Expanding Support for Education in Fragile States: What Role for the Education for All - Fast Track Initiative?
Abstract
The new international aid architecture was established to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of development aid by emphasising country ownership, alignment with national priorities and the harmonisation of donor processes. These features are evident in the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative, a global partnership between donor and developing countries launched to ensure accelerated progress towards universal primary education. Despite the move to 'fast-track' progress toward Education for All, only a few 'fragile' states (countries demonstrating weak governance and home to around a third of the out-of-school primary population), have been able to access EFA-FTI funding facilities, with serious consequences for widening participation in education. For most fragile states, the absence of a credible education sector plan has meant that they are not eligible for endorsement to receive financial resources via the EFA-FTI mechanism. Even where financing can be made available, the low credibility of institutions at the sectoral and financial management levels, as well as weak systems and low capacity, make fragile states a high-risk proposition for donor investment. One of the major challenges has therefore been to find a suitable financing and management channel for education aid. This monograph explores EFA-FTI efforts to expand the partnership model to incorporate fragile states. It analyses the critical factors, procedures and governance issues that have been addressed in the development of a framework for financing education in such contexts, and identifies key lessons for future education resourcing initiatives in fragile states.
Citation
CREATE Pathways to Access, Research Monograph No. 30, ISBN 0-901881-37-6, 38 pp.
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