Context
There are 250 million children around the world who do not learn to read, write or do arithmetic, even though more than half of them attend a primary school. About fifty-seven million children, most of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa, do not go to school at all. Only one out of two young people there attend lower secondary school. In addition, it is estimated that by 2015, 26 per cent of the world’s 774 million illiterate adults will be living in sub-Saharan Africa, as compared to 15 per cent back in 1990.
Despite significant progress, numerous countries will not achieve the six objectives of the Education for All action programme by 2015. The reasons for this include the lack of funding and a great need on the part of African countries to further develop their institutions, knowledge, skills and structures in order to effectively manage national education systems.
To support the Education for All action programme, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) was founded in 2002. Partner countries can apply for funding from the multidonor fund to develop and implement their national education strategies. Payments are tied to national education strategies and educational progress. This requires partner governments to have a high level of technical know-how and commit a large number of staff and resources.
The German BACKUP Initiative – Education in Africa (BACKUP Education) was established to improve African countries’ access to international funding and ensure that it is used effectively. BACKUP is the acronym for Building Alliances, Creating Knowledge and Updating Partners.
Objective
To achieve international education objectives, African countries have created better conditions for accessing international funding and using it effectively.
Approach
BACKUP Education offers African partners quick, flexible and demand-oriented support in avoiding bottlenecks and filling funding gaps when applying for and using funds from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
African education ministries and civil society organisations can apply for support from BACKUP Education in various forms:
1. Fast Access Mode (up to EUR 20,000): funding for national capacity development activities, for example through participation in training courses or conferences
2. Consultancy Mode (up to EUR 50,000): funding for expert advice on applying for or implementing GPE funds
3. Project Mode (up to EUR 200,000): funding for larger-scale projects with various activities for applying for or implementing GPE funds
At international, regional and national level, BACKUP Education works closely with the GPE Secretariat, donor partners, civil society organisations and international training institutions. It is a regional programme cofinanced by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Results
Since 2012, BACKUP Education has supported numerous government and civil society educational partners in creating the conditions needed to successfully apply for or effectively use GPE funding. As at October 2014, over 90 applications by African education ministries and civil society organisations from 23 African countries had been supported. .
The use of the funds in South Sudan is a good example of the project’s leverage effect. In 2013, it looked as though the application for GPE funding would not be submitted by the deadline. By bringing on board an expert funded by BACKUP Education, the South Sudanese Government was able to submit the requested application documents on time and in accordance with GPE’s quality criteria. The approved funding, amounting to USD 36.1 million, is now being used to rebuild the education system in the world’s youngest nation. Among those benefiting from these improvements are around 3 million children and young people of school age (between 6 and 17 years old). BACKUP Education’s targeted support has thus yielded substantial results.