Abstract
Motivation
Although many countries have made progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on inclusive and equitable education for all, vulnerable children and adolescents in low‐income countries often face significant barriers to realizing educational opportunities, especially at secondary and post‐secondary or tertiary levels.
Purpose
In line with the aim of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to “leave no one behind”, the article explores the factors that shape the educational trajectories of vulnerable population groups and contributes to evidence‐informed policy and programming to tackle school dropout in rural Ethiopia.
Approach and Methods
The article draws on qualitative research on 150 girls and boys aged 10–19 years, along with their caregivers and key informants, in communities from three diverse regions in Ethiopia: pastoralist Afar, highland Amhara, and lowland Oromia.
Findings
Although Ethiopia has made remarkable progress in increasing secondary enrolment since 2000, intersecting barriers put vulnerable adolescents’ educational opportunities at risk. Children and adolescents from poor households, those with disabilities, and who are internally displaced, out‐of‐school or working face a range of challenges at the household, community and system levels. These barriers are also shaped by gender norms that restrict adolescent girls’ and boys’ education, often in contrasting ways.
Policy Implications
A multi‐pronged approach is critical to promoting educational opportunities that leave no adolescent behind, including investments in school quality, positive disciplinary approaches, competency‐based grade progression, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities and school‐feeding programmes; the wider enabling environment, including social protection and safe, subsidized transport; initiatives to tackle age‐ and gender‐based violence that discourages school attendance; and tailored strategies to support the most vulnerable young people.