Guidelines for Transitional Education Plan Preparation

Abstract

The new global education agenda 2030 places strong emphasis on countries affected by adverse situations. It urges governments to put in place robust and responsive policies, strategies, and systems to ensure quality education in challenging contexts, and calls upon the international community to ‘build back better’ by providing coordinated support and investing where education needs are the most acute. The agenda expressly recognizes that the largest education gaps exist in crisis situations, noting that it is ‘critical to develop education systems that are more resilient and responsive in the face of conflict, social unrest, and natural hazards – and to ensure that education is maintained during emergency, conflict, and postconflict situations’. In response to the call for greater effort and investment in crisis-affected and challenging situations, these guidelines were designed to assist countries in preparing a transitional education plan (TEP). A TEP is justified where the changing nature of the situation makes development of a longer-term education sector plan (ESP) either technically unfeasible or inadvisable. As the name indicates, a TEP is transitional in nature; its aim is to steer and mobilize resources that will help maintain education services in times of crisis. At the same time, a TEP helps the education sector to progress by including reforms to ensure that education systems become more accountable, inclusive, and effective over time. These guidelines are not exhaustive and must be adapted to each country’s context and needs. They first provide an overview of the essential characteristics of a good quality TEP, followed by a presentation of the main steps in the plan preparation process. They are accompanied by a selection of helpful resources that are mapped according to the plan preparation steps. For countries that are candidates for GPE funding, a second accompanying document, Guidelines for Transitional Education Plan Appraisal, must be used as part of the GPE grant process to assess the extent to which the TEP responds to expected requirements before its endorsement by development partners, including the civil society. These TEP preparation guidelines draw heavily on the IIEP-GPE Guidelines for Education Sector Plan Preparation: the planning processes followed are essentially the same, although the scope and emphasis may vary based on the context. The guidelines are not, however, meant to provide direction for countries on whether to develop a TEP versus an ESP. Rather, they are to be used once a country has decided on a TEP. The guidelines represent a first attempt to provide technical guidance in developing transitional plans; they will be updated regularly based on country experiences and feedback. Finally, these guidelines do not discuss the thematic content of the strategies to implement in crisis situations. They present only the key processes and methodological elements for developing a good quality TEP.