Developing planning capacities in fragile contexts – the Afghanistan experience IIEP Summer School July 2009 Rebuilding resilience: planning education in « fragile contexts »

Strategic planning The strategic planning cycle + MTEF + Budget

Strategic sector planning Basic logical steps of the plan preparation 1. Situation analysis 2. Vision, goal and target setting 3. Assessment of proposed targets’ feasibility 4. Formulation of priority action programs 5. Preparation of financial framework 6. Preparation of monitoring framework 7. Consolidation of draft sector plan 8. Final revision and adoption of the plan 9. Preparation of yearly operational plans Involvement of national and international stakeholders

Session outline 1. Reflection in groups 2. Development of National Education Strategic Plans 3. Capacity development for strategic planning 4. Principles of intervention 5. How strategic planning strengthens the education system 6. Capacity development model 7. Key messages

Reflection in groups Each group picks one question You have 20 minutes Discuss and write your key points on the flipchart Appoint a reporter Make a short presentation

Questions Group 1: What are the obstacles or challenges to planning in situations of fragility? Group 2: What are the benefits of educational planning in situations of fragility? Group 3: What are the benefits of educational planning in situations of fragility? Group 4: Who should be involved in the planning process? At which level of the system? (Be specific) Group 5: What are the main differences between planning education development in fragile situations and planning in normal circumstances?

Population: 33,6 million (July 2009) Growth rate: 2.63% Life expectancy: 44.6 y Ethnic groups: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4% Languages: Dari (official) 50%, Pashto (official) 35%, Uzbek and Turkmen 11%, 30 minor languages Islamic Republic 34 provinces Strong international presence (ISAF and humanitarian/ development partners)

Education overview 6.3 million in schools in 2008 (34% girls) (only 900,000 total in 2001) 50% primary school age children out of school 24% literacy (32% male, 13% female) 12,000 primary and secondary schools 160,000 teachers (24% qualified) Equity issues: girls and women; urban/rural; province/province disparities

Development of National Education Strategic Plans MoE-IIEP cooperation started in May 2002 MoHE Strategic Plan, 2004 Strategic Planning and Capacity Development Project, First National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) started 2006 NESP II started 2008

Development of National Education Strategic Plans (2) At the start of NESP I: Not enough qualified personnel Weak management Absence of (reliable) data – EMIS Worsening security situation But, strong political leadership for plan development

Development of National Education Strategic Plans (3) At the start of NESP II, many challenges remained, but: Consultation efforts Joint review process / donor harmonization Increasing technical capacity / autonomy EMIS in place at national level / School Survey School mapping underway Teacher registration underway New MoE structure

Capacity development for strategic planning Variety of capacity development approaches ◦ Formal training workshops in country ◦ In-depth training (Masters at IIEP) ◦ Technical assistance as a training modality (no substitution) ◦ Generic skills training (English, computer) ◦ Recruitment of national TAs (conditional to MoE recruitment) ◦ Attempt to train trainers ◦ Coaching/mentoring in country and at a distance Collaboration with other agencies / TAs

Principles of intervention Participatory approach (involvement of actors within and outside MoE) Gender sensitive approach – positive discrimination Hands-on work works best Support donor harmonization (joint review of NESP implementation) Plea for long-term support to capacity development (predictability) Plea for institutional cooperation (sustainable) Support future SWAp perspective

How strategic planning strengthens the education system Contributes to State building Puts the Ministry of Education in the leading position Improves internal/external communication Creates better synergy among the different Ministry departments and autonomous bodies Facilitates coordination with and between donors (alignment) Increases the efficiency of service delivery by the Ministry

How strategic planning strengthens the education system (2) Creates national ownership of and mobilization for education Urges MoE to restructure Urges MoE to manage better (ex: merit- based recruitment, decentralization, school councils etc.) Is a catalyst for systems development (EMIS, AFMIS, program budgeting, teacher registration, school mapping etc.) Is a trigger for capacity development Increases technical self-confidence

Challenges & weaknesses Security Quality Implementation (operational planning) Reaching provincial/district level Linking plan to budget Top-down vs. bottom-up planning Develop capacities while delivering services Staff turnover, « brain drain » or death Aid coordination

Capacity development model 1. In-country training 2. In-depth training for selected staff 3. Sector plan preparation focused on process (more than product) 4. Plan implementation / revision 5. Decentralized (provincial) level 6. Building national training capacity + institutional arrangements 7. Phase out? Remain involved? How?

Key messages Political will and leadership Foster participation Long-term involvement (financial and institutional) Flexibility of aid Trust-building Self-confidence restoration Agree with MoE on how far to be involved in policies and substance

Key messages Avoid substitution (despite temptation) Do not distort with high salaries Ally with like-minded partners Be prepared to invest to start all over again Be prepared to take risks