Advocacy for Education

1
Advocacy for Education

• Uddannelsesnetværket, 31.1.2001
• Danida Technical Advisory Service Steen Sonne
  Andersen

2
Advocacy for Education why?

• A few facts
• 75 million children still out of school (primary)
• 776 million adults lack basic literacy skills
• Gender parity is improving, but a long way to go
  (2/3 in primary, 1/3 in secondary)
• Quality of education, focusing on learning
  outcomes, is a huge challenge
• International aid to basic education seems to be
  stagnating
• Is there a need for Advocacy for Education? Well,
  yes!

3
How does the Danish Government support education?

• Background on Danida involvement in education
• 8 Education programs in program countries (Benin,
  Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nepal,
  Nicaragua, Zambia)
• 2 Education programs in fragile states
• (Afghanistan and South Sudan)
• General budget support
• (Ghana, Tanzania, Vietnam, Mali, Benin, Burkina
  Faso)
• Multilateral support to education via Fast Track
  Initiative, UNESCO and UNICEF (FTI increasing)

4
The Modalities of Danida Support to Education

• Primarily support to national education sector
  plans often in the form of joint basket funds
  pooling funds with other donors and with little
  or no earmarking (TVET in BF, Inclusive education
  in Benin, East coast of Nicaragua, etc.)
• Some support for specific areas outside of the
  national education plans e.g. Civil Society
  comp. Nicaragua, Indigenous Peoples Education
  Councils in Bolivia, OLE/OLPC Nepal
• Most of this support is channeled via civil
  society and includes both advocacy and service
  delivery

5
Sector Dialogue Advocacy ?

• Typical mechanisms of dialogue between partner
  countries and donors in the education sector
• SWAP and Code of Conduct, includes participation
  of civil society (full members, observers) and
  others
• Annual Reviews, include civil society
  participation
• Round tables, Steering committees
• Working groups
• In most of these, the participation of civil
  society is limited, although improving. How to
  further improve it? And does the dialogue
  constitute advocacy?

6
Challenges for NGOs in Education Advocacy

• Danida is clear in its support to increased
  inclusion and participation of civil society, in
  education, and in general (civil society
  strategy, reviews, appraisals, aid management
  guidelines all consider democratic processes and
  real CSO involvement)
• Develop (CSOs) indicators for more systematic
  monitoring of this?
• Advocacy for Education at global, national, local
  levels, extremely different contexts and
  challenges e.g. GCE, national CSO umbrellas,
  teacher unions, parents associations
• Examples EFA HL meetings, Action Week, Class of
  2007/2015, PRSPs and National Development Plans,
  Local Government and School Committees
• Different targeting, communication, capacity
  needs

7
More Challenges

• International agenda Paris, harmonization,
  alignment, FTI changing context (alignment,
  results-orientation)
• Primary education and post-primary, is the
  balance right?
• Country level trends decentralization
  changing context for advocacy NGOs?
• The Missing Middle elite NGOs and
  grassroots
• Advocacy targeting political decision makers
  (capital) or demand side, end-users (community
  development)
• Nepal example very strong devolution of school
  management, block grants proven robust through
  conflict
• In this context, who should do the advocacy? What
  should be the role of NGOs? (conduit?)

8
Advocacy for Education How-To?

• Is education getting crowded out?
  (international, DK)
• Human right to education Strong documentation on
  positive effects of education, clear positive
  link from education to economic growth and
  poverty alleviation
• We have a great story and case for education, how
  to tell it better? (targeting, evidence-based
  policymaking)
• How can NGOs play the advocacy role better at
  various levels in education (advocacy and
  capacity development)? Experience? Examples?