The main purpose of this study was to assess the practice and problems of thernimplementation of ABE. Descriptive survey method was used to undertake thernstudy. I n order to meet this purpose, basic questions were raised regarding therncontribution of ABE in increasing access to education, best practices of ABErnprograms run by Government and NGOs, structure and management system ofrnABE, and factors affecting the participation of NGOs in ABE programs. Thernstudy was conducted at the different levels of the educational hierarchy of thernAfar Regional State. Samples were drawn from ABE Centers, Woreda and REBrnoffices. NGO ABE centers and their coordinating offices at various levels wererna lso included in the study. Purposeful and convenient sampling methods werernrespectively used to select the woredas and the ABE centers for the study. FourrnWoredas where there are at least one NGO working on ABE were taken in thernstudy. Questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions and documents werernused to collect the necessary data. The obtained data were analyzed usingrnstatistical tools of percentage, mean, chi-square, and t-test. The results of thernstudy reveal that ABE is playing a significant role in improving educationalrncoverage in the region. However, the rate of its expansion and the issue ofrnefficiency of the program is questionable. The major problems identified by thernstudy in the implementation of ABE include; absence of institutional structurernand shortage of budget to run the program, lack of human and materialrnresources, and poor coordination among Governmental and Non-Governmentalrnorganizations. The recommendations forwarded to overcome the challengesrncomprise the creation of appropriate institutional structure and allocation ofrnsufficient resource to run the program, and strengthening net-work amongrnGovernmental and NGO partners for better implementation of the program.