Over the past years our understanding and positioning on education has sharpened. We now have a much clearer analysis of the international and local dynamics affecting education policy and practice. A shift and movement in our work education work is gradually taking place: beyond projects and programs at a micro level to building linkages between our micro and macro level interventions by harnessing our local level presence effectively for our policy and campaigning work.
Our work encompasses the following main thematic thrusts:
a) Good Governance in Education with the main objective to increase transparency, accountability and responsiveness in education systems through increased participation (through budget tracking, strengthening PTAs, building alliances etc)
b) Realization of entitlements and rights. Ensuring the right to free, quality basic education is enshrined in law and enforceable in practice (through alliance building and working with the media)
c) Adequate resources. Ensuring publicly funded and provided quality education is available to all (using the outcome of budget tracking initiative for lobbying and influencing)
d) Access. Ensuring that all children including the most marginalized and disadvantaged have access to quality education (building pressure through coalitions etc)
At the national level, our education work is focused on and flows from the Commonwealth Education Fund (CEF), for which AAPk is one of the Managing Agencies in Pakistan along with Oxfam and Save the Children Fund UK. Main themes of our work dovetail with the CEF priorities and objectives. The year 2003 saw the first phase of implementation of the CEF program in Pakistan.
For promoting good governance in education, main activities include budget tracking and monitoring of education budgets from the local level to the national level. This initiative, carried out under the CEF program, has two dimensions:
To empower communities to speak about resource mobilization and utilization by making them aware of the significance of budget allocations, funds available and priorities also developing technical skills and mechanisms to track budget allocations and spendings as well as advocacy capacity to influence budget outcomes at school, local, district and national levels.
Building knowledge and understanding of financing and budgeting, addressing capacity gaps of understanding of financing to undertake analysis, lobbying and influencing.
Achievements in relation to plans:
Assessing achievements against the backdrop of our objectives, significant progress has been made in our CEF program with the first phase of implementation underway.
Our Development Areas actively supported and celebrated the Global Week of Action aiming at promoting girls education.
Contact Person: Hammad.ahmad@actionaid.org
