The Kaduna Government has developed an Education Sector Donor Coordination Framework to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of development assistance to the that sector in the State.
The Commissioner for Education, Dr Shehu Muhammad said at the validation of the document in Kano on Friday, that the measure was to harmonise and coordinate partners’ support.
Muhammad said that the framework was developed with support from the Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a governance programme being funded by UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
He explained that the multiplicity of donor operations in projects, programmes, working with different concepts, interests, and procedures requires a harmonisation and proper coordination for effective service delivery.
He said that the purpose of the framework was to ensure effective utilisation of resources available in the education sector by harnessing and strengthening the efforts of all partners.
“This will strategically improve the implementation of education sector policies, plans, budgets, and accountability mechanisms.
“It will also improve access, equity, inclusiveness, quality and efficiency in basic education, especially for girls,” he said.
He pointed out that the education sector was in dire need of support and reform to address the challenge of infrastructural decay and insufficiency, inefficiency in data management systems and limited teachers.
According to him, donors’ support and ongoing reforms will help move the sector forward and away from the challenges hindering it from expanding access to quality education.
“A similar coordination framework has significantly improved service delivery in the sector, and we are excited to have developed a donor coordination framework for the education sector.
“It is my hope that the document will also strengthen accountability in the implementation of education programmes.”
The Kaduna state Government, he said, recognises that a diverse number of partners (international, national, and local) are currently supporting the State’s education
sector.
The support has resulted in substantial improvement in the State’s educational performance because of institutional and systemic reforms introduced to the sector.
Also contributing, Mr Ashiru Sani, State Reform Manager, PERL, pointed out that different partners have been supporting the state’s education sector, resulting in substantial improvement in the delivery of education programmes.
Sani identified some of the support as the development of an inclusive Education Policy, a Quality Assurance Policy, a 10-year Strategic Plan, a Corporate Plan, and Service Charters among others.
“Nonetheless, it is necessary to coordinate the activities of the development partners to ensure better efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of improved educational services to the beneficiaries.
“With PERL support, citizens’ engagement platforms and contributions to education reforms have increased citizens’ voice in education planning and budgeting processes with more citizens now influencing policy decisions,” he said. (NAN)
