientific mentors and international advisors from Stanford University and other organisations. The program engages a part-time local mentor for each fellow to monitor progress and reinforce new skills.
Eligibility and Selection
The program targets Sub-Saharan African nationals who are 35 years old or younger, hold an MA or PhD degree (preferably in Economics, education policy, social/public policy, development studies, or international development with a focus on education), and are proficient in quantitative data analysis using software such as R and Stata. Applicants must work for the government or have an affiliation at a research or higher education institution in a Sub-Saharan African country.
The selection process assessed applicants based on prior preparation and the quality of a required essay. Applicants submitted a two-page statement of interest, a two-page essay addressing a specific education problem in their home country and how it could be scientifically evaluated using quantitative methods, and a detailed CV with at least two referees.
Qualified females were strongly encouraged to apply, reflecting the program's commitment to addressing gender imbalances in the economics of education field.
The Yidan Prize Connection
GEAI and AFEP are supported by the Yidan Prize, the world's largest prize in education. The Yidan Prize recognises individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to education research and development. The funding from the Yidan Prize enables AFEP to provide substantial financial support to fellows while maintaining a rigorous, multi-year program structure.
Research Focus Areas
Fellows' research projects are expected to focus on specific education problems in their home countries or other Sub-Saharan African countries. The program has also partnered with Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa, offering applicants the option to write essays responding to questions under five thematic areas:
- How can the TaRL teaching and learning approach be strengthened and scaled in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Can supplementary teaching-learning materials improve teacher effectiveness in TaRL schools?
- Can digital or hybrid solutions effectively provide continuous teacher professional development at scale?
- Does peer-level teacher support as informal professional development improve teacher capacity and learning outcomes?
- What is the long-term impact of TaRL instruction in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Expected Outcomes
Over the two-year fellowship period, each fellow is expected to achieve several milestones: preparing a concept research proposal by the end of the first year, attending all training courses, working with mentors to complete the research project, presenting work-in-progress and final reports at conferences, writing a policy brief and policy blog based on the research, and organising in-country policy outreach workshops to disseminate findings.
The final reports must be sufficiently rigorous to meet current research and evaluation standards, ensuring that the program produces credible evidence that can genuinely inform education policy decisions across the continent.
Sources
- PEP (Partnership for Economic Policy), "The Africa Fellows in Education Program 2025/2026 Call for Applications," pep-net.org
- Global Education Analytics Institute (GEAI), official website, geai.io
- Yidan Prize, official website, yidanprize.org
- Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa, official website, teachingattherightlevel.org
- Gust, S., Hanushek, E.A., & Woessmann, L. (2022). "Global universal basic skills: Current deficits and implications for world development." NBER Working Paper No. w30566
FIRAT Editorial Board
Institutional Research Desk · Foresight Institute of Research and Translation
The collective editorial and research translation board of FIRAT, synthesising peer-reviewed evidence, policy briefs, and division milestones across our seven foundational research pillars.
