28/02/2025
The Africa Fellows in Education Program 2025/2026 Call for Applications
The Global Education Analytics Institute (GEAI), in collaboration with PEP, invites young African researchers who are motivated to improve education and could benefit from additional support to submit an expression of interest in AFEP. AFEP enables the fellows to participate in a two-year research and policy development fellowship that introduces them to relevant research and analytical experiences and international networks of researchers and policy advisers. See "Application process" further below.
The Structure of the AFEP
The proposed program is organized around a combination of in-country activities and network/training opportunities regionally and abroad. Under the two out-of-country segments, it is expected that the successful fellows will have the opportunity to attend two of the most prominent international conferences on the economics of education – the CESifo Economics of Education conference and the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) conference. (The exact conference and travel schedule is subject to change based on the prevailing circumstances.) In addition to these conferences, the fellows will participate in a series of short courses designed to be most suitable to their needs, covering topics such as evaluation methods, communications, incentive structures, and other related areas while also allowing fellows to foster international connections. Further, they will have a series of lectures on testing and performance measurement. This introduction will enable fellows to understand the use of large-scale testing data from various international and regional assessments. It will also sensitize them to general issues around the use of standardized testing. The first two weeks of training will be between September and November 2025, and the other two will be held in March 2026.
Funding Information
The funding includes a $35K research (cash) grant. The program will also directly cover up to $25K in expenses for mentorship, study visits, conference travel, and in-country workshops to share research findings and training.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this call, applicants must:
• Be a national of a Sub-Saharan African country;
• Have an MA or PhD degree, preferably in Economics, education policy, social/public policy, development studies or international development, with a strong focus on education. While a PhD is not mandatory, GEAI and PEP encourage fresh PhD graduates who can benefit from mentorship and additional training to become solid researchers;
• Be proficient in quantitative data analysis, with a strong knowledge of data analysis software such as R and Stata;
• Not be older than 35 years old;
• Demonstrate interest in education policy research and analysis;
• Work for the government or have an affiliation at either a research or higher education institution in a Sub-Saharan African country and intend to do so for the foreseeable future;
• Qualified females are strongly encouraged to apply.
Application Process
The Africa Fellows application process is managed by GEAI in collaboration with PEP. The applications will be assessed based on several factors, including prior preparation and the quality of an essay (see below). The expression of interest by the applicants should include:
1. A two-page statement of interest;
2. A two-page essay. The essay must be prepared in English. In this essay, the applicant must
o either think and write about a specific education problem in their home country and how it could be scientifically evaluated using quantitative methods.
o or write an essay responding to any of the questions under the five thematic areas of our partner institution, Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) Africa (see attached thematic areas). Similarly, candidates must explain how such questions could be scientifically evaluated using quantitative or mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods.
3. A detailed and updated CV with at least two (2) referees the selection committee can contact.
Applications must be submitted via the PEP intranet system (see detailed procedures below) before the 30th of April 2025 (23:59 GMT).
Here are the steps to submit your application:
1. STEP 1: Register on the PEP website: Click Register (see also the top right corner of the PEP website, next to "Login") and fill out all required information.
• Your profile will be activated within 24 hours. Your username is the email address that you use to register.
2. STEP 2: Access your PEP account. Once your profile has been activated, you can access your PEP account by clicking the Login button (also in the top right corner above).
3. STEP 3: Complete your "profile": Click on your name (top right corner of your PEP account page).
• Include all information relevant to this application - birthday, highest diploma, institution, position, etc. (see eligibility criteria) - and upload your updated CV.
• We also strongly encourage you to include a photo and a short professional bio.
• When finished, click on SUBMIT at the bottom of your profile page.
4. STEP 4: Go to the menu under "My workspace" (top left corner) and click on "Submit a proposal".
o Follow the instructions and upload your statement of interest and essay as one/combined document.
Once you’ve finished, return to your PEP account and click on "My Projects" (under "My workspace") to ensure that the submission was successful. Select the project and go to "Documents" to find or replace/update your document.
Up to 10 awards will be announced in June 2025.
Africa Fellows in Education - Terms of Reference
The objective of the AFEP is to build a group of Africa-based leaders capable of developing evidence and shaping relevant educational policies for their countries. These leaders would be part of a global network of such people and could also help build local networks of strong advocates for improving schools.
The program enables the fellows to participate in two-year research and policy development fellowships that introduce them to relevant research and analytical experiences and international networks of researchers and policy advisers.
https://www.pep-net.org/africa-fellows-education-program-20252026-call-applications
