Our role

We provide technical assistance and funding to lower-income countries to help them develop and implement good quality education plans, which are fundamental to building stronger and equitable education systems.

We give partners the tools and support they need to strengthen planning and monitoring, and help them achieve their education goals.

By providing technical and financial support during the planning cycle, we promote quality education sector plans (ESPs), which are fundamental in building stronger and more equitable education systems.

Education plans are key to align efforts of all education partners and ensure all children are in school and learning, while mobilising the necessary domestic and external resources.

Local education groups.

To give every person a chance at a healthy, productive life, we work with Local education groups.

Local education groups.

In line with its partnership approach, we bring together in the local education group all education partners, which enables them to contribute at all stages of the planning cycle, from sector analysis to evaluation.

Led by the government.

Led by the government, the local education group is comprised of all development partners, including civil society organisations, teacher associations, donors, multilateral agencies and private sector and foundation partners.

Improves the coordination.

The local education group improves the coordination of technical and financial support and promotes an inclusive sector dialogue, allowing all partners to contribute to a country’s education policies and their implementation.

Promoting alignment.

We promote the alignment of external funding with national systems and education sector plans. 

This means using a country’s public procurement and financial systems to channel aid rather than project approaches.
Aligning aid with country systems offers unique opportunities to support and influence domestic financing, policy, strategy, reforms, implementation and coordination.
In promoting alignment, we enhance ownership and accountability, and strengthens capacity of national education systems while increasing financing to support sustainable education outcomes.

Planning cycle.

Our core work is to strengthen education sector planning and policy implementation. The education planning cycle consists of six steps:

Analysis – Based on quantitative and qualitative data, the education sector analysis examines policies and causes of weaknesses in the sector, and reviews sector financing.

Planning and appraisal – Includes strategies to improve access to quality education in all subsectors. Development partners commission an independent appraisal to establish the soundness of the sector plan.

Approval and endorsement – Once follow-up recommendations are addressed; partners adopt the sector plan and they endorse it. This demonstrates their commitment to technically and financially supporting our plan’s implementation.

Implementation – Implementation arrangements are established in multiyear implementation plans, which should contain detailed information on activities, targets, budgets and responsibilities. 

Monitoring – Includes regular monitoring and periodic joint partner reviews to assess progress and discuss solutions to bottlenecks.

Evaluations – To assess impact and outcomes, relevance, cost effectiveness and sustainability of strategies. 

Support to education in crisis.

Ensuring that children have access to education during crises protects their right to education and gives them hope for a better future. We also support countries affected by fragility or conflict through:

Transitional education planning: We provide financial and technical support to help partners establish a transitional education plan, which creates a foundation for a coordinated approach to recovery by identifying priority and medium-term actions.

Operating principles in complex emergencies: These principles provide guidance on our engagement in situations of total or considerable breakdown of national authority resulting from conflict, including on the coordination principles that we should follow.

Inclusion of refugees: We encourage the inclusion of refugees and displaced populations in education sector plans.