september 2017 unicef ghana country programme 2018...
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UNICEF Ghana
Country programme 2018-2022
Programme Strategy Note: Education
1. Introduction
This note reflects on the education related objectives and programmatic choices of UNICEF Ghana
Country Office (GCO) for the new Country Programme Cycle (2018-2022). The purpose is to outline the
planned education programme priorities and strategy; and where appropriate make linkages with cross-
cutting issues such as gender and disability as well as collaboration with other UNICEF sections (WASH,
Child Protection, Nutrition, Communication for Development (C4D), and Social Policy). The strategy will
determine the results that UNICEF will contribute to and its scope of work and guide the programme
design through the course of the programme cycle.
The UNICEF education programme for 2018-2022 is informed by the mid-term review of the current
Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2010-2020 completed in 20161; and also speaks to the available draft ESP
2016 (now 2018) - 20302 which Ghana initiated in 2016 with a view to align with the Sustainable
Development Goal for Education (SDG4). Overall, the UNICEF education programme strategy for 2018-
2022 is expected to contribute towards removing barriers and bottlenecks to ensure that all children In
Ghana have increased access to and participate in inclusive and quality primary and secondary
education, including two years of kindergarten, and are learning. The strategy anticipates an enhanced
focus on girls and boys who are disadvantaged due to multiple and often overlapping disparities relating
to poverty, location, disability and gender in Ghana. The emphases on early childhood and learning,
gender and inclusion, and emerging focus on adolescent skills development also resonates with UNICEF
global and regional priorities as outlined in the draft Strategic Plan (SP 2018-2021), Gender Action Plan
(GAP), and the Regional Education Strategy (2016)3.
This note is based on analysis of the country development context, supported by available research,
assessments and evaluations, and direct consultation with key government and development partners
and select district stakeholders. The initial thinking on the trends and challenges in the sector was
shared with government and civil society partners during the validation of the overall Situation Analysis
in September 2016. This was followed by detailed discussions on the proposed country programme for
2018-2022 during the Strategic Moment of Reflection in end-October 2016 and was attended by
government counterparts and development partners. In addition the education section also hosted
consultations involving different divisions and units of the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ghana
Education Service (GES), Teacher Unions, experts, and key development partners between October 2017
and March 2018 to scope and understand how best to complement and build on existing efforts in the
sector.
1 Draft mid-term review which is in actuality the chapter on situation analysis in the draft ESP 2016(now 2018)-2030, MoE
Ghana 2016 2 Draft ESP 2016(now 2018)-2030, MoE Ghana, 2016
3 Regional priorities for education include catalyzing innovative and culturally relevant approaches in education to support
learning and social cohesion; promoting bottom up accountability through community participation in planning processes and
decentralized monitoring; & promoting strategies to redu e ge der disparities i edu atio a d support girls tra sitio to secondary education
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The primary government partners are the MoE - responsible for providing overall strategic policy
direction and guidance for the education sector; and GES - responsible for implementation of approved
national policies relating to primary and secondary education. A core group of multilateral and bilateral
partners are active and include DFID, USAID, JICA, UNESCO, World Bank. WFP, and African Development
Bank and work through the education system. The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) grant
concluded in 2016; and Ghana as a lower middle income country has graduated out of being grant
recipient. However in 2017, based on revised GPE financing guidelines, Ghana is again eligible for some
form of financing under the newly launched leverage fund.
Key anticipated milestones for the country programme period include the concurrent finalization of the
new UNICEF SP/GAP 2018-2021 at the global level; finalization and implementation of the Long-Term
National Development Plan, 2018-2057 and its 10 medium-term plans, and accompanying efforts and
forums related to the SDGs at the national level; and within the sector, the finalization of the new ESP
and the accompanying results framework. At the country level, the UN Sustainable Development
Partnership Framework is also being agreed to and will provide the coordinating framework for action.
At the policy level, ongoing teacher education and school curriculum reforms, the recent fee-free senior
high school initiative, and the passage of the draft Education Decentralization Bill in the parliament will
also have a significant mid to long-term impact on financing and service delivery within the sector.
2. Prioritized issues and areas
2.1. Trends, challenges, and analysis of constraints:
Since 2000, impressive gains have been made in Ghana in access to schooling, particularly
Kindergarten and primary schooling, and relatively more modest gains in secondary education. Gross
enrolment rates (GER) at kindergarten and primary education have substantially increased for both girls
and boys with gender parity now achieved. The net enrolment rates (NER) are also improving in primary
education and are currently over 90 per cent for both girls and boys.
There have also been increases in GER at Junior High School (JHS) level with a closing of the gap
between male and female enrolment rates. Gender disparities in completion rates tend to be minimal in
primary education (98.5 per cent for girls vs. 100.8 per cent for boys) but remain substantial and to the
disadvantage of girls in junior high school level (70.6 vs 76.4 per cent), although completion rate for boys
is also low at that level. Enrolment in Senior High School (SHS) is improving both in terms of the number
of students and the percentage of children, however the GER and NER are still low at only 49.6 and 25.2
per cent respectively in 2015-2016; and gender parity is yet to be achieved4. Additional analyses of the
internal efficiency of the system related to cohort progression, repetition, and drop-out are not readily
available; and the gap is currently being addressed as part of the education sector analysis being
commission to support the finalization of the draft ESP.
The updated out-of-school children (OOSC) study5 estimates nearly 1.3 million girls and boys between
the ages of 6-14 are currently not attending primary school. However this number sharply declines to
453,000 when you exclude children between the ages of 6-14 who are currently attending kindergarten
(KG.) Due to late entry, nearly 847,000 girls and boys currently in KG are of primary school age. This
4 EMIS 2014-15
5 Update Estimates of Out-of-School children in Ghana, MoE-CBE Management Unit, 2016
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partially explains the high GER and relatively slow-changing NER in pre-primary and is linked to limited
early childhood development (ECD) opportunities and delayed school readiness.
However many children are not learning the required literacy and numeracy skills. The 2016 National
Education Assessment (NEA)6 highlight that a large numbers of pupils are struggling to master the
Primary grade 4 (P4) and Primary grade 6 (P6) curricular content. Less than 25 per cent of the pupils met
the proficiency cut-point in P4 and P6 mathematics and less than 40 per cent achieved proficiency in P4
and P6 English. There are small but statistically significant differences between male and female pupils
performance in P4 English and P6 mathematics. Females outperformed males in P4 English and males
outperformed females in P6 mathematics. While they are yet to inform interventions to improve
learning outcomes at scale, as part of USAID support, national assessments like NEA/EGRA/EGMA have
been institutionalized and are available every two years7.
The current language policy advocates for mother-tongue instruction and recognizes 11 languages and
accompanying primers and other learning materials for the classroom are available. However challenges
relating to teacher recruitment and deployment which are responsive to local linguistic needs create
policy implementation gaps. Children who use English, Akan, Ewe and Ga at home are more likely to be
in school since these languages are also mostly spoken by teachers in schools, and make the school
more welcoming. In contrast 15.2 percent of children between the ages of 6-14 who are Dagbani
speakers, and 7.9 percent of Other language speakers, have never attended school8. The current
Diploma in Basic Education (DBE) Curriculum used in Colleges of Education to train teachers for basic
education does not address the pedagogy associated with the use of language as a language of
instruction. Evidently, more analysis and evidence is also needed to address the learning needs of
children belonging to linguistic minority groups.
Improvements hide sub-national inequities relating to location, residence, and poverty. The number of
children between the ages of 6-14 currently attending school is lower in the Northern Region (81.5 per
cent) and Upper West (86.8 percent) compared to the national average of 93 per cent. Similarly the net
attendance ratio at primary level varying from 65.8 per cent in rural areas to 74.4 per cent in urban
areas. Similarly, only 66.6 per cent of children belonging to families in the lowest wealth quintile attend
primary school, compared to 80.9 per cent in the highest quintile9.
Although low learning outcomes are endemic, they do vary based on location (urban-rural) and type of
school (public versus private). Average performance among pupils in urban areas was significantly higher
than for pupils residing in rural areas. The disparities were similar for pupils residing in deprived versus
non-deprived districts. The performance of pupils residing in the three regions of northern Ghana
(Northern, Upper East, and Upper West) – where the majority of pupils sampled were residing in a
deprived district – was poorest.
The 2014 Ghana Demographic Health Survey (GDHS) data helps to highlight the pyramid-shaped
progression of the 15-18 age cohort through basic education cycle. While the overall transition to SHS is
6 Draft NEA Report, GES 2016
7 A recent development is the Partnership for Learning with USAID support (2015-19) to address early grade reading with a
focus on 100 districts. 8 Updated analysis of Out-of-School Children in Ghana/with District level Summaries and projections (2016), CBE Management
Unit & MoE. 9 GDHS 2014
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low, the sharpest contractions are visible between those entering and completing junior high followed
by those entering and completing primary education. Overall, 96 per cent of the cohort entered primary
school (while 4 per cent did not enrol); 77 per cent completed primary education (while 11 per cent
were still attending primary school and 8 per cent dropped out); 73 per cent transitioned to JHS (while 4
per cent did not transition); 31 per cent completed JHS (while 34 per cent continued to attend JHS and 8
per cent dropped out); and 16 per cent transitioned to SHS (while 15 per cent dropped out). While the
progression rates between girls and boys are relatively similar, children belonging to poor families and
those living in rural areas tend to be the most disadvantaged (See Fig. 1).
Poor rural girls and children with disability often come off the worst in terms of educational
disadvantage. Children with disabilities continue to be among the most disadvantaged in terms of
missing out on education, being invisible in the data, and being overlooked in responses to both for
out-of-school children and those in-school. According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census, one
in five aged 6 to 24 years with disability have never attended school; and those who are in school often
face stigmatization without appropriate learning support. A formative assessment (UNICEF 2015) of 5
pilot districts documented the role of awareness raising, screening, and teacher training in increasing
enrolment among children with disability and keeping them engaged in the classroom. It also
highlighted the challenge of management of an education system that truly caters for diversity; and
acknowledged the role of attitudes and associated stigma as the barrier to inclusive education.
