Commonwealth Education Fund:
Final Report
J.
Hart (2009)
This final project report is based on external end of project evaluations
(EPEs) of CEF conducted within the 16 CEF project countries and
provides short profiles of each country and regional organisation
CEF supported. It also draws on a global CEF final evaluation conducted
for CEF and the Department for International Development (DFID)
by Eric Woods, an independent consultant, and includes a chapter
on lessons learned from his report.
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Empowering civil society on education:
Commonwealth Education Fund achievements
CEF
(2008)
Over the six years of the project, CEF created or strengthened national
education coalitions involving more than 2,100 organisations; contributed
to at least 92 changes of policy; trained more than 430,000 people
in budget monitoring, tracking and advocacy, and distributed information
about education budgets to over 6 million people. It supported 56
partner organisations to document innovative ways of ending gender
discrimination in schools and supported 25 coalitions working with
excluded groups of children, enabling their needs to be vocalised
at national level. CEF provided strategic funding for the GCE's
annual Global Action Week, which mobilised millions of people on
specific education issues. These achievements are described in more
detail in this report, with short illustrative stories from the
16 CEF countries.
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Funding Change:
Sustaining Civil Society Advocacy in Education
K. Tomlinson and I. Macpherson (2007)
This report is based on a “sustainability mapping”
process involving 20 independent researchers interviewing over 500
people (members
of education coalitions, national and international NGOs, donors,
government officials and academics) in 17 countries. The
report argues that national education plans will be effective when
they are owned and supported not just by the government but by wider
society, ensuring that national governments are accountable to their
own citizens for effective education reforms. To achieve this, a
significant investment is required to develop the capacity of civil
society organisations. Where conditions are right, civil society
education advocacy can be best supported by national funds. It recommends
the creation of national Civil Society Education Funds (CSEFs) to
support CSOs to engage with and advocate to their own governments
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Briefing
Paper on national Civil Society Education Funds
CEF (2007)
Recognising that the project itself would end in 2008, CEF carried
out in depth sustainability research to produce the report Funding
Change, which made the case that, there is a gap in the present
aid architecture around education, and that national CSEFs offer
an effective way to fill this gap. It argues that this model is
not only relevant in CEF countries but in any other country that
is still working towards the achievement of EFA. This briefing paper
shares learning from the research about what works. While the concept
of CSEFs has emerged through the work of the CEF, the idea is shared
in this paper to enable others to take it
forward, and to draw upon the clear recommendations from Funding
Change about the optimum structure and functioning of Civil Society
Education Funds (CSEFs).
French
version
Fonds
Nationaux de la Société Civile pour l’Education:
Exposé Préliminaire
Spanish version
Fondos
Nacionales de la Sociedad Civil para la Educación: Documento
Informativo
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English
use the links on the left for other language versions
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Driving
the Bus: The Journey of National Education Coalitions
K. Tomlinson and I. Macpherson (2007)
What is the meaning and role of coalitions? What are the origins
and stimuli for coalition building? What is happening within a coalition?
What might not be working well and how might this be corrected?
This toolkit provides evidence-based possible answers to these questions,
using examples of coalitions examined during a 17-country research
project in Africa, Asia and the UK. The booklet is intended as a
tool for reflection and analysis for anyone involved in or supporting
a national coalition, or wanting to get involved in one, either
in education or other sectors. The booklet uses a bus as a metaphor
for a coalition, to help think about where any particular coalition
has come from and where it is going to. The bus is the coalition,
the passengers are its members, the road is filled with other people
or organisations working towards Education for All (EFA), and the
destination is what the coalition is trying to achieve.
French
version
Conduire
le bus: Le voyage des coalitions nationales de l'éducation
Spanish
version
Conducir
el Autobús: El viaje de las coaliciones nacionales de educación
Portuguese version
Dirigindo
o ônibus: A jornada das coalizões nacionais de educação
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| Making
public schools work for all children
CEF (2006)
This is a short project description brochure articulating the CEF
mission, purpose, and principles, as well as providing a list of
countries and coalitions supported and some key achievements. There
are three small cases studies included:
* Abolishing school fees and levies in Ghana
* Fighting corruption with budget tracking in Kenya
* Banning corporal punishment in India
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| Investing
in the next generation
CEF (2002)
This is the original project brochure setting out in the context
of global education challenges, the philosophy, plan, process and
vision behind CEF, as well as discussing the role of the business
community. With comments from the Chair and Vice-Chair of the CEF
Oversight Committee, the message is that impoving
education and access to education is a fundamental step in securing
economic prosperity and business competitiveness in any economy.
The document outlined a number of ways for businesses to be involved:
as champions, using their influence to support the vital cause of
universal primary education; by co-operating on the ground with
CEF staff and partners to directly support initiatives; and by contributing
financially to CEF.
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| CEF
Budget Work Publications |
A Budget Guide for Civil Society Organisations Working in Education
V.
