New Policy Brief | The Right to Return
Across Eastern and Southern Africa, many pregnant and parenting adolescents remain excluded from school despite growing commitments to their right to education.
The Right to Return summarises findings from a 2025 regional review across 21 countries on the status and implementation of school re-entry policies. This work is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Accelerate Research Hub, UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa and UNESCO.
The brief highlights gaps between policy and practice, examines barriers such as stigma, resourcing and limited guidance, and identifies actions to strengthen education systems so that adolescent mothers can return to, remain in, and complete their education.
The policy brief will be officially launched on 29 January 2026 during an open webinar from 15:00–16:30 EAT (14:00–15:30 SAST). The event will bring together partners, policymakers, and practitioners working in education and adolescent wellbeing, and is open to colleagues, government counterparts, and organisations interested in this area of work.
Interested participants are encouraged to register in advance via the event link here.