While gender per se may not be the main driver of inequality in education in Ghana10, emerging
evidence indicate that adolescent girls exclusion is reinforced when the different sources of inequality -
10
The data analysis of GDHS 2014 highlights that the main drivers of disparity for primary completion were wealth (disparity
index of 15%), regional differences (disparity index: 12%), and urban/rural (disparity index of 10%) well before gender (disparity
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poverty, gender, geography -
interact with one other. The
inequality tree for Ghana (see
Fig. 2) indicates that the mean
years of education for rural and
poorest girls between the ages
of 20-24 is 4.4 years compared
to the 13 years for richest urban
girls and 13.2 for richest urban
boys. GDHS data also indicates
that gender differences tend to
become more significant at the
secondary level and even in the
wealthiest households, more
boys attend secondary school
than girls. However regional
variations also exist. Despite
being adjacent to each other,
the secondary school gender parity index is lowest in Northern region (0.88) and highest in Upper East
(1.31) indicating girls disadvantage and advantage respectively, an issue that requires further
exploration.
Reasons for not continuing education among girls range from lower aspirations to family reasons and
marriage, and financial constraints11. Early marriage and teenage pregnancy act as critical barriers: the
proportion of teenage mothers has soared in Brong Ahafo, Central and Volta regions among those not
having any education rising as high as 23 per cent.12 The Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty
(LEAP) initiative also highlights the role of cash transfers in easing household financial constraints to
education in Ghana. It has enabled children from nearly 77,000 poorest families to regularly attend
primary schools; and also improved attendance of adolescent girls already in secondary schools, and
increased enrolment among boys at the same level13.
In the absence of conveniently located schools and congenial infrastructure and learning environment,
children, especially adolescent girls, are vulnerable to erratic attendance, long absenteeism, and
dropout. About two of every five children in Ghana (44 per cent) attend schools without toilets and
three out of every five (62 per cent) attend schools without water sources. Although data is not
collected on school facilities for handwashing and menstrual hygiene management, these are also likely
to be low and especially impact on adolescent girls attendance.14. Instances of corporal punishment,
bullying and sexual harassment are also high, adding to the vulnerability of children. Nearly 6 out of 10
children between the ages of 14-17 reported being beaten at home all the time or sometimes ; and
three out of ten confirmed being beaten in school by the teacher in the last month15.
index of 2%). And similarly Fig. 2 referenced earlier indicates the relatively similar rates of progression through basic education
for girls and boys. 11
GDHS 2014 – reasons for stopping school; 12
GDHS 2014 13
LEAP a d Childre s Futures: More a d etter edu atio for the poorest of the poor, Fa t Sheet 5, MGCSP a d UNICEF 14
Excerpted from the GCO WASH draft PSN 15
Child Protection baseline research 2015
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The Government of Ghana has been proactive in enacting progressive policies and contributing
towards the creation of an enabling policy environment for education. It has made legislative
commitment to Free and Compulsory Universal Basic Education16 and provision for Capitation Grant,
which has helped schools to offset the loss of school fees; and other key incentive schemes such as
school-feeding programmes and free school uniforms. In 2007/08, Ghana became the first country in
Sub-Saharan Africa to make pre-primary education free and compulsory; and recently it has also
committed to inclusive education (2016) and fee-free Senior High School (SHS) for all children. These
aspirations and commitments are also reflected in draft ESP (2018-2020) referenced earlier which sets
out its ambitious policy objectives aligned with SDG4. This includes a focus on equitable access and
participation at all levels of education; improved quality of teaching and learning at all levels;
strengthened science, mathematics, ICT and technology education; and sustainable and efficient
management of education service delivery.
At the same time the Ghana experience also indicates that limited capacity and fiscal space to fully
fund and support implementation of these policies, monitor results, and sustain the gains made is
leading to persistent and widening implementation gaps in the education sector. As part of its fiscal
consolidation strategy to address macroeconomic challenges, Ghana has steadily reduced education
spending as a share of the budget. Education spending as a percentage of total revenue fell from nearly
30 percent in 2012 to 20.2 percent in 2015, still, it continues to meet international benchmark.
Education spending rose to a peak of 6.1 percent of GDP in 2012 and fell to a low of 4.2 percent of GDP
in 201517. In terms of the composition of spending, in 2015 the overall compensation of employees in
the sector accounted for 68 per cent, while goods and services and capital expenditure was 21 and 11
per cent respectively. However the share of compensation varies and is as high as 92 per cent for basic
education and as low as 37.5 per cent for SHS has implications for equity in as well as quality of basic
education18. Since Ghana s classification in 2010 as a lower middle-income country, official
development assistance (ODA) is also experiencing a decline.
The absence of systematic and systemic planning for improving accountability for learning outcomes is
also creating unnecessary trade-offs between improved access and student learning gains, especially for
disadvantaged children in Ghana. Ad hoc deployment of qualified teachers, unchecked teacher
absenteeism, and ineffective school monitoring systems create serious inefficiencies in the system. Even
when teachers are present, essential pedagogical tasks like lesson plans are often neglected and student
academic progress is poorly monitored. The lack of transparent and agreed standards and benchmarks
for school/system performance, monitoring mechanisms to strengthen accountability, and poor
parental engagement and weak community oversight also further contribute to the inefficiencies in the
sector.
16
The Free and Compulsory basic Education legislation in Ghana refers to: 2 years of Kindergarten education (KG1&2), 6 years
of primary education (P1-6), and 3 years of Junior High School (JHS1-3). The 2+6+3 years of prescribed schooling are also
referred to as basic education and concludes with the first school leaving exam – Basic Education Certificate Examination
(BECE). Recently the government has also promised to roll out a fee-free Senior High School (SHS1-3) programme beginning
with the entering cohort in the 2017-18 academic year. 17
Education: Improving Education Outcomes And Equitable Access, World Bank Policy Brief January 2017. The GPE project
completion report in 2016 also highlighted the need for ensuring adequate and predictable financing to sustain and improve
both school infrastructure and quality education. 18
Draft ESP 2018-2020
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The overall performance of the sector is unable to justify the levels of investments made in the sector
over the past two decades. There is a clear need for a national education performance accountability
framework to be designed and implemented coherently across the various levels of governance. The
much anticipated Education Decentralization Bill is an opportunity to strengthen accountability for
improved service delivery through local level democratisation of education, responsiveness to local
needs, and increased citizen engagement.
There is also a weak evidence base on the pros and cons of universal and targeted approaches and their
relevance in differing contexts in the education sector in Ghana; and a need for mechanisms for
equitably targeting investments across different levels of education. Apart from the GPE grant which
introduced targeting through a focus on deprived districts, inclusive education policy, and some social
protection measures (scholarships, school feeding and uniforms) - most government-led education
interventions at the primary and secondary level tend to uphold the principle of formal equality, often
spreading scarce resources too thin.
The increased focus on universal and free senior secondary education in both the SDGs and the national
development agenda is welcome. However given the endemic low levels of learning in early grades, it is
important to acknowledge that children who face learning difficulties in their early years often struggle
to catch up with their peers later. Hence increased investments at the SHS level and higher need to be
constantly balanced in relation to pre-primary, primary, and JHS education. Otherwise the increased
spending may run the risk of becoming regressive as relatively few of the disadvantaged girls and boys
are currently completing JHS and transitioning to SHS.
2.2. UNICEF priorities for 2018-2022
Based on the review of trends, challenges, and analysis of constraints and in keeping with its mission
and mandate of child rights and equity, UNICEF firmly believes that Ghana s national aspirations for
universal access to secondary education can only be realized if solid foundations and systems are in
place to get the basic foundations right. This implies putting the spotlight on:
a) Improving learning outcomes with a focus on school readiness and learning outcomes at the
primary level: There is strong evidence across the globe that quality early childhood programs and
teaching-learning models to promote early grade reading improve value for money and return on
investment for later education investments—primary school transition and completion rates increase,
repetitions and dropout rates decline, and children learn more while they are at school. And most
importantly the returns are particularly high for disadvantaged and marginalized children.
b) Prioritising equity in basic education with an enhanced focus on inclusion and adolescent girls’ education: Education is a human right and evidence also indicates that fair and equitable education
systems are also more effective in delivering results for all girls and boys. While UNICEF s overall goal is
that every girl and boy have access to a good quality education, there is also a need for an additional
focus on girls and children with disability because targeted interventions are needed to ensure they
overcome the unique and specific barriers they face to access and complete basic education.
The twin focus on learning and equity build on the previous country programme s work on improving
access and quality , while making key strategic shifts. These include a sharpened focus on learning ;
consistent use of the equity lens to prioritize investments/interventions and track progress; expand
the scope of UNICEF support to include the continuum of basic education - KG – Primary – JHS and
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accompanying transitions; and put the spotlight on educational needs and aspirations of adolescent girls
and boys and explore the potential for progressive engagement in SHS and skills development.
The emerging focus also complements existing development partners’ interventions, including UN
organizations, within the sector. Majority of partner investments are confined to primary or in basic
education (see Table 1 for an overview). In the latter it is more of an investment in one aspect of the
system like teacher professional development and not necessarily a systemic engagement. Several
INGOs (Varkey Foundation, Discovery Learning Alliance, Plan International, CAMFED, & World Vision
among others) work at the service delivery level in a project mode with varying degrees of geographic
scale. Most of the bilateral and multilateral initiatives are well-resourced and at-scale and will end by
2019, and will have a likely implications for the education sector and indirectly UNICEF.
Table 1: Development Partners – Overview of current investments in Education Sector
Development
Partner
Initiative Level of Education End Date
DFID CBE – out-of-school children (8-14) Primary 2018
T-TEL – pre-service teacher education
and curriculum reform for pre-tertiary
education
Tertiary – implication for
basic education curriculum;
2018
GPASS – Girls Participatory
Approaches to Students Success –
scholarships for girls in JHS in GPE
districts
JHS 2017
Girls Education Challenge Primary 2021
CAMFED (part of GPASS as well as girls
clubs and networks)
JHS/SHS 2018
USAID Learning Assessments –
EGRA/EGMA/NEA
Primary 2019
Evaluating Systems (EMIS) Basic 2019
Learning Early grades 2019
JICA Teacher Professional Development Pre-tertiary 2018
Education Decentralization (pilot
mode)
Basic 2018
UNESCO SDG Action Plan/ Girls Education Sector/Basic 2017
MASHAV Early Childhood Development (limited
scale/project mode)
Kindergarten
WFP School Feeding/take home
rations/cash transfers (targeted)
Basic
World Bank Secondary Education Improvement
Project
SHS 2019
TVET Secondary/Tertiary 2019
IDA 18 as collateral for GPE leverage
fund
Secondary Discussions
ongoing
AfDB TVET Secondary/Tertiary
UNICEF’ comparative advantage is its enduring partnership with the MoE which goes beyond the life-
cycle of projects and interventions. As bilateral partners reflect on transitioning to a technical assistance
mode in response to Ghana s lower middle-income status, UNICEF s boots on the ground presence is
becoming its greatest strength. In addition, UNICEF s principled approach to implementation which
relies on grounding interventions in local realities and ensures they are managed within existing
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structures of the MoE/GES/local government makes for increased ownership. As a committed
multilateral organization working in education, UNICEF plays an active role in sector coordination as well
as in exercising its convening power to create multi-stakeholder forums involving both state and non-
state actors. UNICEF Ghana is also considered a strong technical interlocutor in the proposed areas of
engagement – ECD, KG and school readiness, quality education, inclusive education, and girls education
and gender equality; and is also seen as bringing additional technical capacity through the UNICEF
Regional Office as well as Headquarters.
