How innovative financing is helping transform education in Moldova | Blog

Moldova has made significant learning gains over the last decades, but progress has been disrupted by two major challenges: COVID-19 school closures set back learning gains and increased inequalities, and the Ukraine crisis and refugee influx has put strain on education service provision. School-age refugee children represent about 9% of students in Moldova.

GPE is helping Moldova address these challenges by bringing resources and supporting coordination among partners through the GPE Multiplier –an innovative financing instrument.

In 2022, US$18 million financing leveraged from the European Union, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie allowed Moldova to unlock a $5 million GPE Multiplier grant.

In 2023, $55 million in cofinancing from the World Bank, the Global Concessional Financing Facility and the Early Learning Partnership Multi-Donor Trust Fund unlocked another $5 million GPE Multiplier grant.

Some of Moldova’s cofinancers shared their experience in partnering with GPE through the Multiplier.

What motivated your organization to provide funding alongside the GPE Multiplier?

“The EU has been a strategic partner for the development of Moldova's education sector for over a decade, with budget support, technical assistance, and transfer of good practices with EU member states. The opportunity to join forces with GPE's Multiplier grant is contextualized in this journey between the EU and Moldova, and in the continued policy dialogue between the EU, Moldovan institutional stakeholders and other donors and development partners. GPE has greatly facilitated good practices of evidence-based planning, prioritization and sectoral coordination through different types of grants, including those specifically meant to support the processes of analysis and multiannual planning. This has a magnet effect for donors and development partners, reinforcing coordination and improving motivation to work together toward shared goals.”

Giuseppe Paglione, Ph.D
Program Manager for Education, Youth and Culture at the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova

“UNICEF's decision to provide funding alongside the GPE Multiplier grant is driven by our commitment to supporting access to quality, inclusive education for all children. We are particularly focused on equity, ensuring that the most vulnerable children, such as those with special education needs and disabilities, have access to quality learning environments. UNICEF and GPE have supported Moldova's education system as partners for over a decade. The previous collaboration resulted in the current education sector plan, which has ambitious goals to be achieved by 2030. Most of these goals are dependent on additional funding, which motivated UNICEF and other partners to pool resources.”

Ilija Talev
Deputy Representative, UNICEF Moldova

“The World Bank has long-standing collaboration with the Moldovan authorities on the human capital development agenda. The GPE Multiplier is part of the larger multi-donor Education Quality Improvement Project (EQIP) aligned with the government strategy aimed to support the development of human capital, critical for sustained growth and poverty reduction in Moldova. This is important since, despite solid economic performance and strong poverty reduction over the past two decades, Moldova remains among the poorest countries in Europe. The World Bank supports smart and effective investments in the education sector to improve the quality of education for all, recover pandemic-induced learning losses, and successfully integrate refugee children from Ukraine enrolled in schools.”

Anna Olefir
Senior Education Specialist, World Bank

How can innovative financing instruments help improve the quality of learning for all children?

“Innovative financing instruments are designed to mobilize additional capital from diverse sources, enhancing traditional funding sources for education. Investments in education benefit society by developing human capital and supporting economic growth. Innovative finance, such as private-public partnerships, multiplier funds and social impact bonds, can be important vehicles to ensure sufficient financing for priorities that aim to improve the quality of learning outcomes for all. The returns on investments for education are immense, but are long-term, while the need to realize the right of every child to education is urgent and immediate. Innovative finance can supplement public expenditure in the short and medium term and accelerate education reform to ensure this right is fulfilled now.”

Ilija Talev
Deputy Representative, UNICEF Moldova

“Innovative financing instruments enable EQIP to enhance the quality of learning for all children, with tailored educational solutions promoting equitable opportunities and diverse learning experiences. For example, EQIP’s school grants component, cofinanced through the GPE Multiplier, supports grassroots initiatives promoting innovative pedagogical practices in priority areas, including application of digital tools, effective student learning assessment, collaborative learning, innovative remedial programs and girls’ participation in STEM.”

Anna Olefir
Senior Education Specialist, World Bank

“The European Commission and EU member states are among the main financial contributors of GPE, working together worldwide for more inclusive education systems to provide quality education for all children. Catalytic financial instruments, like those promoted by GPE, have the potential to trigger additional resources contributing to a shared implementation plan. This helps improve efficiency and coordination between donors and development partners of the education sector, under the leadership of the national authorities.”

Giuseppe Paglione, Ph.D
Program Manager for Education, Youth and Culture at the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova

How do you work together with cofinancing partners to achieve shared goals?

“The project benefits from strong partnership. Major sectoral decisions are taken by the government in consultation with partners and key education stakeholders. This significantly helped in the preparation phase and facilitates implementation in collaboration and synergies with other partners. The partnership with Early Learning Partnership Multi-Donor Trust Fund helps address the gap in early childhood education and care service provision. The partnership with the Global Concessional Financing Facility helps support refugees from Ukraine enrolled in educational institutions. This is critical, as the education system lacks the capacity to integrate the refugee students promptly and properly, despite all efforts made by the government including granting access to refugees at all levels of education.”

Anna Olefir
Senior Education Specialist, World Bank

“The key coordination structure is the local education group, which pools donors and development partners and is chaired by the Ministry of Education and Research, who convenes meetings regularly. This is a helpful forum for consultation and coordination among stakeholders, not only taking consensual decisions on implementation and monitoring GPE-financed grants, but also in a broader perspective as a sectoral coordination working group.”

Giuseppe Paglione, Ph.D
Program Manager for Education, Youth and Culture at the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova

“The key to effective collaboration lies in establishing clear communication channels and a collaborative framework that encourages information sharing, alignment of strategies and joint decision making. Regular meetings and consultations among partners facilitate the exchange of ideas and resources, allowing for the identification of synergies and prevention of duplications. A governance structure with clearly defined roles and responsibilities helps streamline efforts and promotes trust. Flexibility and adaptability are also crucial, as partners may need to adjust their strategies in response to evolving circumstances.”

Ilija Talev
Deputy Representative, UNICEF Moldova

What do you consider to be GPE’s main value-add?

“GPE is a multilateral instrument which has the merit to promote the principles of partnership for the development of education systems, and surges result-oriented mechanisms for government–partners coordination.”

Giuseppe Paglione, Ph.D
Program Manager for Education, Youth and Culture at the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova

“GPE brings a combination of experience, expertise and catalytic funding. This approach not only helps mobilize resources, but it also means that the technical proposals, program implementation, and monitoring and evaluation are assessed and guided by global experiences and knowledge accumulated from years of projects implemented around the world. GPE stands as a testament to the power of collaboration and partnership. By uniting governments, donors and civil society organizations, it creates a collective force dedicated to Moldova's educational growth.”

Ilija Talev
Deputy Representative, UNICEF Moldova

“The findings from the GPE Enabling Factors Analysis supported the government to prepare EQIP. The analysis informed and supported policy dialogue and donor coordination around critical challenges and financing gaps identified and helped tailor the project interventions. With that, the GPE Multiplier played a vital role in mobilizing financial resources from partners in this critical time for Moldova.”

Anna Olefir
Senior Education Specialist, World Bank

What motivated your organization to provide funding alongside the GPE Multiplier?

How can innovative financing instruments help improve the quality of learning for all children?

How do you work together with cofinancing partners to achieve shared goals?

What do you consider to be GPE’s main value-add?

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