CDC - PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION: AN UPDATE

PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION: AN UPDATE

Contribution to Consultative Group Paper, June 2002

Over the past 12 months, MOEYS and its development partners have taken a number of significant steps to gradually operationalise partnership arrangements for education sector development. Between early 2000 and early 2001, MOEYS led the initial policy and planning processes for a new education reform program. Partners joint commitment took the form of an agreed Statement of Intent (February 2000) and Partnership Principles (February 2001), which set out the broad directions for implementing an effective education partnership. In addition, MOEYS, donors and NGOs agreed to hold monthly consultative meetings on key education sector issues and concerns.

Operational arrangements for education partnerships have taken a tighter, more formal nature, with the formulation of the Education Strategic Plan (ESP) in March 2001 and the Education Sector Support Program (ESSP) in June 2001. For example, the ESP was formally screened and reviewed by donors and NGOs in April 2001, with their concerns incorporated into ESP revisions. This resulted in a shared and common understanding of the sector policy and strategic targets and preliminary implementation arrangements.

Subsequently, the more detailed ESSP was reviewed by Government/MOEYS, donors and NGOs through a joint process, incorporating task forces and review groups made up of partner representatives in late June 2001. This process culminated in a high level Education Round Table, which broadly endorsed the specific program components, financing arrangements and ESSP forward work plan. This process has provided a foundation for a shared understanding and agreement on program priorities, financial planning and management arrangements and key capacity building requirements.

As part of this operationalisation, partners have recognised the need to strengthen individual and mutual capacities to be effective education partners. Within Government, there has been an initiative to establish an education finance monitoring committee (EFMC) between MOEYS and MOEF, to provide policy oversight and guidance on financial planning, management and monitoring within the sector. Within MOEYS, the high level policy and planning group (PPG) has been reinforced alongside establishment of a technical and capacity building coordination group (TCBCG) and financial planning coordination group (FPCG). Selective technical assistance has been provided to facilitate the planning and operations of these groups.

The donor and NGO community have also taken steps to strengthen partnership capability. The education sector working group (ESWG) has been revised, alongside provision of intermittent technical assistance to facilitate its functioning, especially for ESSP annual review planning and regular sector performance monitoring. At the same time, the NGO community has established a formal NGO education partnership (NEP) to facilitate policy and strategic dialogue with Government and donors on education sector development.

MOEYS has also recognised the need to broaden partner consultations, including the private sector, civil society and other groups. As part of ESSP review processes in 2001, MOEYS hosted a Governor’s Education Forum, designed to familiarise Governors and National Assembly representatives with proposed reforms. This information exchange has been extended to civil society and community groups through provincial forums and radio and newspaper information programs in late 2001 and early 2002. Senior MOEYS policy makers have also made specific presentations and progress reports to the media, National Assembly, Council of Ministers and the international community to communicate development in the sector.

A central thrust of the education reforms is the priority for capacity building for decentralisation of the financing and management of the education reforms1 through Government’s own systems rather than parallel ones. Partners have responded positively in a number of ways, including the introduction of mixed budget support and investment modalities consistent with ESSP priority programs. Donor and NGO support for capacity building at central, provincial, district and cluster/community levels has also been mobilised, within an agreed ESSP capacity building framework and action plan formulated in late 2001/early 2002.

Partners recognise that effective sector development and systematic planning requires predictability in projected resources for the sector. As a first step, partners jointly prepared and reviewed an education medium term expenditure plan (MTEP) as part of the ESSP 2001 review and appraisal process. In consultation with MOEF, the MTEP has been further elaborated into detailed forward financial projections for priority programs, within both the recurrent and capital budget framework. Budget implementation will be a central concern for partners in the ESSP 2002 review.

In particular, partners recognise that strengthening sector and program performance monitoring is critical to enable education’ partnerships to move forward. As part of this process, MOEYS with donor support, is currently finalising a capacity building plan for monitoring and evaluation to be incorporated in a revised ESSP framework by mid 2002. As part of this joint monitoring process, a common policy action matrix was jointly agreed by partners in early 2002, as a basis for policy monitoring on an annual basis. This matrix has been supplemented by formulation of a set of sector and program performance targets and indicators that will be the basis of the education sector performance review in September 2002.

Another key milestone in the, education partnership process is the gradual harmonisation of individual donor program review missions with the annual ESSP review process. A number of donors have already taken steps to harmonise these arrangements for 2002. This will provide an opportunity to incorporate specific program and project review findings and lessons learned into the broader sector performance review process. In addition, specific reviews of donor and NGO financed pilot innovations and institutional support programs will be incorporated into a capacity building performance report as part of ESSP 2002 review.

Partners also recognise that education sector development needs to respond to and enable broader institutional and financial reforms. A number of planned initiatives include active partner involvement in the MOEF led financial reform initiative, significant inputs into the public expenditure review (PER) exercises in mid/late 2002 and an education decentralisation study, linked to broader MOI led reforms. As part of ESSP implementation, priority programs include introduction of selective staff performance incentives within the broader national public administration reform (NPAR) framework. All these initiatives are designed to form effective partnerships with other Government ministries, provincial authorities, commune councils and civil society groups.

Partners also are cognisant that medium-term policy and strategic successes need to be incorporated into longer-term sector planning. Partners are therefore collaborating effectively on integrating ESP and ESSP into long-term Education For All (EFA) action plans up to 2015. Partners also recognise that education sector developments need to be effectively integrated into broader socioeconomic development plans (SEDP) and poverty reduction strategic plans (PRSP). As a first step, partners are collaborating on the implementation of a poverty impact monitoring study for education, which will feed into the ESSP performance report to be presented as part of the ESSP 2002 review.