2.3. Lessons learned from the implementation of the current programme:
The main lessons learned from the current education programme and applied in the new include:
Develop a robust and realistic results chain backed by strong monitoring: The previous
programme s results framework was pitched at a high level with outputs approximating outcomes
and a weak programme logic. This challenged actual measurement and the programme struggled to
track its investments vis-à-vis improved education outcomes for children beyond activity
monitoring.
More focused and integrated programming: UNICEF resources were also spread thin across
multiple interventions and geography. UNICEF s gradual expansion of direct support to 20 districts
assumed UNICEF support would complement government resources. However the assumption did
not hold due to fiscal constraints and unavailability of basic operational costs at the district level,
and UNICEF resources ended up substituting for government resources and were stretched.
Adopt a capacity-building strategy: Most programme activities focused heavily on training and
building capacity of teachers and education functionaries. However, in the absence of a thorough
needs assessment, an overarching capacity-building strategy and accompanying M&E framework,
demonstrating the effectiveness of interventions to build capacity is limited19.
Ensure a more deliberate inter-sectoral approach and strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships:
Education programme collaborated with other sectoral programmes (Social Policy and Child
Protection), however a systematic approach to cross-sectoral policy advocacy, communication, and
programming is still lacking. And there is need to expand partnerships with civil society
organizations, academia, and teacher unions to strengthen citizen engagement and social
accountability.
2.4. UNICEF approach:
UNICEF aims to explore a multi-pronged approach to support the MoE and GES in improving learning nd
equity in primary and basic education. The approach will:
Adopt a systems-based approach: Strengthen local and institutional capacity and improve
coherence between policy, systems and practice to address implementation gaps in basic education.
Address equity and inclusion in everything we do; and also have targeted activities to reduce
barriers for disadvantaged groups, especially adolescent girls and children with disability.
19
The preliminary findings from the evaluation commissioned in 2016 indicates that there has been success in improving
individual participant learning in the focus districts. However, it is not clear how have the trainings improved the capacity of
education institutions and organizations to achieve results.
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Engage in policy dialogue and reform for sustained change: Provide quality advisory and technical
support, generate evidence, build partnerships and networks for advocacy and social accountability,
and support coordination among development partners.
Prioritise the use of evidence for decision making at all levels – both government and UNICEF:
Ensure support is relevant, results-focused and grounded in evidence of what works; and strengthen
monitoring and data use.
Promote cross-sectoral engagement and partnerships – external as well as internal: Inter-sectoral
collaboration with Gender, ECD, WASH, Child Protection, School Health, Social Protection, Local
Government, & Finance – to maximize educational participation and outcomes.
Advance national and sub-national engagement: While the new programme will primarily target
national policy engagement and institutional strengthening, UNICEF will continue work in 20
districts as part of agreed commitments (USAID, KOICA, and Spanish National Committee). Going
forward, the criteria for sub-national engagement will prioritize educationally deprived districts for
implementation; and the spread will be determined according to available funds.
3. Theory of change
3.1. Articulating a theory of change
The policy objectives identified in the draft ESP (2018-30) and aligned with SDG4 anticipate a 2030 vision
for Ghana where: all children have access to quality kindergarten, primary, and secondary education and
learn relevant knowledge and skills and effectively make the school to work transition. Experience and
research indicates that the broad conditions necessary to realize this vision in Ghana include:
Government and development partners strengthen implementation of education policies at both
national and sub-national levels, ensure adequate and predictable financing, target investments to
bridge gender and equity gaps, and engage in regular and rigorous performance monitoring at all
levels of education.
All schools at different levels of education have appropriate and required child friendly
infrastructure, teachers, and teaching-learning resources and are inclusive, safe, and gender-friendly
spaces; and head teachers exercise leadership and support effective school-community linkages.
Teachers are trained and motivated and all children, irrespective of their gender, disability, poverty,
location, and language, experience high quality learning in schools and demonstrate appropriate
learning outcomes at all levels of education;
Girls and boys have opportunities to actively participate in shaping their education and their school
experiences; & families and communities actively support the education of girls and boys and are
empowered to engage meaningfully in decisions that affect their children s education and demand
accountability.
There is increased investment in technical and vocational and postsecondary education and training
system, ideally paired with labour market and employment policies and strategies.
Given the cumulative nature of educational progress, the articulation of theory of change (ToC) to
increase the number of girls and boys attending and completing basic education underscores the life-
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cycle of learning - from early years, through childhood and into early adolescence20 (see Annex 1 for a
visual depiction). It understands that:
If more children, especially the disadvantaged, get a head start through participation in quality KG
services at the right age; and
If more children, irrespective of their gender, poverty, location, disability, and language spoken
experience quality teaching and learning practices in primary classrooms; and
If more children with disability and adolescent girls are additionally supported to complete basic
education; and
If all the above are enabled by strong planning, monitoring and supervision to ensure proper functioning
and accountability; and
If also supported by evidence-based decision-making and active and coordinated partnerships;
Then more girls and boys in Ghana can be assured of getting a good start in education and attending
and completing basic education in a more inclusive and equitable environment.
This programme ToC assumes that country institutions and policies need to and will lead on change;
and UNICEF resources will play a catalytic role to support, incentivise, and trigger change. This assumes
that the education sector in Ghana is able to progressively create the fiscal space to increase
discretionary spending in support of equity and learning improvements; and there is a political space to
engage in reforms concerning effective teacher deployment, governance and management, and
decentralization and social accountability for results. MoE and GES are also assumed to exercise
leadership and coordinate development actors in the sector to eliminate duplication, leverage private
investments, and maximize synergies.
Further, it is also assumed that the gains made and lessons learned through current investments by key
bilateral and multilateral development partners will be sustained and mainstreamed beyond project
cycles. In particular, UNICEF s programmatic focus on in-school children acknowledges the contribution
of Complementary Basic Education (CBE) currently funded by DFID/USAID to address the needs of out of
school children between the ages of 8-14 will continue as planned till 2018 and assumes an uptake
strategy will be agreed to with MoE/GES for beyond. In addition, it also anticipates and assumes that the
recently launched new global window of funds by DFID on the Girls Education Challenge may also
support interventions targeting out of school adolescent girls in Ghana.
USAID s Partnership for Learning with its focus on mother tongue instruction, early grade reading, and
standardized learning assessments will continue to support GES s implementation efforts to improve
learning at scale. The adequacy of school infrastructure will be prioritized and managed by MoE and
local government with UNICEF WASH programme extending support for water and toilet facilities in
targeted basic schools; and also strengthening coordination, advocacy, and provision of technical and
advisory support to leverage reform to improve WASH in schools including menstrual hygiene and
management. These efforts will complement UNICEF s/education section s actions to achieve the stated
outcomes in the education sector.
20
This assumes that efforts to increase access to quality senior secondary education and TVET opportunities and to support
school to work transitions will be promoted by the MoE in partnership with the World Bank, AfDB, and GIZ who are active in the
sub-sector.
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3.2. Developing the results chain
UNICEF education programme strategy for 2018-22 in Ghana is expected to contribute to the following:
Education Outcome: By 2022, more girls and boys in Ghana complete quality and inclusive basic
education with improved learning outcomes.
Based on the theory of change, UNICEF s contribution to achieve the outcome in the next five years will
broadly focus on leveraging changes to policies, systems, and practices to strengthen capacity for
improved and equitable service delivery at the basic education level. UNICEF then seeks to invest in 5
key outputs to support the stated outcome:
Output 1: Operational frameworks for improved kindergarten service delivery in place and implemented
at national and subnational level.
Output 2: Effective and inclusive teaching and learning practices modelled in primary education
Output 3: Improved capacity at national and sub-national level to support inclusive education and
adolescent girls to progress and complete basic education.
Output 4: Improved capacity for decentralized planning and monitoring for results in basic education.
Output 5: Stronger policy frameworks, coordination mechanism, and evidence-generation for improved
equity and learning in the education sector.
The UNICEF programme strategy will directly support interventions at both national and sub-national
levels to achieve the five identified outputs:
Output 1: Operational frameworks for improved kindergarten service delivery in place and
implemented at national and subnational level.
The formative evaluation21 of UNICEF support to KG indicates that in absence of coordinated efforts to
address access, availability of trained teachers, and effective monitoring and supervision, the UNICEF-
supported gains in increasing availability of materials and teacher training have had a limited
contribution to make on affecting change either at the systems level or at scale. Further, the focus on
formal provision of KG in the country, while essential, may have undermined policy traction of a holistic
ECD approach inclusive of parental support, early stimulation, nutrition and health in the early years to
support school readiness.
Going forward, UNICEF s investments will strongly advocate for an inter-sectoral ECD informed approach
to KG which seek to improve early childhood health, nutrition, protection and well-being and
educational outcomes as a complementary package. Working with state and non-state actors, the focus
will be to create a responsive pre-primary education sub-system which can support children to get a
decent head start and be ready for school.
The intervention logic here assumes that the foundational conditions for KG success in Ghana require
the strengthening of a sub-system approach to look at the child and school readiness holistically through
the ECD lens, demonstration of quality approaches involving communities and non-state actors,
availability of enabling mechanisms and resources to produce well trained teachers to lead on KG, and
this is supported and championed by stakeholders who are convinced of the importance of investing in
KG to lay the foundation of school readiness and learning.
