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commonwealth
education fund
resources
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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End of Project Evaluations and External Evaluation
To read the individual country end of project evaluations (EPEs) or the final external evaluation by Eric Woods, please click here to go to the list of reports. |
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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 on education policy. |
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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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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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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