Guyana has been granted the System Capacity Grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). This is to strengthen gender-responsive planning and policy development for systemwide impact.
UNESCO was identified as the Grant Agent, with the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) identified as the institution which will collaborate with the Ministry of Education to provide extensive technical expertise in education planning and management.
“Strengthening Instructional Leadership at District and School levels – Promote equitable learning by strengthening culturally responsive and effective instructional leadership and improved accountability at the district and school levels” has been identified as the priority for this project as it supports the Ministry’s Education Sector Plan 2021-2025 – Eliminating Illiteracy, Enhancing Tolerance and Modernizing Education.
As such, over the next three days, senior officers within the Ministry of Education will be engaged in an inception workshop.
During brief remarks at the opening hosted in the Barimi and Socobi conference room at the Guyana Marriott Hotel, the Ministry of Education’s Chief Planning Officer, Ms Nicola Johnson said that the process started in February of this year when a new GPE strategic Operating model for System transformation was presented.
The new model is intended to enable governments and their partners to lay a pathway to focus on a critical reform with the potential to catalyst system change. Countries are expected to conduct a screening, and a holistic review of the sector called the Enabling Factor Analysis. This review enables countries to look critically at the four (4) areas, data & evidence, gender-responsive sector planning, policy & monitoring, sector coordination, & volume, equity and efficiency of domestic public financing for education, which are the foundations of an effective education system.
“Through today’s workshop objectives, we hope that you will work with us so that we can look at the evidence and find ways to address the gaps identified in the EFA and its in-depth analysis. And agree and validate the findings.”
She further encouraged her fellow officers to critically review the existing gaps and find solutions.
Ms Johnson highlighted this process will enable the ministry to move on to the second critical step which is to prioritise and align, through developing the partnership compact that should be completed by February 2023.
The partnership compact will guide the ministry in its alignment of partners and resources behind the key priorities and reforms.
Today’s workshop was facilitated by Program Manager from UNESCO-IIEP, Paris Office Ms Candy Lugaz and Regional Focal Point for this Project and Technical Cooperation Coordinator, from UNESCO-IIEP, Buenos Aires Office, Mr Henry Armas Alvarado.