21
Formative assessment of UNICEF support to KG implementation in Ghana (2012-16), UNICEF 2017
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UNICEF supported proposed strategies and activities may include:
Review and updating of the KG operational plan to better support a sub-system approach to KG
delivery involving both state and non-state providers, including regulatory framework, quality
standards, and accountability.
Building an investment case for an ECD informed approach to KG to leverage innovative and
increased financing for the sub-system; & tracking investments across sectors;
Support for creation of a cadre of high-quality early learning educators through engagement with
the curriculum reform processes currently underway; and increasing availability of quality and age-
appropriate teaching learning materials through private sector collaboration.
Supporting a catalytic national network and partnerships to champion and advocate for investing
early in children and promoting school readiness through KG;
Linking, advocating, and demonstrating with other services (such as feeding, parenting, child
protection, and social protection programs) with education programs for young children
(partnership with lively Minds);
Integrating a C4D strategy for right-age enrolment into the education system to ensure that children
enter kindergarten at the right age.
Output 2: Effective and inclusive teaching and learning practices modelled in primary education
As part of a broader USAID partnership on learning, UNICEF is currently implementing the Partnership
for Learning Support (2015-18) in 20 focus districts, while another initiative – Learning - is focused on
mother tongue instruction, early grade reading, and standardized assessments at scale. However, there
are persistent gaps in understanding of what actually drives learning improvements in the classrooms.
How does teaching practice change due to training and impact on learning? How does school leadership
drive learning? And the understanding is very critical to maximise the impact of the different
investments in the sector.
Going forward, UNICEF will continue its support to strengthen education systems, including a focus on
relevant curricula, engaging learning materials, and appropriately trained teachers. The new thrust will
be on modelling variations of child-centred approaches to learning which cater to the needs and
interests of all children (including teaching at the level of the child, those with learning disabilities, and
overage children) in schools. It will also focus on role of supervision, support, and local-level
assessments with a view to making classroom-based practice and school-based management critical to
achieving results.
The intervention logic here assumes that if governments and educators have knowledge about
contextualized and effective instructional models responsive to diverse learning needs of girls and boys
that are scalable, if necessary resources, supervision and monitoring are in place to focus on student
learning, and if more attention to and accountability for student learning exists at all levels (national as
well as sub-national), then policy and practice within the system and classroom can change to produce
improved student learning.
UNICEF supported proposed strategies and activities may include:
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Experimental pilot on teaching to the level of the child using teachers and strengthening existing
supervision and support mechanisms (building on earlier TCAI experience in Ghana22); inclusive
practices to address learning difficulties; and exploring how best to address the learning needs of
overage children.
Demonstration and documentation of the District Quality Monitoring System for Education which
complements national assessments and allows for assessing learning outcomes at district level to
support development and achievement of district learning plans and targets;
Exploration and evidence generation to inform strategy to address the presence and learning needs
of over-age children in the system;
Advocacy and technical assistance to review basic education curriculum review to align with the
ongoing review of pre-service curriculum (T-TEL) and implementation of Ghana-Reading Action Plan.
Output 3: Improved capacity at national and sub-national level to support inclusive education and
adolescent girls to progress and complete basic education.
This output is focused on equity in education in general with a spotlight on two related yet distinct
dimensions of equity - inclusion and adolescent girls education and gender equality. Both inclusion and
gender provide strategic entry-points to strengthen systems across the sector, and yet also allow for
targeted advocacy and approaches to address other deprivations relating to poverty and location23. The
latter focus will also be reinforced through our work under Output 5.
Adolescent girls’ education and gender equality: UNICEF will build on its policy engagement (teenage
pregnancy, gender training of education personnel) and continue to address barriers to adolescent girls
education24 - contributing to the country office's emerging agenda on adolescence. In the absence of
any targeted project or initiative to strengthen JHS in Ghana, UNICEF will also look at supporting
capacity-building of both state (Girls Education Unit [GEU]) and non-state actors and networks to better
support adolescent girls progression through basic education, especially completing JHS and also
explore the scope of engaging progressively at the SHS level and skills development.
As part of this engagement, UNICEF will actively engage with the pre-tertiary and Diploma in Basic
Education and school curriculum reform processes currently underway to ensure the issues of equity,
gender and inclusion are adequately embedded in the curriculum; and teachers are professionally
trained to demonstrate professional competencies in these issues, creating a teaching workforce that
meet the needs of disadvantaged girls and boys.
The intervention logic here assumes that if there is an overall curriculum which prioritizes equity,
gender, and inclusion, and is complemented by targeted support at the secondary level to strengthen
gender-responsive interventions, including a focus on pedagogy, skills development, and safe schools;
and this is coupled with raising demand for girls education and demonstration of scalable approaches to
22
Teacher Community Assistant Initiative overview can be accessed here http://www.poverty-action.org/study/evaluating-
teacher-community-assistant-initiative-ghana 23
As acknowledged earlier gender per se may not be the main driver of disparities in educational outcomes, however it does
becomes significant when it interacts with other inequalities. As such provides gender provides a stable and strategic entry
point to engage in the broader equity debate and dialogue. 24
Evidence indicates that improving outcomes for adolescent girls means addressing interlinked challenges which range from
safety, quality and gender-responsive curricula and teaching-learning, adequate facilities, transitions from primary to secondary
school, financial assistance and parental and community support and local leadership. It also highlights that improving supply-
side interventions especially at the secondary level to make them more gender-responsive also benefits both girls and boys.
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address gender-based barriers; and is supported by a empowered and capacitated GEU and multi-
stakeholder networks, then it can be said that the basic education system will have the institutional
capacity to support adolescent girls to complete JHS.
UNICEF supported proposed strategies and activities may include:
Evidence generation and capacity-building to promote gender-responsive teaching-learning in
secondary education with a focus on curriculum review, teacher training, STEM education, and skills
development25;
Promoting Safe schools and a gender responsive environment through availability of tools,
resources and trainings to address inclusion, corporal punishment, school-related gender-based
violence (SRGBV), menstrual hygiene management (MHM), and operationalizing the education
sector guidelines on prevention of pregnancy among school girls and support to pregnant girls and
re-entry of young mothers to complete secondary education.
C4D/S4D to promote rights of all children, with an enhanced focus on adolescent girls to attend
school and complete basic education and promote their participation.
Evidence-based and scalable approaches to identifying and addressing barriers to girls attaining and
completing secondary school are costed and demonstrated.
Building capacity of Girls Education Unit (GEU-GES) to engage in gender-responsive programming;
as well as to lead effectively on gender and education issues in the education sector, including
strengthening institutional linkages with agencies/units within MoE.
Strengthening cross-sectoral engagement and multi-stakeholder networks (including a coordinated
approach with UNFPA/UNESCO/WFP) to support adolescent girls education.
Inclusive education: UNICEF has supported and championed the development of the Inclusive Education
Policy and accompanying Standards and Guidelines and the costed implementation plan for the first 5
years. The operationalization of the policy has been dogged by several implementation challenges -
relating to financing, capacity, availability of accessible buildings, and stigma and prejudice – and which
continue to constrain participation of children with disability in basic education. Going forward, UNICEF
will continue to address these barriers and also mainstream inclusion as part of the programme
strategy.
The intervention logic here assumes that if there is increased knowledge and improved attitude and
practice among service providers; and this is complemented by improved capacity of duty bearers and
service providers in the education sector to respond to needs of disabled girls and boys, and this is
accompanied by improved quality and accessibility of mainstream education for children with disability,
and is supported by improved knowledge and evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of inclusive
education26, then it can be said that the basic education system in Ghana can demonstrate improved
enrolment, retention and learning of disabled girls and boys in primary education.
UNICEF supported proposed strategies and activities may include:
Inclusive education sector analysis to assess the readiness of the education sector to implement
the IE policy and recommendations for the way forward.
25
The state of evidence on the impact of transferable skills programming on youth in low and middle-income countries, 3ie
scoping paper 2015 26
This also links with Output 2 on demonstration project for inclusive teaching-learning practices with a focus on learning
disabilities in primary education.
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Support MoE/GES to explore accessible and inclusive curricula and assessments and appropriate
assistive technology to support learners with disabilities.
Support availability of qualified teachers trained in inclusive education pedagogy; and increase
knowledge and improve attitude and among service providers regarding children with disability;
Promote inclusive monitoring though support to Education Management Information System (EMIS)
data to disaggregate data by disability and degree of impairment;
Strengthening special schools and regional assessment centres to better support regular schools on
inclusion in their catchment area.
Capacity-building of civil society actors and networks to better support and advocate for rights of
children and people with disability;
Output 4: Improved capacity for decentralized planning and monitoring for results in basic education.
One of the key factors contributing to the policy implementation gap seems to be the perceived27 lack of
organization, control and accountability in the system – from the national to the district; and all of which
are likely to undermine performance of the education system and lower the chance of the multiple
interventions being introduced in the system by development partners and GES to improve quality,
learning, and equity from being successful.
Going forward, UNICEF28 will support research to better understand the political economy of
implementation and accountability in the education system and local government. It will use the
evidence to facilitate and strengthen the decentralization process through a systematic bottom-up as
well as top-down approach to improve the performance and efficiency of education systems. The focus
will be at the systems level through development of strategy and tools to strengthen monitoring
systems at critical points along the service delivery chain.
The intervention logic here assumes that if there is evidence on management and accountability related
bottlenecks in the system at all levels; and appropriate strategy and tools are available to assess needs
and facilitate local solutions involving both state and non-state education actors; and there is evidence
that using them clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the different actors and facilitates
implementation and accountability, then the possibility of increasing the performance and efficiency of
education systems is higher.
UNICEF supported proposed strategies and activities may include:
Evidence generation on management and accountability related bottlenecks in the education
system which undermine effective supervision, monitoring and achievement of results
Explore the need and build consensus for the development of an accountability framework for the
education sector; and accompanying capacity-building strategy involving all key stakeholders;
27
The e phasis is o per ei ed as the e ide e ithi the Gha a o te t o hat the real o strai ts are a d hat a help to strengthen management and accountability at critical points along the service delivery chain are still emerging. The recently
concluded GPEG project completion report based on its experience in 75 districts alludes to the potential of empowering
districts to plan and prioritize their needs by applying and transferring skills learned in terms of planning and executing
activities at district and school level, provided minimal resources are available through regular district and school grants; and
ensuring continuous stakeholder involvement in decision making to improve supervision and monitoring at low or no cost. 28
UNICEF will build on its current support to district systems strengthening in the 20 focus districts with its emphasis on
development of district and school plans, holding of school performance and appraisal meetings, and its work on leadership for
change and learning.
