Sustainable Networking for Strengthened collective impact for Education

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Inter-organizational collaboration has become a primary global strategy for addressing social, economic, political, and other forms of developmental concerns. As the complexity of these problems increases, that even a large actor cannot solve alone, the need for collaboration becomes more urgent and building partnership models which are long lasting, scalable, and transformative, and which create shared value is therefore key (Torres-Rahman, Baxter & Rivera; 2015). Strategic efforts to address such issues have therefore promoted inter-organizational collaboration/strategic alliance as a primary method for achieving short-term and long-term goals that would be difficult to attain if a single entity had worked independently.
This panel, drawing from our evidence, highlights the dividends that have resulted from this effort in three major areas namely; 1) collaborative policy influencing for improving equitable education, 2) experiences of grassroot organizations on their engagement with Regional Education Learning and 3) how collaboration through a regional network supports teachers to improve learning for children most left behind.
The RELI members are leveraging collaboration to influence policy. Realizing the critical role that government and other key stakeholders play, RELI members draw on their collective experience to generate evidence to influence inclusive education policies and their implementation at the local, national, regional, and global levels
Collaboration is not only driving grassroots organizations' peer learning but also enhanced capacities of these organizations' to transform others beyond boarders. RELI members build and maintain effective working relationships for cooperation and collaboration where information, data, and experiences are shared freely among members. As a result, member organizations' have identified their capacity and learning needs and forged meaningful connections to learn from one another and expand transformation beyond the network. With this, they have become effective and influential organisations. This commitment promising practices like Assessing Values and Lifeskills in East Africa (ALIVE), an initiative that brings together more than 20 Civil Society Organizations committed to collaboration in deepening understanding of members on values and life skills, experimenting with what works in nurturing and developing values and life skills, and developing context-relevant assessments tools across East Africa.
To support teachers most left behind, and with the challenges occasioned by the Covid school closures, the network has supported teachers to learn and acquire an alternative pedagogy called Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) to support learners acquire foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Stephanie Gasior, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund

Individual Presentations

• Stronger together: Collaborative Policy Influencing for Improving Equitable Education - Margaret Wawira, Regional Education Learning Initiative Africa (RELI)

• Experiences from the grassroot organizations on their engagement with RELI: The Power and Value of Collaboration - Emmanuel Lubaale, Regional Education Learning Initiative Africa (RELI)

• How Collaboration through a Regional Network Supports Teachers to improve Learning for children most left behind - Gaudence Kapinga, RELI

Discussant

• Joyce Malombe, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund