Strengthening Accountability for better development results in

Education

By Mrs Lavina BanduahExecutive DirectorTransparency International Sierra Leone

Focus of the Presentation

Global Accountability Mechanisms

– The Education for All Global Monitoring Report and

_ The School Report of the Global Campaign for Education

Background Education For ALL

• At the start of the new century, governments and the international community set targets to dramatically improve educational opportunities for children, youth and adults over the next 15 years. They underscored that education is vital to reducing world poverty and fostering a more equitable, peaceful and sustainable future.

In April 2000 more than 1,100 participants from 164 countries gathered in Dakar, Senegal, for

the World Education Forum.The participants, ranging from teachers to prime

ministers, academics to policymakers, non-governmental bodies to the heads of major

international organizations, adopted the 2000-word Dakar Framework for Action, Education for

All: Meeting Our Collective Commitments

Goals of the EFA

• Expand childhood care and education• Provide free and compulsory primary education

for all• Promote learning and life skills for young people

and adults• Increase adult literacy by 50 percent• Achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality

by 2015• Improve the quality of education

What is the EFA Global Monitoring Report

• The Education for All Global Monitoring Report is the prime instrument to assess global progress towards achieving the six 'Dakar' EFA goals to which over 160 countries committed themselves in 2000. It tracks progress, identifies effective policy reforms and best practice in all areas relating to EFA, draws attention to emerging challenges and seeks to promote international cooperation in favour of education.

• The publication is targeted at decision-makers at the national and international level, and more broadly, at all those engaged in promoting the right to quality education – teachers, civil society groups, NGOs, researchers and the international community.

• Whilst the report has an annual agenda for reporting progress on each of the six EFA goals, each edition also adopts a particular theme, chosen because of its central importance to the EFA process.

• The report is mainly coordinated by UNESCO.

Aims of the Report

• The Education for All Global Monitoring Report aims to inform education and aid policy through an authoritative, evidence-based review of progress and a balanced analysis of the most critical challenges facing countries.

• It also aims to hold the global community to account by rigorously assessing progress, analyzing effective policies, spreading knowledge about good practice, and alerting the world to emerging challenges.

• THEMATIC FOCUS of the Report by year• 2002 - Education for all: Is the world on track?• 2003/2004 - Gender and education for all: the leap to

equality• 2005- Education for all: the quality imperative• 2006 - Literacy for life• 2007- Strong foundations: Early childhood care and

education• 2008 - Education for All by 2015: Will we make it?• 2009 - Overcoming inequality: why governance

matters• 2010 - Reaching the marginalized• 2011- The hidden crisis: Armed conflict and education

Global Campaign for Education• A movement started in 1999 to end the

worldwide crisis in education. It focuses specifically on targeted attacks on schools and other abuses affecting education.

Main Aim of the Campaign• 1 Goal comprising 10 points• To make Education for all a Reality

• An Annual Report is produced each year wherein the GCE holds donor governments to account for their promises on education, using the ‘School Report’ as the method to benchmark their performance.

• The report also tracks progress in terms of access to formal education in schools for which a School Report Card is produced.

• The Report is supported by ActionAid, Plan International, VSO, Save the Children, Oxfam and Education International.

KEY SUCCESSES

• Have provided more insight for govt and stakeholders on the annual thematic focus of the report

• Helped govt and other stakeholders to track progress made

• Stimulated commitment on the part of govt to improve the education sector

• By enriching understanding of education issues, the report acts as a springboard for debate, knowledge-sharing and advocacy.

KEY CHALLENGES

• Contribution to the content of the report has not been very inclusive and participatory especially at local level and within decentralized system of govt.

• Limited/No follow up on recommendations/issues raised with regards to every annual thematic focus with up to date reports on progress made

• Reports not widely publicised at national level• The need for active political will and commitment to

implement the recommendations of the reports • The overarching message of the GMR is that despite

notable progress made by many developing nations, the world is not on track in moving towards the EFA goals.

Recommendations for improvement and supporting structures to enable them to be used as instruments to hold providers and recipients more accountable

• National Monitoring Reports to also be compiled annually by every contributing countries

• A specific body to be set up for effective coordination of govt and key stakeholder efforts

• Annual Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys of the education sector

• Regional Steering Committee to be established for periodic reviews, tracking progress across the board and conducting impact assessment

• Govt to compile and popularize the reports as well as provide details on aid received and locally generated revenue allocation to the education sector as well as details of utilization of these funds to enable proper monitoring by stakeholders esp. CSO’s.

• A thorough review of the present Education Systems in all countries to assess how conducive and beneficial it is within the varying country context

• Clearly defined short, medium and long term results and benchmarks to measure progress and impact

• The need to further assess thoroughly the benefits of education or else it would undermine the aims of the EFA goals

Key Lessons of National Mutual Accountability Frameworks in the Education Sector

Positive

• Increased interaction and trust among stakeholders to pursue a common objective led to a dramatic change in provider and recipient behaviour that has created significant results

Negative• Preconceived notions easily give way to suspicion and

mistrust and undermines commitment

How can participation of providers and non-governmental stakeholders be broadened at both global and national level

• Strengthening established linkages and networks to further promote collaboration and cooperation

• Institute a Peer Review Mechanism• Establish national and global steering or

working committee of specific and/or both groups

How can these mechanisms intensify their efforts to address the special needs of low income conflict affected countries which are lagging behind in achieving the EFA Goals

• This year’s GMR report ‘The hidden crises: Armed conflict and education’ is an excellent and timely account of the way in which conflict is destroying opportunities for education globally. More than 40 per cent of out-of-school children live in conflict-affected countries; these same countries have some of the largest gender inequalities and lowest literacy levels in the world.

• Against this background, these reports should incorporate sections specifically focusing on these countries annually.

• In addition, these countries should join the EFA Fast Track Initiative.

What is the Fast Track Initiative (FTI)?

• It was created as the first ever global compact on education, to help low-income countries achieve a free, universal basic education.

• It was launched in 2002 as a global partnership between donor and developing country partners to ensure accelerated progress towards the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education by 2015.

• All low-income countries which demonstrate serious commitment to achieve universal primary completion can join the FTI.

The FTI Compact

• Based on mutual accountability

• Aims to provide the incentives and resources to empower poor nations to build and implement sound education plans.

Within this framework, developing countries are responsible for taking ownership of crafting

national education plans, with budget accountability and a greater commitment of political and financial resources, while donor countries commit to providing the additional

technical know-how and funding required ensuring that no country that has met its

obligations would fail for lack of resources or technical capacity.

Key Facts worthy to note

• 28 million children are out of school in conflict-affected countries

• Education accounts for just 2% of humanitarian aid

• 6 days of military spending by aid donors would close the US$16 billion Education for All external financing gap

GENERAL RECOMMENDATION

• Donor institutions to increase their focus/aid to the education sector

• Governments to increase allocation to the education sector to compliment donor support.

• Government and donors to work towards aligning education aid with the education-related MDGs and EFA goals.

• Review and reduce education aid spent on scholarship and training fees in provider countries

• And commit more to primary education.• Mechanisms to be put in place both at donor and recipient level to

ensure proper accountability of Education Aid channelled through national public financial management systems.

• Donors in the education field to work towards improved coordination of their intervention in the sector as this remains a major challenge.

• The need for constructive engagement in instances, where there is less consensus between government and providers regarding key priorities for national policy goals and for delivery of development cooperation to support them.

Strengthening capacity of civil society with technical assistance and funding support to perform their monitoring/oversight and advocacy roles.

Thank you for your attention