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Revision, strengthening, and where relevant development of tools for building district/school-level
capacity to address institutional barriers and managing and accountability for results;
Demonstrate use of revised tools, lessons learned, and documented in select districts;
Adapting and demonstrating mobile School Report Card as a tool for social accountability at the
school-community level
Output 5: Stronger policy frameworks, coordination mechanism, and evidence-generation for
improved equity and learning in the education sector.
UNICEF will actively support efforts in the sector in creating a culture of evidence-based policy dialogue
and decision-making to support learning and equity outcomes. While gender and inclusion as outlined in
Output 4 provide strategic and stable entry points to put the spotlight on equity in education, this
output will broaden the engagement to also frame and understand issues relating to linguistic
minorities, poverty, location (urban-rural) and regional disparities. UNICEF will work with the existing
Basic/SHS groups to define the research and evidence gaps based on the ongoing education sector
analysis as part of the ESP process. And through this effort also build internal capacity of the UNICEF
team to assess evidence, identify gaps, commission and manage needed research, and use evidence to
design its interventions; and inform policy advocacy with other state and non-state actors.
The intervention logic here assumes that if relevant data analysis and review of evidence on what drives
inequities in educational participation and learning outcomes and what works to address learning and
equity is available; and is complemented by available stakeholder platforms for dialogue and review at
the national, regional, and district levels, and there is greater alignment and coordination among
development partners scope of work and government priorities; then we can say that there is a greater
likelihood of improved learning and equity outcomes.
UNICEF supported proposed strategies and activities may include:
Engagement to inform the draft ESP (2018-2020) to be credible and evidence-based; sufficiently
equity-focused and inclusive; and costed and budgeted at all levels.
Evidence generation on financing education in Ghana, including scoping constraints and
opportunities for innovative, expanded, sustainable, and equitable domestic funding models (in
partnership with Social Policy Section and DFID and WB).
Develop a UNICEF fund-raising strategy to support the execution of the education strategy.
Support and participate in sector reviews/sector working group/development partners group at all
levels and support inclusive and evidence-based policy dialogue to enhance implementation and
accountability.
Support non-state national and regional stakeholders (including teacher unions and civil society
organizations) to review and monitor sector plans and benchmark school standards and system
performance indicators.
Technical assistance to fill identified information gaps on tracking equity and inclusion – some
emerging issues include sector analysis/EMIS strengthening, OOSC children, rural-urban, poverty,
and regional disparities, and IE policy implementation evaluation.
3.3 Assumptions, risks and mitigation
Risks Mitigation measures
ToC and Intervention logic may not Annual and mid-term reviews and feedback loops
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hold; provide opportunity for UNICEF to learn about what works or
does not in its ToC and intervention logic, and to take corrective
action that adjusts and improves the ToC;
No change in fiscal status quo or
very slow progress;
Expand fee-free SHS level may
undermine investments in basic
education.
Continuous and collaborative advocacy on equity and learning
(Output 5);
UNICEF supported resource mobilization for government;
Consistently work within the realities and constraints of the
existing system;
Take stock of UNICEF available funds and review, prioritize and
downsize programme
Limited political will for reforms
including teachers, governance,
management and social
accountability; especially within the
context of the passage of the
Decentralization Bill;
Look for acceptable entry points and advocate for evidence-
based strategies to strengthen monitoring (Output 4);
Engage with national CSOs to support their demand for citizen
accountability (Output 5);
Practice thinking and working politically to understand, assess,
and act;
Infrastructure not adequate for the
increasing enrolment with
detrimental effects on teaching and
learning;
Use UNICEF s engagement in WASH to advocate broadly for
adequate school infrastructure;
Disasters, climate change, conflict,
epidemics or other shocks
Advocacy with the Government to promote a contextualized
and comprehensive approach to DRR education (building
resilience of the education system.
Anticipate, advocate, and include an environment and climate
change lens in the curriculum review;
4. Results structure
EDUCATION OUTCOME: By 2022, more girls and boys in Ghana access and complete
quality and inclusive basic education with improved learning outcomes.
OUTPUT 1: Operational
frameworks for improved
Kindergarten service
delivery in place and
implemented at national
and sub-national level.
OUTPUT 2: Effective and
inclusive teaching and
learning practices
modelled in primary
education.
OUTPUT 3: Improved capacity
at national and sub-national
level to support inclusive
education and adolescent
girls to progress and complete
basic education.
OUTPUT 4: Improved capacity for decentralized
planning and monitoring for results in basic
education.
OUTPUT 5: Stronger policy frameworks, coordination
mechanism, and evidence-generation for improved
equity and learning in the education sector.
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5. Aligning results, strategies and resources
The table below provides an overview of required strategies and indicative resources – financial and
human - to deliver on the planned results in education. The parameters for costing include:
Programming funds excludes staffing costs but are inclusive of recovery costs;
Asterisked* staff are those who are fully costed against the respective outputs.
Assumes that Output 1 (Kindergarten and school readiness), Output 2 (Improved Learning), &
Output 3 (Promoting inclusion and adolescent girls education and gender equality) hold the most
potential for generating OR and hence have reduced RR allocation.
The programme delivery also acknowledges need for additional capacity and expertise in key areas of
girls secondary education, governance and accountability, public finance management which will be
addressed through technical assistance and consultancies based on actual need and availability of OR
funds.
Outcome: By 2022, more girls and boys in Ghana complete
quality and inclusive basic education with improved learning
outcomes
Total 5 years
RR OR
Staff and technical assistance $ 2,179,126 $ 2,199,107
Programming $ 4,320,874 $ 14,300,893
Sub-total $ 6,500,000 $ 16,500,00029
Total $ 23,000,000
Output 1: Operational frameworks for improved kindergarten
service delivery in place and implemented at national and
subnational level.
Total 5 years
RR OR
Staff and technical
assistance
Accra: Education Specialist (NOC(1)*/L-3);
Tamale: Education Project Officer (NOA*)
0.00
512,189.00
Strategies
Systems
strengthening &
service delivery
Development of plans; institutional
mechanisms/tools, coordination,
oversight strengthening, management
information systems
360,000.00
1,980,000.00
Community dialogue
& behaviour change;
Capacity-building for and monitoring of
Right age enrolment and increased
parental and community involvement
60,000.00
330,000.00
29
This includes the currently available OR allocation of $ 3 million for 2018 (USAID); 1.2 million (Spanish National Committee);
and $762,000 (KOICA). The planned funding gap is approximately $ 11.5 million.
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Gender and cross-
sectoral
programming
Promotion for a holistic, multi-sectoral
and coordinated approach to ECD/KG;
60,000.00
330,000.00
Evidence and data Measurable and documented quality
approaches to KG involving mothers,
focus on inclusion and play.
90,000.00
495,893.00
Leveraging resources
for children (inclusive
of private sector
engagement)
Building an investment case for ECD/KG
in Ghana; and exploring private sector
partnerships increase availability of
learning material.
30,000.00
165,000.00
Total Non-Posts 600,000.00 3,300,893.00
Output 2: Effective and inclusive teaching and learning practices
modelled in primary education.
Total 5 years
RR OR
Staff and technical
assistance
Accra: Education Specialist (NOC(1)/L-3*);
Tamale: Education Project Officer (NOA)
0.00
1,213,724.00
Strategies
Systems
strengthening &
service delivery
Strengthening education systems through
a focus on relevant curricula, engaging
learning materials, and appropriately
teacher training mechanism.
150,000.00 850,000.00
Innovation and
technology
Demonstration and documentation of the
District Quality Monitoring System for
Education which allows for assessing
learning outcomes at district level to
support development and achievement
of district learning targets;
150,000.00 850,000.00
Evidence and data Modelling variations of child-centred
approaches to learning, including
teaching at the level of the child, those
with disabilities, and being overage;
300,000.00 1,700,000.00
Total Non-Posts 600,000.00 3,400,000.00
Output 3: Improved capacity at national and sub-national level to
support inclusive education and adolescent girls to progress and
complete basic education.
Total 5 years
RR OR
Staff and technical
assistance
Accra: Education Specialist (NOC-1);
Education Project Officer NOB*/NOA*
Tamale: Education Project Officer (NOB)
0.00 473,194.00
Strategies
Systems
strengthening &
service delivery
Gender: Capacity-building to promote
gender-responsive interventions in
secondary education (curriculum review,
teacher training, transferable skills).
Inclusion: capacity-building for inclusion;
resource centres; knowledge, attitude,
practice
240,000.00 1,500,000.00
Community dialogue
& behaviour change;
child participation
Promote rights of all children, with an
enhanced focus on adolescent girls and
children with disability; Safe schools to
address inclusion, corporal punishment,
SRGBV, MHM, & pregnancy and schooling
among adolescent girls;
150,000.00 1,600,000.00
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Gender and cross-
sectoral
programming
Strengthening cross-sectoral
engagement, multi-stakeholder
networks, and Girls Education Unit (GEU-
GES) leadership
60,000.00 500,000.00
Evidence and data Demonstrate scalable approaches to
identifying and addressing barriers to girls
attaining and completing secondary
school
150,000.00 1,000,000.00
Total Non-Posts 600,000.00 4,600,000.00
Output 4: Improved capacity for decentralized planning and
monitoring for results in basic education.
Total 5 years
RR OR
Staff and technical
assistance
Accra: Education Specialist (NOC(2)*/L-3);
Education Project Officer NOB
Tamale: Education Project Officer (NOB)*
569,683.00
0.00
Strategies
Systems
strengthening &
service delivery
Development of plans/institutional
mechanisms/tools, strengthening to
support educational decentralization.
630,437.00
800,000.00
Community dialogue
& behaviour change;
Working with PTAs and SMCs to
strengthen school-level social
accountability; Working with teachers
and headmasters on school leadership;
378,262.20
720,000.00
Innovation and
technology
Adapting and demonstrating mobile
School Report Card as a tool for social
accountability at the school-community
level
126,087.40
240,000.00
Evidence and data Evidence generation on management and
accountability related bottlenecks in the
education system; and documentation of
effective local solutions.
