Approaches to improving the Approaches to improving the delivery of educational services delivery of educational services in difficult environments where in difficult environments where both capacity and will are weakboth capacity and will are weak

Dr Pauline RoseDr Pauline RoseCentre for International Education, Centre for International Education,

University of Sussex, UKUniversity of Sussex, UK

Key questionsKey questions

How can education be delivered in fragile How can education be delivered in fragile states?states?

How can education contribute to a move How can education contribute to a move away from fragility to promote away from fragility to promote ‘turnaround’?‘turnaround’?

How can donors balance rights and risks How can donors balance rights and risks to ensure Dakar commitments are fulfilled to ensure Dakar commitments are fulfilled in fragile states?in fragile states?

DAC’s definition of fragile statesDAC’s definition of fragile states

Countries where there is a Countries where there is a lack of political commitmentlack of political commitment and and weak capacityweak capacity to develop and implement to develop and implement pro-poor pro-poor policiespolicies. These countries tend to be characterised by . These countries tend to be characterised by poor governancepoor governance and are prone to and are prone to violent conflict:violent conflict:

–Arrested developmentArrested development (Lack of will, may have (Lack of will, may have moderate or high capacity)moderate or high capacity)

–DeteriorationDeterioration (Conflict/risk of conflict. Declining capacity (Conflict/risk of conflict. Declining capacity and/or will)and/or will)

–Post-conflict transitionPost-conflict transition (Transitional phase, with risk of (Transitional phase, with risk of return to conflict. Low capacity, will may be high or low).return to conflict. Low capacity, will may be high or low).

–Early recoveryEarly recovery (High will but low capacity)(High will but low capacity)

Political willPolitical will

CommitmentCommitment - political and legal - political and legal

LeadershipLeadership - influential international and - influential international and national, and traditional/grassroots leadersnational, and traditional/grassroots leaders

ResponsivenessResponsiveness - accountability between - accountability between citizens, governments and education citizens, governments and education providersproviders

CapacityCapacity

Individual capacityIndividual capacity

– Human capital, skillsHuman capital, skills

Organisational capacityOrganisational capacity

– Human resources, financial systems, decision-making Human resources, financial systems, decision-making processes, informationprocesses, information

Institutional capacityInstitutional capacity:: formal and informal formal and informal

– ‘‘rules of the game’ that shape the way individuals and rules of the game’ that shape the way individuals and organisations act and behaveorganisations act and behave

Prioritising Education in Fragile StatesPrioritising Education in Fragile StatesAgenda Education focus

Security Agenda negative and positive political use

national identity formation

disaffected youth

religious schooling

social cohesion

Humanitarian Agenda community-based engagement

schools as safe spaces

Education For All Agenda rights-based approach

addressing exclusion

active citizenship, tolerance, and peace-building

Millennium Development Goals Agenda national growth and poverty reduction

primary schooling

TurnaroundTurnaround

Education’s role in:Education’s role in:

– supporting sustainable change in governancesupporting sustainable change in governance

– catalysing change outside the education sectorcatalysing change outside the education sector

– stemming negative spillover effects from one region or stemming negative spillover effects from one region or country into the other regions or a neighbouring countrycountry into the other regions or a neighbouring country

Resulting in improved policy context which enhances pro-Resulting in improved policy context which enhances pro-poor growth potential identified by:poor growth potential identified by:

– durable cessation of violent conflictdurable cessation of violent conflict

– sustained economic growthsustained economic growth

– sustained improvements in human development indicatorssustained improvements in human development indicators

Education priorities in promoting Education priorities in promoting turnaroundturnaround

Curriculum developmentCurriculum development

Teacher training and recruitmentTeacher training and recruitment

Post-basic educationPost-basic education

Cross-sectoral approachesCross-sectoral approaches

Short- versus long-route of accountability?Short- versus long-route of accountability?