Perry (2009)
Budgets
can be complex documents. Many people feel intimidated by budget
work, assuming that it requires very technical skills. But budget
work can be straightforward. Using basic arithmetic, civil society
can use budget information to talk in powerful ways about how public
resources are used for education. This guide provides civil society
organisations (CSOs) in the education sector with the basic information
they need to get started on budget work. Using
background information, budget exercises and short illustrative
case studies, It introduces core concepts relating to budgets,
and discusses ways of analysing them. It also demonstrates how budget
work can inform strategic advocacy messages, and bring about change
in the education sector. At the end of the guide there is a dictionary
of economic and budget terminology and a list of useful reference
materials where you can find out more about budget work.
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Making
the Budget Work for Education: Experiences, Achievements and lessons
learned from civil society budget work
M.
Claasen (2008)
Over the last decade, budget work, or applied budget analysis, has
become increasingly recognised as an important tool for holding
governments and non-state actors accountable for their policy commitments,
budget allocations and expenditure. Increasingly, CSOs have adopted
budget work as a key part of their advocacy and have recognised
that the following three democratic principles are essential for
the achievement of human development goals: Accountability; Public
participation; and Transparency. This report focuses on the work
supported by CEF to enable local communities to monitor spending
on education at national and local levels. Case studies compiled
by Idasa (Institute for Democracy in South Africa) examine work
done by CEF partners in
Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Uganda.
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Civil Society Engagement in Education Budgets: A Report Documenting
Commonwealth Education Fund Experience
V.
Perry (2008)
This report documents CEF experience, illustrating how civil society
can engage in the budget process through budget analysis; tracking
disbursement flows through the education system; monitoring expenditure;
and lobbying to influence budget allocations to the education sector.
The report describes why education budget work is important. It records
the range of work supported by CEF, setting this within the international
context and noting major achievements and common challenges faced
by organisations implementing programmes of budget work. It provides
country profiles, which offer an insight into the achievements, activities,
challenges and lessons learnt for each of the countries supported
by the CEF, making recommendations based on partner experiences. It
is primarily intended for groups or individuals that have a new or
relatively new interest in education budget work, but may also be
of interest to those that have engaged in this work for some time,
The final section of the report provides a list of resources –
budget expenditure tracking manuals, tools and examples of research
on education financing – that were produced with CEF support.
These serve as a useful guide for the reader to investigate budget
work in more depth. There are also links to organisational websites
for further information on budget work.
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| CEF
Gender Equality in Education Project (GEEP) Publications |
The CEF Gender Equality in Education Project (GEEP) was a two year
initiative promoting gender equality in the CEF, its work and its
outcomes. CEF
GEEP aimed to build the capacity of coalitions and partners to strengthen
gender equality in their structures and ways of working, to develop
and implement good quality gender equitable strategies and plans,
carry out monitoring and evaluation, and document the processes
and outcomes for learning and sharing. A ‘process support’
approach was adopted, to build the capacity and competency of partners
and coalitions. Gender Mentors in four CEF countries used mentoring,
gender training, refresher training and reinforcement rather than
a more traditional advisory relationship. For
more information, please click
here to visit the CEF gender equality in education page.
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Promoting gender equality in education through mentoring
O.
Dibba-Wadda (2009)
Mentoring
provides long term support to partners to facilitate learning, enthusiasm
and confidence and it differs from advisory support in that the
Mentor is not supposed to set the agenda or provide the answers
but to help staff from partner organisations do their own work for
themselves, providing process support and guidance through one-to-one
and group discussions. Partners were supported to document innovative
approaches that have a positive influence on strategies for improving
gender equality in education. Reflecting on the experience of the
CEF GEEP, this report shares some of the steps in implementing the
project, achievements and challenges, with recommendations on elements
of a good mentoring project.
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For CEF GEEP Publications from Ghana, Kenya and Malawi please visit
the CEF gender equality in education page.
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| CEF
Corporate Engagement |
Scoping
study on Corporate-sector Involvement in Basic Education in Tanzania
M.
Waite and H.J. Mosha (2006)
CEF commissioned a small study to explore the scope for corporate
engagement in improving the education system. The Scoping Study
on Corporate Sector Involvement in Basic Education in Tanzania recommended
targeting business funding to good quality education initiatives
and business-government-civil society dialogue on education and
the economy. It identified as a key challenge finding a credible
mechanism for these functions, which are not easily linked to existing
organisations/networks, but will require “purposeful external
facilitation”. The report noted that given its limited timeframe
and staffing, CEF could not play this sustained role itself. Therefore,
this opportunity to contribute still exists, should another organisation
choose to seize it. |
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Missing
Links:
Corporate Social Resonsibility and Basic Education in Bangladesh
Advancing
Public Interest Trust (2006)
In late 2005, CEF Bangladesh initiated a scoping study on corporate
engagement in education which was carried out by two partners: MRC
Mode and APIT. The study was followed up with workshops and meetings
focusing on business-community partnerships, bringing together multinationals
and national companies, politicians, CSOs, academics and journalists.
A final document, Missing Links: Corporate Social Responsibility
and Basic Education in Bangladesh was, according to the CEF
Coordinator, "considered one of a kind in the arena of linking
CSR with education” and companies such as GrameenPhone, the
biggest telecom company in Bangladesh, are using the study to inform
their CSR initiatives. The scoping study and roundtables on CSR
in education provided ideas and built consensus.
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| CEF
Events |
Click
here to read about CEF
events and its participation in the Conference of Commonwealth Education
Ministers (CCEM) throughout the life of the project.
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