386,087.40
240,000.00
Total Non-Posts 1,520,874.00
2, 000, 000.00
Output 5: Stronger policy frameworks, coordination mechanism,
and evidence-generation for improved equity and learning in the
education sector.
Total 5 years
RR OR
Staff and technical
assistance
Accra: Chief Education*
Education Specialist (NOC (1&2)/L-3);
Programme Assistant (G6)*
1,609,443.00
0.00
Strategies
Gender and cross-
sectoral
programming
Inter/cross-sectoral advocacy to support
education outcomes
(WASH/Gender/Social Protection)
157,000.00
200,000.00
Evidence and data Filling identified evidence gaps – OOSC, IE
policy evaluation, strengthening sector
analysis and EMIS systems
504,000.00
400,000.00
Leveraging resources
for children
Scoping with partners constraints and
opportunities for sustainable and
equitable domestic financing for
education, including innovative funding
models, to improve learning and equity;
189,000.00
150,000.00
Advocacy & public For a credible and evidence-based ESP 150,000.00 250, 000.00
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engagement (2018-2020) and sufficiently equity-
focused; and improved social
accountability.
Total Non-Posts 1,00,000.00
1,000,000.00
6. Monitoring Outputs and Demonstrating the UNICEF Contributions to Outcomes
Progress towards the achievement of planned results will be monitored using the indicators defined in
the attached results and resources framework, including UNICEF s contribution to the achievement of
outcome-level results. The education programme in Ghana can rely on an established administrative
data source - the Education Management Information System (EMIS) for annual progress monitoring.
Where data gaps exists, for example relating to inclusion and gender and skills development, we will
also work with MoE to integrate and strengthen the EMIS database appropriately. The learning focus is
supported by standardized learning assessments in literacy and numeracy based on sampling.
Ghana also regularly conducts the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), Demographic and Health
Survey (DHS) and Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS) at reliable intervals. The survey data is used to
conduct additional analysis to determine the number of out-of-school children in Ghana. UNICEF has
supported the Ghana MICS 2006, 2011 and 2017 and has a close working relationship with the Ghana
Statistical Service (GSS) to be able to adapt other surveys to capture relevant data pertaining to the
situation of children and women and lend themselves to impact monitoring; and provide data on SDG
indicators that are household survey-based. A learning module has also been integrated in MICS 2017 to
provide additional information on learning levels of both in school and out of school children.
Other important data sources that will be used for programme monitoring are the periodic school report
cards, the UNICEF-supported mobile School Report Card (mSRC) for real-time data collection at the
school level, and the national education sector annual reviews (NESAR). UNICEF is collaborating with the
Government and other major education sector partners towards a better integration of these different
data collection mechanisms to reduce reporting burden, costs and improve data consistency and
timeliness. Special-purpose data collection efforts will only be undertaken where no other data source
exists, and there is a clear articulated need and urgency to the issue.
Partner-generated data on programme implementation progress is also aligned with results framework
that are agreed with the respective partners. Since 2015, UNICEF Ghana has deployed an electronic
programme performance monitoring tool, trackME , to harmonize the collection, analysis and reporting
of this data from a wide range of partners; and to ensure that the programme logic between activity
implementation and achievement of outputs can be tested and validated on an ongoing basis. In
choosing output indicators and activity trackers (low-level tracer indicators captured in trackME), the
education programme will focus on monitoring potential barriers to the achievement of results, in line
with UNICEF programmes priorities. Data collection is organized to capture information disaggregated
by sex, location and other relevant dimensions as relevant.
To foster shared accountability, partners are actively involved in monitoring progress against planned
results, collecting and analysing data with UNICEF. Joint review meetings will be held at least annually,
to take stock of programme progress, assess any relevant changes in context, and decide on necessary
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strategic shifts in programme design. In addition, the programme will regularly and proactively reach out
to UNICEF s global, regional and country-specific knowledge sharing networks and participate in relevant
communities of practice, to apply lessons learnt and good practice approaches in monitoring progress in
Ghana and to deploy innovative tools where appropriate.
In 2019, UNICEF Ghana plans to commission an evaluation of the USAID-UNICEF partnership on
Learning Support to build the evidence base on what works to support learning, which will be used to
inform advocacy as well as inform and strengthen our support. The evaluation will also feed into the
mid-term review of the country programme in 2020 and inform any required course corrections. In
2021, UNICEF will commission a formative evaluation of the inclusive education policy, jointly with the
Ministry of Education, following five years of implementation since the policy s launch in 2016. This will
serve to determine the policy s effectiveness, document implementation barriers and facilitators;
demonstrate the impacts and value of the policy; and provide accountability for resources invested. The
UNICEF-supported adolescent girls' education and gender equality programme will also be evaluated in
2022.
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Annex 1: Theory of Change – Visual
Inadequate
financing
for basic
education
education
Climate
change &
emergencies
Lack of
political will
for reforms
2018 -
2022
Theory
of
Change
U
NIC
EF
GH
AN
A
Risk
s
Assumptions Outcome Outputs Conditions Barriers and bottlenecks to
be addressed (identified Pathways to
change/strategies
Legend:
Children unprepared for school and
not benefitting from education Limited or no budgets at
district and school level
Weak school community linkages; hidden
costs; social and gender discrimination
Policy implementation gaps – infrastructure,
curricula, management, finances
Weak management and monitoring - teacher
absenteeism, reduced time on task, lack of
appropriate resource materials
Build partnerships and leverage
resources (investment case) for
quality KG; system strengthening to
create a cadre of high quality
teachers and appropriate teaching
& learning material; cross -sectoral
engagement to promote a holistic
ECD approach to KG; C4D for right
age enrolment; evidence generation
and innovations on best practices
Demonstrate and advocate for effective
teaching/learning classroom practices;
develop and demonstrate a) integrated
cost effective in-service teacher training
model, b) district quality monitoring
system for educations; evidence
generation to inform strategy to
address presence and learning needs of
overage children; advocacy & technical
assistance for basic education
curriculum review
Evidence generation, capacity building
and institutional strengthening to
promote gender responsive
interventions in secondary schools,
inclusion in basic education system and
safe schools; C4D to promote rights of all
children; demonstrate evidence-based
scalable approaches to address barriers
to girls education; and strengthening
cross-sectoral engagement on gender
and education issues in the sector
Evidence generation on education
system management and
accountability; capacity building
strategy for decentralization;
development of capacity building
content & materials for the service
delivery chain; district level capacity
building for planning and managing
for results; adapting School report
cards as tools for school/community
level social accountability
Policy engagement to influence draft
ESP to be evidence-based, inclusive &
equity focused; scooping for increased
fiscal space for domestic financing for
education including innovative funding
models; partnerships & policy dialogue
for enhanced implementation;
collective benchmarking of school
standards; evidence generation,
technical assistance for monitoring &
data management
Gains made are sustained
& mainstreamed beyond
2019
Political space for effective teacher
deployment, governance & mgt. reforms,
decentralization & social accountability
Increased fiscal space
for quality
improvement & equity
Donors continue
to support basic
education
Adequacy of school infrastructure
prioritized & managed by MoE and
local government
Effective and inclusive teaching
and learning practices modelled
in primary education
Operational frameworks for improved
kindergarten service delivery in place
and implemented at national and
subnational level
Improved capacity for
decentralized planning and
monitoring for results in basic
education
Improved capacity at national and sub-
national level to support inclusive
education and adolescent girls to
progress and complete basic education
Stronger policy frameworks,
coordination mechanism, and
evidence-generation for improved
equity and learning in the education
By 2022, more girls and boys in Ghana complete quality and inclusive basic education with improved learning outcomes
Change
Teachers are trained and motivated and
all children, irrespective of gender,
disability, poverty, location, and
language, experience quality learning
and demonstrate appropriate learning
outcomes at all levels of education
Girls & boys have opportunities to
shape their school experiences; &
families and communities support the
education of girls & boys and are
empowered to demand
accountability
Government & partners
strengthen policy
implementation, service
delivery, & monitoring
to improve learning and
equity
All schools have required infrastructure,
teachers, and teaching-learning
resources and are inclusive, safe and
gender-friendly spaces; and head
teachers exercise leadership skills and
support school and community linkages
TVET and post-secondary
education and training system
linked with labour market and
employment policies and
strategies
Change
Education
Draft ESP (2018-2030): All children In Ghana have equitable access to quality kindergarten, primary, and secondary education and
learn relevant knowledge and skills and effectively make the school to work transition
Annex II
Detailed Results and Resources and Framework – Education (as of 22 September 2017)
Programme of cooperation between the Government of Ghana and UNICEF, 2018 – 2022
30
The current targets at the outcome level are based on the available draft Education Sector Plan (ESP) and will be accordingly revised later in the year once the ESP is finalized. 31
RR is calculated @ $ 1.3 million annually for 5 years.
Key Results Key progress indicators, Baselines
[B] and Targets [T]
Means of
verification
Major partners,
partnership frameworks
Indicative resources by country
programme outcome & output (millions
of US$ rounded to decimal, e.g. $5.3)
RR OR Total
Convention on the Rights of the Child: Articles 28 and 29
National priority: Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
UNSDPF outcome involving UNICEF: Outcome 3. Government of Ghana delivers equitable, quality and financially-sustainable social services;
Outcome 4. Marginalized and vulnerable populations demand and utilize social services;
Outcome indicator measuring change that includes UNICEF contribution: Same as outcome indicators below
Related UNICEF Strategic Plan outcome(s): SP Goal 2: Every child learns
Result Areas: 1) From early learning to secondary education; 2) Increase learning outcomes; & 3) Increase access for skills development
EDUCATION
OUTCOME 530
:
By 2022, more girls and boys in
Ghana complete quality and inclusive
basic education with improved
learning outcomes.
1. % of Grade 4 and Grade 6
students attaining minimum
competency or higher in English
and mathematics
B: 2016
English: P4 – 37%; P6 – 36%
Mathematics: P4 – 22%. P6 – 25%.
T: 2022
English: P4 -50%; P6 – 50%
Mathematics: P4 – 40%; P6 – 40%
National Education
Assessments –
biennial;
ESP 2010-2020
Draft ESP: 2018-2030;
MoE/GES, WB, USAID,
DFID, JICA, UNESCO.
