TWG Action Plan

32.     The TWG planned to implement 16 activities and has reported progress as schedule on 15 activities:

1. Submit annual workplan of JTWG to CDC.

2. Submit JMI for the coming CG.

3. Submit education sector progress/annual report to CG meeting.

4. Submit quarterly/semester progress report to CDC on JMI.

5. Regular meeting of the JTWG.

6. Endorsement of Education Strategic Plan and Education Sector Support Program 2006-2010.

7. Endorsement of Education Sector Performance Report 2005.

8. Review and agree upon the scope and format of the ESSP review/Education Congress 2006 (24-26 October 2006).

9. Progress report on PAP disbursement at central ministry and by provinces.

10. Agree on Donor’s report 2006.

11. Prepare combined Joint ESSP Review and Education Congress.

12. Conduct combined Joint ESSP Review and Education Congress.

13. Follow up on the phasing out of individual development partner salary supplementation programs: awaiting information from development partners and CAR.

14. Report on PR, RR and DR and Survival Rate (to be included in Education Congress Report 2006).

15. Follow up EFA-FTI request.

16. National FEA Mid decade assessment.

33.     The TWG also requested the presence of senior officials from the Ministry of Economy and
Finance at the Education TWG meeting.

Joint Monitoring Indicators

34.      Increase the net enrollment in primary school—total, and by sex (Timeframe: between school year 2004-05 and 2005-06). The net enrollment ratios in primary schools were as follows:

1. Total net enrollment ratio (NER) decreased from 91.9% to 91.3%.

2. Female net enrollment ratio decreased from 90.7% to 89.7%.

3. Male net enrollment ratio increased from 92.1% to 93.0%

In addition, it should be noted that between school year 2004-05 and 2005-06, gross enrollment ratio (GER) in primary school increased from 119.7% to 124%, indicating that significantly more children are accessing education services, but increasingly they are overage. Key reasons for this increase include:

1. High rates of overage admission into grade 1, which has been persistently high (between 30%-60% over the last 5 years).

2. Persistently high repetition rates, which through falling still contribute significant numbers of
   overage students.

As regards the constraints facing, the TWG reported that the decreases in net enrollment ratio in primary in total and for female are disappointing. In particular, as this appears to be as a result of increasing drop-out rates, which have increased in all grades 1-6 compared to previous year. That said, the figures still show some improvement on the 2003-04 figure of: total NER 90.1%, female NER 88.6%, and male NER 91.5%.

35.     Increase the survival rate from grade 1-6 (Timeframe: Between school year 2004-05 and 2005-06). The survival rates from grade 1-6 were as follows:

1. Total survival rate decreased from 52.6% to 48.15%.

2. Female survival rate decreased from 51.78% to 47.55%

Again the key reason for this is the increase in drop-out rates over the last year and highlights that this issue will receive the Ministry’s highest consideration at the next policy review. The policy review will look into existing studies and empirical data in Cambodia to identify strategies that will present dropout and minimize repetition, both of which will improve cohort survival rate from grades 1-6. Possible key intervention strategies include: implementing early child development and school readiness program, completing incomplete schools, promoting right-age entry in grade 1, providing schools latrines and water facilities and expanding access to lower secondary schools.

36.    As recommendation, The MoEYS will focus on these important issues in its next annual policy review and request the GDCC to support the Ministry in taking forward its programs to address these issues.

Implementation status of the H-A-R Action Plan

37.     Sector Ministries lead the management of ODA supported activities. MoEYS has developed the ESP 2006-10, a prioritized, result based sector policy in line with and in support of MTEF and NSDP. MoEYS and development partners jointly endorsed the ESP 2006-10 and are supporting operational plan ESSP 2006-10.

38.    Development partners’ support is aligned with national development strategies, i.e NSDP. ESP and ESSP are in line with and support of NSDP. All potential development partner support is assessed by MoEYS for compliance with the sector policies and strategies. Development partner support is aligned with ESP and ESSP policy and action framework.

39.    Capacity development issues are addressed in the formulation of the sector plan. Annual ESSP sector plan includes sections on capacity development linked to specific programs and for the sector as a whole. Capacity development issues are addressed in the formulation of the ESP.

40.     MoEYS and development partners’ actions are more harmonized, transparent and collectively effective. Annual joint MoEYS and development partner education sector reviews are conducted to assess impact and support harmonized responses to sector priorities. The Education Congress which will assess sector performance and support harmonized approaches will be conducted on 24-26 October 2006.

41.     RGC and development partners use jointly agreed result-oriented reporting and assessment framework with manageable number of indicators. A core set of results-based indictors and targets for assessing sector performance has been jointly agreed and forms the basis of the annual assessment. However, the number of indicators is very large and may need to be rationalized. Annual Education Congress Report against jointly agreed sector performance indicators, and joint assessments of progress guides the formulation of subsequent ESP. However, the number of indicator remains high.

42.     MoEYS and development partners are accountable for development result. The ESP and ESSP formulation process and the annual sector review process are conducted in close partnership between MoEYS and development partners to ensure greater levels of mutually accountability for development results. MoEYS and development partners have agreed to jointly endorse ESP, annual Sector Performance Report and to endorse an annual joint statement on sector performance.

Resource mobilization

43.     The TWG reported that it has not been able to mobilize the resources to implement its Action Plan for 2006. The total annual budget for PAP 2006 was 116,505,000,000.00 CR (USD 29,126,250.00). Recurrent budget for MoEYS in 2006 is 442,000,000,000.00 CR (USD 110,500,000.00). UNICEF/SIDA has provided USD 5.4 million; DFID USD 1,503,278.80.