Sustaining education service delivery during Sustaining education service delivery during fragility: Where there’s a will – there’s a wayfragility: Where there’s a will – there’s a way

Arrested developmentArrested development– service delivery sustained by community initiatives, with service delivery sustained by community initiatives, with

coordination through the UN system to enable transition to a coordination through the UN system to enable transition to a state system when this becomes possiblestate system when this becomes possible

DeteriorationDeterioration– seek to stay engaged with government as long as possible, seek to stay engaged with government as long as possible,

while addressing ways in which the education system is while addressing ways in which the education system is interacting with conflictinteracting with conflict

– where it is no longer possible to work with government, where it is no longer possible to work with government, education can be supported locally, while paying attention to education can be supported locally, while paying attention to state-building for sustainability in longer-termstate-building for sustainability in longer-term

Post-conflict transition/early recoveryPost-conflict transition/early recovery – scale-up community initiatives through system-wide planningscale-up community initiatives through system-wide planning– support decentralised planningsupport decentralised planning– support government working with/through non-state actors. support government working with/through non-state actors.

ChallengesChallenges

Danger of fragmentation of service Danger of fragmentation of service delivery – with challenges for capacitydelivery – with challenges for capacity

Issues of accountability of alternative Issues of accountability of alternative service providersservice providers

Communities not homogenous – and may Communities not homogenous – and may lack capacitylack capacity

Context counts!Context counts!

Donor engagement in education in Donor engagement in education in fragile states: balancing rights and risksfragile states: balancing rights and risks

Rights:Rights:– Universal declaration of human rightsUniversal declaration of human rights– Education’s symbolic value in (re-) establishing the Education’s symbolic value in (re-) establishing the

legitimacy of the statelegitimacy of the state

But risksBut risks::– no guarantee that reductions in fragility will occur no guarantee that reductions in fragility will occur

through education investment; they are more likely through education investment; they are more likely not to.not to.

– Some initial will on the part of the national Some initial will on the part of the national government is a critical pre-condition for enhancing government is a critical pre-condition for enhancing the prospects of turnaroundthe prospects of turnaround

Problems of fragile states’ transition: Problems of fragile states’ transition: Will and capacity of donorsWill and capacity of donors

……and reality:and reality:– Donors exercise preferences – the rights/risk calculus Donors exercise preferences – the rights/risk calculus

is often dependent on historic links, habits, geo-is often dependent on historic links, habits, geo-politics…politics…

Greater attention needed to inter- and intra-agency Greater attention needed to inter- and intra-agency coordinationcoordination

Possibilities for a new financing strategy to manage Possibilities for a new financing strategy to manage transition and/ortransition and/or

A new role for the EFA Fast-Track Initiative?A new role for the EFA Fast-Track Initiative?

Beyond business as usual…Beyond business as usual…Where incipient political will exists, support planning for Where incipient political will exists, support planning for donor endorsement – e.g. via FTI’s Education Program donor endorsement – e.g. via FTI’s Education Program Development Fund (EPDF)Development Fund (EPDF)

– Move beyond ‘indicative benchmarks’: Principles for Move beyond ‘indicative benchmarks’: Principles for fragile states building on INEE process and DAC fragile states building on INEE process and DAC PrinciplesPrinciples

– Plan beyond MDGs - prioritisation via conflict Plan beyond MDGs - prioritisation via conflict analysis; balancing educational quantity/quality in analysis; balancing educational quantity/quality in scaling-up provision scaling-up provision

– Prepare strategies to address potential absorptive Prepare strategies to address potential absorptive capacity constraintscapacity constraints

– Address challenges of sustaining service delivery Address challenges of sustaining service delivery through non-state providers, while supporting longer-through non-state providers, while supporting longer-term state-buildingterm state-building

Meeting Dakar commitmentsMeeting Dakar commitments

Once political will and plans in place – Once political will and plans in place – what next….?what next….?

Where insufficient political will remains - Where insufficient political will remains - potential bridging role of UNESCO/ potential bridging role of UNESCO/ UNICEF in supporting strategic UNICEF in supporting strategic planning…?planning…?