Coordinating Civil Society and Government efforts to improve learning outcomes in Community Schools

• In Event: Harmonizing Aid to Improve Literacy Outcomes: Making an impact in Zambian schools

Abstract

Community schools emerged in the 90s as a reaction by local communities to address the failure of government to provide adequate learning facilities. Community schools meet the educational needs of vulnerable children who would otherwise be forced to walk long distances or would be unable to afford costs associated with school attendance. As in government schools, Community Schools students performance in early grades remains critically low. Zambia Ministry of Education (MoE) has recognized Community Schools as an integral part of the education system, and this paper will look at how all partners have coordinated efforts toward mainstreaming Community Schools into MoE programming. It all started with the involvement of MoE personnel into a nationwide Early Grade Reading Assessment activity, which often was the first opportunity for MoE officials to visit Community Schools, to understand their specific strengths and challenges (the “eye opening” factor), and to realize the low level of reading performance. A Community School Steering Committee was created by the Department of Planning to coordinate stakeholders’ efforts, to monitor activities and projects supporting Community schools. All partners (including donors, UN agencies, CSO, NGOs) developed Operational Guidelines for Community Schools in a joint effort to better define roles of partners, and to coordinate efforts and activities. As a result, CS Parents Committees are getting more involved in monitoring learning outcomes in schools and MoE at all levels (Provincial / District) now includes CS into its plans, activities and budgets: CS teachers are now included in MoE continuous professional development activities and community schools receive more material support. While this takes place into a broader context of stakeholder collaboration to improve reading in early grades, the coordinated effort should result in increased learning outcomes (currently being measured).

Author

• Patrick Fayoud, EDC