Civil society networks;
Academia
$ 6.531
$ 16.5 $ 23
2. Kindergarten net enrolment
rate (disaggregated by sex)
B: 2015/16
Total - 79.5%;
Annual EMIS data
Household survey
data
F – 80%; M – 79%;
T: 2021/22
Total – 86%;
F – 86.5%; M – 85.5%
3. JHS Completion rate
(disaggregated by sex)
B: 2015/16
Total - 76.1%; F – 73.5%;
M – 78.6%;
T: 2021/22
Total -83.5%;
F – 82.4%; M – 84.5%
OUTPUT 5.1. Operational frameworks
for improved kindergarten service
delivery in place and implemented at
national and subnational level.
** For details refer to Guidance note
on education indicators;
1.1. Status** of implementation
of the National KG Operational
Plan
B (2017): 1 (Limited)
T (2022): 3 (Demonstration)
Education sector
performance review
Project monitoring
reports;
UNICEF quarterly
trackME reports;
ESP 2010-2020
Draft ESP: 2018-2030;
USAID supported
Partnership for Learning
(2015-2019)
MoE/GES, Informal
network of key actors,
Lively Minds;
$ 600,000 $ 3.9 $ 4.5
1.2. Number of districts
implementing an integrated
quality improvement package for
KG**.
B (2017): 0
T (2022): 20
OUTPUT 5.2. Effective and inclusive
teaching and learning practices
modelled in primary education
** For details refer to Guidance note
on education indicators;
2.1. Number of districts collecting
learning data using District
Quality Monitoring System for
Education tool**.
B (2017): 1
T (2022): 20
Education sector
performance review
Project monitoring
reports;
IEMT data
implementation
USAID supported
Partnership for Learning
(2015-2019)
MoE/GES, IPA, NEAU
600,000 $ 4.8 $ 5.4
2.2. Number of models** for
improved and inclusive teaching
and learning practices evaluated
B (2017): 0
T (2022): minimum of 2
reports;
UNICEF quarterly
trackME reports;
2.3. Number of districts
generating annual monitoring
report** on inclusion of children
with disability and special needs
B (2017): 0
T (2022): 20
OUTPUT 5.3. Improved capacity at
national and sub-national level to
support inclusive education and
adolescent girls to progress and
complete basic education.
** For details refer to Guidance note
on education indicators;
3.1. Status** of technical capacity
of GES to support
implementation of gender-
responsive education
programming in lower secondary
education
B (2017): 1 (Limited)
T (2022): 3 (Demonstration)
Education sector
performance review
Project monitoring
reports;
UNICEF quarterly
trackME reports;
IE policy
implementation
formative
evaluation.
IE policy
MoE/GES, Inter-sectoral
platforms like the
National framework on
addressing child
marriage;
$ 600,000 $ 4.8 $ 5.4
Number proportion of adolescent
girls and boys attending JHS who
benefit from UNICEF-supported
structured skills development
programme**
B (2017): 0
T (2022): 20,000
3.2. Status** of technical capacity
of GES to support
implementation of inclusive
education programming in basic
education**
B (2017): 1 (Limited)
T (2022): 3 (Demonstration)
OUTPUT 5.4. Improved capacity for
decentralized planning and
monitoring for results in basic
education.
** For details refer to Guidance note
on education indicators;
4.1. Availability** of a capacity-
building strategy and tools for
decentralized planning/
monitoring in education
B (2017): No
T (2022): Yes
Education sector
performance review;
Project monitoring
reports;
UNICEF quarterly
trackME reports;
Draft decentralization
bill; local government
structures; MoE/GES, civil
society networks;
$ 2.2 $ 2.0 $ 4.2
4.2. Number of schools in focus
districts with functional** School
Management Committees (SMCs)
and Parent Teachers Association
(PTAs).
B (2016): 0
T (2017): 1364/20 districts
Project monitoring
reports;
UNICEF quarterly
trackME reports;
Qualitative formative
assessment during
MTR;
4.3. Proportion (number) of
schools in focus district routinely
submitting data and generating
termly (3) mSRC-based school
report cards annually.
B (2016): 27% (368)
T (2022): 100% (1364)
Mobile School
Report Card;
Qualitative formative
assessment during
MTR;
OUTPUT 5.5. Stronger policy
frameworks, coordination
mechanism, and evidence-generation
for improved equity and learning in
the education sector.
** For details refer to Guidance note
on education indicators;
5.1. Annual number of multi-
stakeholder sectoral review
mechanisms/ platforms** to
review progress, including focus
on equity and learning outcomes
in education sector.
B (2017): 1 (National level)
T (2022): 4 minimum (1 National/3
regional)
Review
documentation and
reports
ESP 2010-2020
Draft ESP: 2018-2030;
MoE/GES, WB, USAID,
DFID, JICA, UNESCO.
Civil society networks;
Academia
$ 2.5 $ 1.0 $ 3.5
5.2. Annual number of UNICEF-
supported reports/
policy/evidence briefs** on
making the case for equity,
inclusion, and learning.
B: 0 every year
T: To be decided/reviewed
annually based on information
gaps/needs.
Available documents
/ briefs/studies
Research institutions and
think tanks – national and
international;
Annex III
Education Component Results Framework (2018-2022)
Ghana Country Office
Indicator Guidance Note
OUTPUT 5.1. Operational frameworks for improved kindergarten service delivery in place and implemented at national and subnational level.
Indicator 5.1.1. Status** of implementation of the National KG Operational Plan
OPERATIONAL (4) DEMONSTRATION (3) INITIATING (2) LIMITED (1)
Operational plan is being:
Implemented and monitored
beyond select districts;
Active civil society networks and
public private partnerships where
appropriate to support KG/ECD;
Tracking mechanisms for KG/ECD
budget are available across
sectors; &
Demonstrable improvement in
key KG-level indicators in EMIS;
Elements of operational plan are
being:
Implemented and monitored at
the national level and in select
districts;
Emerging evidence on good
practices, including those
relating to infrastructure, right-
age enrolment, teacher
deployment and in-service
training, school-readiness, and
inter-sectoral engagement and
coordination.
Development and agreement on:
Coherent approach, operational
plan, and oversight mechanism
to support delivery of quality KG
for all children to support SDG
4.2;
Attention to establishment of
infrastructural and service
delivery standards for KG;
enhanced focus on
disadvantaged girls and boys
access to KG; right age
enrolment, teacher deployment
and training, and integration of
elements of school-readiness.
Some KG interventions and
activities are being
implemented;
No coherent approach and
current operational plan to
support delivery of quality KG for
all children.
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators:
Result 2 system strengthening
output indicator: Number of
UNICEF-supported countries with
effective education systems for
learning outcomes, including early
learning
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
The availability of appropriate
national policy, leadership and
budget for early learning.
2.5 3
The extent to which there is effective
governance for early learning.
2.5 3
The quality of the teaching and
learning environment for early
learning
2.5 3
Indicator 5.1.2. Number of districts implementing an integrated quality improvement package for KG**.
UNICEF will support service delivery of an integrated quality improvement package for KG in a limited number of districts based on availability of funds.
Building on lessons learned from KG implementation during the current Country Programme (2012-17), and the emerging operational plan, the idea is to
identify a minimum package of support for quality service delivery of KG at the district level which can be standardized for scaling-up; and which will include
areas which primarily rest within the scope of decision-making that is possible at the district level.
While the actual package will be defined in consultation during the development of the operational plans, attention will be given to critical aspects of demand,
supply, and quality:
Deployment of trained teachers to KG classes;
Supply of TLM resource kit;
In-service training plan;
Right-age enrolment messaging;
Monitoring support.
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators:
Result 2 service delivery
coverage/humanitarian crises
indicator: Number of girls and boys
provided with individual
education/early learning materials
with UNICEF support
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
How many children were provided
with individual education/early
learning materials through UNICEF-
supported programmes?
N/A since UNICEF supported supplies
will not target individual early
learning materials
N/A
OUTPUT 5.2. Effective and inclusive teaching and learning practices modelled in primary education
Indicator 5.2.1. Number of districts collecting learning data using District Quality Monitoring System for Education tool** (DQMSE).
UNICEF will partner with National Council for Curriculum and Assessment/USAID to pilot DQMS-E in 20 districts.
DQMS-E is an annual district level school monitoring tool which helps to provide both diagnostic and performance monitoring district level data about how
students and schools are performing. The tool complements the ongoing national assessments (NEA/EGRA/EGMA). It uses LQAS technique to generate
representative data at district level to inform planning and monitoring for improving learning with a focus on reading in primary schools. The tool is simple
enough to be used by district education staff after an intensive training.
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators:
Result 2 system strengthening
output indicator: Number of UNICEF-
supported countries with effective
education systems for learning
outcomes, including early learning.
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
The functioning of the national
classroom assessment system
2 2.5
The quality of national large-scale
assessments
3 3.5
Indicator 5.2.2. Number of models** for improved and inclusive teaching and learning practices evaluated.
Currently planned models include:
Teaching to the level of the child and enhanced school supervision;
Addressing learning disabilities; &
Addressing needs of overage children.
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators:
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
The quality of the teaching and 2 3
Result 2 system strengthening
output indicator: Number of UNICEF-
supported countries with effective
education systems for learning
outcomes, including early learning
learning environment for early
learning
Indicator 5.2.3. Number of districts generating annual monitoring report** on inclusion of children with disability and special needs.
In 2014 GES-UNICEF developed the Inclusive Education Monitoring Tool (IEMT) which uses a checklist to assess whether schools are tackling IE issue and based
on the checklist, schools can be categorized whether they are in - initial phase, implementation phase, or actively implementing. The tool has been used
episodically for monitoring so far and not often in entirety given the detailed nature of the tool.
UNICEF will support the review of the tool during the planned sector analysis through the IE lens; and also see how it can inform generation of a more
comprehensive monitoring report to assess inclusion at the district level.
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators:
Result 1 system strengthening
indicator: Number of UNICEF-
supported countries with equitable
education systems for access
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
The extent to which national
laws/policies and plans reflect the
right of children with disabilities to
an education
4 4
the extent to which the school
physical environment is accessible
for children with disabilities
2 2.5
the extent to which materials and
communication support the inclusion
of children with disabilities
2 3
The extent to which human resources
support the inclusion of children with
disabilities
2 3
The extent to which attitudes
support the inclusion of children with
disabilities
2 3.5
The extent to which the national
EMIS is inclusive of children with
disabilities.
