Introducing GPE’s new report “Making Education Aid More Effective”
How can we ensure that all children receive a quality education with the resources available (both from developing country governments and donors) and with the partners involved? When the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) was founded in 2002 (then Education for Fast All Track Initiative) it was mainly in response to this question. It was not merely created to increase resources for education but as a forum for partners to join forces based on the Education for All Goals and Millennium Development Goals. Hence tackling the education crisis has demanded not only expanding the flow of money but enforcing the cooperation among partners to invest that money to ensure that all children can go to school and receive a quality education. Principles for better aid coordination There are thousands of different stakeholders involved in the education sector cooperating across the globe deciding over billion dollar investments. All of them are concerned with nothing less than changing the world for the better for millions of people. In GPE’s case: to provide quality education for all children. And, although, we all share that same goal, it demands extra coordination efforts, to avoid duplication and ensure that all development needs are addressed. The international community agreed on a set of principles (Paris (2005), Accra (2008), Busan (2011)) to make development aid more effective. It is hoped that if development cooperation is based on these principles it will lead to sustainable development. GPE is tied to those principles, promotes them globally and strongly encourages them at the country-level. Working closely with the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), GPE engaged in a survey looking at how those principles are applied in the education sector in developing countries.
New GPE Report: Making Education Aid More Effective
The new GPE Report Making Education Aid More Effective: 2011 Monitoring Exercise on Aid Effectiveness in the Education Sector presents findings of a 2010/1011 survey monitoring exercise. It looked at how development actors work together and coordinate the use of available resources for best results. The key message of the report is that both government and donor partners greatly value approaches that help them to better coordinate their work. Central to improved coordination in the education sector are education plans, local education groups, results frameworks and joint sector review process. The report presents an analysis of the data, reflects on the challenges in the individual areas of cooperation, provides concrete country examples, sheds light on the work and structures of local education groups, and provides definitions on key terms of aid effectiveness. In short: it describes how development partners work together to ensure that every child gets a quality education. The report is based on data submitted by 30 ministries of education and about 245 donor partners in 36 developing countries. Data was provided through questionnaires using similar indicators as the OECD for the 2011 Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration. The data relates to a volume of $2.2 billion in education aid provided in 2010. In 2011, preliminary findings were included in the OECD’s report Aid Effectiveness 2005-10: Progress in Implementing the Paris Declaration. Twenty-six individual country reports about the state of aid effectiveness in the education sector in 2010 are available online. The key findings of the GPE’s Monitoring Exercise are also presented in the Results for Learning Report 2012.
Good cooperation and areas to improve
The results of the report are broadly consistent with the findings of the general 2011 OECD survey and show areas of strength and weakness regarding effective education aid across the participating countries. Partners collaborate well at the technical level and in the preparation of education plans, for example. There is also encouraging data for the use of results frameworks and joint sector review processes. The use of a country’s public financial management and procurement systems by its donor partners remains a critical area. Going forth… The journey on the road to sustainable development results is long. It’s a hope for the future that developing countries have the capacity to manage education funds effectively ensuring that even those children in the most rural areas can go to school, have learning materials, trained teachers and receive a quality education. Closer partnerships between governments, donors, civil society, parents and teachers will bring us a step closer –every day. It is one of the objectives of the Global Partnership for Education.
Sources and further reading:
• Brian Atwood. October 2012. Creating a Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. Center for Global Development Essay.
• Statement of Principles for Effective Aid to Education. November 2011. (English / Français)