Cambridge University Press and Assessment has signed an agreement with a non-governmental organisation, Alsama Project, to jointly develop and scale a new school-leaver qualification aimed at helping refugees and displaced young people access university, vocational training, and employment in Nigeria and beyond.

The agreement was signed during the Education World Forum in the presence of senior representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) alongside the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Under the partnership, Cambridge and Alsama Project will work to expand the G12++ qualification internationally and increase its recognition among universities, employers and policymakers.

Unlike conventional exams, the G12++ curriculum is designed to align with international standards while remaining relevant to learners in refugee settings.

It assesses capability rather than the ability to recite content, using questions that relate to real-life situations and emphasise critical thinking, soft skills and potential.

Nigeria currently hosts 3.6 million displaced people, according to data from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. Globally, the number of forcibly displaced people stands at 117.3 million, including 49 million children.

Despite this scale, only nine per cent of refugees worldwide attend higher education, compared with a global average of 42 per cent.

The gap reflects a structural barrier: millions of young people lack a formal high school certificate that universities, vocational programmes and employers require, even when they possess the ability and potential to succeed.

The G12++, developed by the Beirut-based organisation, was created to address this gap. The qualification was originally inspired by Alsama students and was intended as an alternative to traditional secondary school exit exams for learners whose education has been disrupted by displacement.

Over the past two years, Cambridge has worked with Alsama to strengthen the assessment approach and support the development of the examinations.

The new agreement will build on this foundation to extend the qualification to learners in other contexts.

Both organisations have outlined a work plan that includes further developing the G12++ qualification and its supporting learning programme, expanding delivery through a network of trusted partners worldwide, building recognition with universities, vocational education providers and employers, as well as engaging governments and international bodies, and working with funders to support implementation and scale.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Managing Director, Partnership for Education at Cambridge, Jane Mann, said the initiative is a response to a growing education crisis linked to forced displacement.

“In times of conflict, education is so often among the first casualties. The global education crisis caused by forced displacement will only grow as climate change and conflict uproot more young people. When young people are forced to leave school and flee, it’s not only their past they leave behind, but their future too.”

“Working with Alsama Project, we will help them take back their future through a new global qualification that will open pathways to universities, vocational programmes and employment. Displaced youth in Nigeria and across the globe need models that reflect their realities, and the world needs their talents,” Mann stated.

Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alsama Project, Meike Ziervogel, said the G12++ partnership with Cambridge is a milestone – not just for Alsama’s students, but for the millions of displaced youth worldwide who have been told that their education doesn’t count because it happened outside a formal system.

“The barrier has never been ability. What has been missing is recognition. The G12++ exists to change that, and Cambridge’s partnership is what makes that argument impossible to ignore,” Ziervogel said.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Cambridge, Prof Bhaskar Vira, said the initiative is committed to supporting displaced people in Nigeria and across the world, while demonstrating that high-quality assessment for displaced and marginalised learners is both achievable and replicable.

Advisor and former Headmaster of Westminster School, Patrick Derham, said the qualification addresses barriers that have excluded many talented young people from further education and work.