3 3.5
OUTPUT 5.3. Improved capacity at national and sub-national level to support inclusive education and adolescent girls to progress and complete basic
education
Indicator 5.3.1. Status** of technical capacity of GES to support implementation of gender-responsive education programming in lower secondary
education;
OPERATIONAL (4) DEMONSTRATION (3) INITIATING (2) LIMITED (1)
Gender and gender-responsive
programming emerges as a
critical area of focus at the
secondary level in the new ESP;
National curriculum review and
revision completed with an
enhanced focus in gender and
skills development at the
secondary level.
Girls Education Unit leadership
on gender issues is more visible
and better integrated into the
GES decision-making structure.
Active girls; education network;
Some elements and approaches
are being rolled out beyond
demonstration districts.
GES is supported to
operationalize training plans and
tools with a focus on at least a
few identified elements of
gender-responsive programming
on a demonstration basis in
select districts/region;
There is emerging documented
evidence on lesson learned,
good practice, and innovations.
Annual education sector reviews
demonstrate an increased focus
on gender issues in education;
Coordinated girls education
network in place.
Coordinated capacity development
plan/accompanying training plans
and tools/resources to strengthen
gender-responsive programming in
secondary education - beginning with
JHS and progressive engagement
with SHS - education at the national
and sub-national level initiated - with
a focus on:
Gender-responsive teaching and
learning with a focus on learning
and skills development (personal
empowerment and transferable
skills) through curriculum review
and engagement;
Gender-responsive environment
with a focus on sanitation
infrastructure and hygiene
education including menstrual
hygiene management (MHM),
re-entry policies for pregnant
girls and adolescent mothers, &
SRGBV, including bullying,
corporal punishment and sexual
harassment/abuse.
Systematic creation of demand
as well as orientation/training of
service providers to support girls
to remain in school through
engaged SMCs/PTAs, gender
responsive school management
and leadership.
Scoping and strengthening of
accountability mechanisms to
strengthen institutional focus on
Emerging demand and focus on
needs and interventions to
support adolescent girls and
boys secondary education in
national frameworks and
sectoral guidelines with a focus
on supportive learning
environments, including re-entry
policy for pregnant girls and
promotion of safe schools32
.
Donor-led interventions
dominate at varying levels of
scope and scale;
Nascent girls education
network.
32
Safe s hools i itiati e i Gha a supports schools as spaces with zero tolerance for corporal punishment, bullying, and sexual harassment.
gender across divisions and units
of GES.
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators: Result 1
system strengthening indicator:
Number of UNICEF-supported
countries with equitable education
systems for access.
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
To which extent national education
strategies address demand-side
gender-related barriers to quality
education
2 3
To which extent the national
education sector plan/policies
support gender-responsive
environments
2 3
The level of development of national
SRGBV prevention and response
mechanisms
2 3
Result 2 system strengthening output
indicator: Number of UNICEF-
supported countries with effective
education systems for learning
outcomes, including early learning
To which extent the national
education sector plan/policies
support gender-responsive teaching
and learning
2 2.5
5.3.2. Proportion (number) of adolescent girls and boys attending JHS who benefit from UNICEF-supported structured skills development programme**.
In the new Country Programme (2018-2022), UNICEF will build on its previous experience of episodic training of school prefects and children to promote child
participation, leadership, and health outcomes to develop a structured approach to skills development relating to elements of learning, personal
empowerment, employability and active citizenship – as defined in the new Strategic Plan. While it will initiate work on integrating these skills in national
curricula and training, it will also directly support skill-building activities with adolescents, especially girls, for demonstration purposes.
The scale of reach will be contingent on availability of funds for direct outreach.
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators:
Result 3 service delivery
coverage/humanitarian crises
indicator: Number of girls and boys
who have participated in skills
development programmes for
learning, personal empowerment,
active citizenship and/or
employability with UNICEF support
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
How many 0 to 17 years old children
participated in UNICEF-supported
skills development programmes for
learning, personal empowerment,
active citizenship and/or
employability
0 20, 000
The extent to which national
curricula and training support the
mainstreaming of skills development
within the national system
1 2
5.3.3. Status** of technical capacity of GES to support implementation of inclusive education programming in basic education
OPERATIONAL (4) DEMONSTRATION (3) INITIATING (2) LIMITED (1)
Teachers and school
administrators beyond focus
districts receive training on
inclusive education
Special schools and regional
assessment centres function and
also provide support to regular
schools.
And systems are in place to
monitor and generate relevant
data on enrolment of children
with disabilities by grade for all
levels of education.
Formative evaluation of IE policy
completed;
Key elements of capacity-
building strategy/tools are
operational in focus districts -
creating demand, annual
planning and monitoring of
targeted support for children
with disability;
Relevant routine data generation
and analysis (EMIS);
Special schools and regional
assessment centres support
regular schools in catchment
areas;
Inclusive teaching-learning
practices being piloted;
Issues framing IE are reviewed
and integrated in the curricula;
IE progress being reported and
discussed during the education
sector annual review.
Increased capacity and
engagement of CSOs;
Evidence-based capacity-
development initiative to
support implementation of IE
policy at scale for key
stakeholders (including GES staff
at the national and sub-national
level, local government at district
level, NGOs/CBOs, and
traditional/faith-based leaders)
Development of pre/in-service
guidance and content for teacher
training;
Better equipped special schools;
Curriculum review through the
inclusion lens;
Emerging awareness and
inclusive practices among a
limited scale of actors on their
roles and responsibilities;
Inclusive education policy
prioritizing the varied learning
needs of all children; with an
explicit mention of children with
disabilities in place.
And an accompanying national
costed 5 year plan available; &
Limited interventions in
increasing awareness, capacity-
building and data collection
ongoing.
IE sector analysis available to
inform strategies;
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators:
Result 1 system strengthening
indicator: Number of UNICEF-
supported countries with equitable
education systems for access
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
The extent to which national
laws/policies and plans reflect the
right of children with disabilities to
an education
4 4
The extent to which the school
physical environment is accessible
for children with disabilities
2 2.5
The extent to which materials and
communication support the inclusion
of children with disabilities
2 3
The extent to which human
resources support the inclusion of
children with disabilities
2 3
The extent to which attitudes
support the inclusion of children
with disabilities
2 3.5
The extent to which the national
EMIS is inclusive of children with
disabilities
3 3.5
OUTPUT 5.4. Improved capacity for decentralized planning and monitoring for results in basic education.
Indicator 5.4.1. Availability** of a capacity-building strategy and tools for decentralized planning/monitoring in education
The process monitoring will focus on key milestones which may include:
Mapping and review of education policy processes which impact on the issue;
Review of existing tools and practices conducted and major gaps identified;
Stakeholders analysis completed;
Consultative process initiated to identify capacity building needs;
Organisational capacity building plan developed with clearly defined goals and activities to achieve them;
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators:
Result 1 system strengthening
indicator: Number of UNICEF-
supported countries with equitable
education systems for access
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
The level of development of national
strategies to address inequities in
education access, participation and
retention
2 3
The extent to which national
strategies address inequities in
education resource allocation
2 2.5
The level of development of risk
assessments in the education sector
3 3
The level of development of national
risk reduction strategies in the
education sector
2 2.5
Indicator 5.4.2. Proportion (number) of schools in focus districts with functional** School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parent Teachers
Association (PTAs).
FUNCTIONAL (3)
INITIATING (2) LIMITED (1)
The School has SMC/PTA in place, which:
Meets in line with agreed schedule of
minimum 3 termly meetings in a school year;
mSRC-based termly school report card is
presented and discussed in the SMC/PTA
meetings and SPAM;
The School has SMC/PTA in place, which:
Meets in line with agreed schedule of
minimum 3 termly meetings in a school year;
mSRC-based termly school report may be
presented/discussed in one or more SMC/PTA
meetings and SPAM.
The School has SMC/PTA in place, however:
Does not meet in line with the agreed
schedule of 3 termly meetings in a school
year;
mSRC-based termly school report card may
not be presented and discussed in the
Actively participate and provide annual input
in the School Performance Appraisal meetings
and School Performance Improvement Plan
based on school report cards.
Provides annual input in the School
Performance Appraisal meetings and School
Performance Improvement Plan;
SMC/PTA meetings and SPAM;
Does not provide annual input in the School
Performance Appraisal Meeting and School
Performance Improvement Plan.
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators:
Result 2 demand/equity indicator:
Number of school management
committees whose capacity was
developed with UNICEF support.
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
How many school management
committees were trained through
UNICEF-supported programmes
670 1364
Indicator5.4.3. Proportion (number) of schools in focus district routinely submitting data and generating termly (3) mSRC-based school report cards
annually.
By 2018, UNICEF would have scaled the mSRC to 20 districts – at least making it possible to track the generation and use of data for planning, monitoring and
accountability at the district level. Since the expansion has been in a phased manner, schools and districts will have varied trajectories of submission and
generation at beginning of the Country Programme.
A formative assessment on the generation and use of data is also panned for the mid-term review of the Country Progarmme.
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators: Result 1
system strengthening indicator:
Number of UNICEF-supported
countries with equitable education
systems for access
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
data quality and timeliness in the
national EMIS
2.5 3
data disaggregation in the national
EMIS
3 3.5
data on attendance and dropout in
the national EMIS
1 2
OUTPUT 5.5. Stronger policy frameworks, coordination mechanism, and evidence-generation for improved equity and learning in the education sector.
Indicator 5.5.1. Annual number of multi-stakeholder sectoral review mechanisms/ platforms to review progress, including a focus on equity and learning
outcomes in education sector.
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators: Result 1
system strengthening indicator:
Number of UNICEF-supported
countries with equitable education
systems for access
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
The level of development of national
strategies to address inequities in
education access, participation and
retention
2 3
The extent to which national
strategies address inequities in
education resource allocation
2 2.5
Indicator 5.5.2. Annual number of reports/ policy/evidence briefs on making the case for equity and inclusion in education
Contributes to the following SP
(2018-2021) indicators:
Result 1 system strengthening
indicator: Number of UNICEF-
supported countries with equitable
education systems for access
Indicator Baseline (2016) Target/Planned Achievement (2021)
The level of development of national
strategies to address inequities in
education access, participation and
retention
2 3
The extent to which national
strategies address inequities in
education resource allocation
2 2.5