Catalytic Funding for Madagascar EFA

1
Catalytic Funding for Madagascar EFA

• Process and some initial lessons
• Prepared by Barbara Bentein, UNICEF
  Representative
• for the FTI Partnership Meeting, Beijing, 30/11
  2/12/2005

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Madagascar

• 4th biggest island (gt France Benelux)
• 18M citizens and gt 50 are lt18yrs
• gt70 population very poor
• Important potential
• Exceptional culture, fauna and flora

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Process key milestones

• EFA Plan prepared first half 2003 partners agree
  on unique set of indicators included in PRSP and
  EFA plan
• Friends of Madagascar conference in Paris
  October 2003  EFA plan to be submitted to FTI
  for catalytic funding
• Suppression of school-fees and distribution of
  basic school supplies increase dramatically the
  enrolment numbers and impose revision of medium
  term EFA Plan, ready early 2005
• Donor assessment of EFA Plan submitted to FTI
  secretariat in May 2005, approved by the FTI SC
  in June 2005 from US25.6 to US 32 per child
• The way forward after the first mid-year
  review, the challenge of implementation, ensuring
  quality and equity

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Challenges Opportunities

• Challenges
• Small and vulnerable economy GDP/capita 260 US
  dollars poor public revenue
• Few donors with different cooperation and funding
  modalities
• Young ministerial team with rather limited human
  resources
• Opportunities
• Strong demand from families for education
  gender parity
• Strong new leadership in Madagascar with vision,
  political will and openness to pull in advice and
  experience in a coordinated manner increasingly
  strong national sector leadership
• Governance - managerial style results oriented
  and demanding accountability
• Positive donor/partner climate with inclusive
  partnership and commitment to invest staff and
  time to harmonise cooperation

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Some lessons national vision

• MDG are rallying and facilitating factor they
  have to be in the PRSP and the EFA plan.
• A sound national plan relevant, technically
  consistent, feasible and sustainable, recognised
  by all partners as being more meaningful than sum
  of individual projects
• A living plan it has been and will be updated
  according to the realities in the schools and
  communities
• However necessary rigour without letting strive
  for perfection becoming the enemy of progress.

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Some lessons national leadership

• A national Ministry that knows where it is
  heading, open, transparent on difficulties and
  willing to listen to advice but keeping a clear
  direction.
• All partners have to support this leadership
• A good technical team thoroughly owning the Plan
  but capable of delegating and monitoring/supervisi
  ng or outsourcing key operations this capacity
  has to be gradually strengthened and stability
  ensured
• Sector Ministry capable of negotiating with
  Ministry of Finance and Budget to protect sector
  budget in times of constraint donors to provide
  support.

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Some lessons partnership

• Partnership is an investment resources and
  attitude
• demands time from heads and technical staff of
  donors/partners regularly meeting, even
  informally, constructive presence of donors in
  one anothers meetings, workshops, missions
• understanding and supporting the national agenda
  critical partnership attitude - evidence based
  and results oriented, looking critically but
  constructively at sector bottlenecks - importance
  of positive attitude in a supportive/problem
  solving mood
• stress comparative advantages of one another
  iron out differing views on tactics and
  modalities - no dogmatic stance on funding
  modalities
• never loose sight of the big picture and
  realistic time frames
• Need to grow towards more equal relation
  partners are also accountable for providing
  appropriate and timely support
• key role of key donors (WB, EU, Unicef, Norway,
  France), including for developing new tools

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Some lessons interaction with FTI secretariat

• FTI Process has accelerated and intensified
  partner/donor coordination and harmonization
  moving to joint reviews and missions, not only
  looking at catalytic funding but at the whole EFA
  plan
• Appropriate and comprehensive guidelines for
  assessment excellent assistance to donors for
  asking a consistent EFA plan from governments
  intelligent use of guidelines to prevent being
  over-demanding and kill the process
• FTI secretariat has been very supportive with
  facilitating, problem solving attitude, always
  available for providing additional guidance
  example extending approval beyond one year
• Time frame for FTI in very poor countries what
  mechanisms and accountabilities for bringing in
  new donors and ensuring longer term funding, as
  long as gap persists and no additional donors
  have been identified