Empowering Civil Society in Education: Education Out Loud grantees in National Education Sector Policy Design and Implementation

• In Event: The Power of Collective Civil Action: Exploring advocacy and accountability in global and national education policy through Education Out Loud

Proposal

Safeguarding and fostering civic space “facilitates participation in public affairs, which is a fundamental right.” If governments offer “concrete opportunities for engagement at national and local levels” they can “better align policies, laws and services with societal needs. Maintaining a healthy civic space is thus a prerequisite for good governance and democracy” (OECD 2022).
The significance of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the education landscape is reflected in the new Global Partnership for Education (GPE) strategy. It advocates their involvement in Local Education Groups (LEGs) and emphasizes the role of CSOs in amplifying the voices of marginalized and excluded groups (GPE 2022). However, for instance in the LEGs, a report attest an “insufficient representation and participation of civil society” (Oxford Policy Management 2018). For civil society organizations to be effective advocates, they must enhance their understanding of educational planning, equipping themselves with the knowledge and skills to voice concerns effectively. By doing so, they can ensure their voices are heard and contribute to shaping more responsive and accountable education policies.
This submission proposes an exploration of civil society's critical role in national education sector policy design and implementation with a focus on Education Out Loud (EOL) grantees. It asks: what approaches to civil society engagement are most effective from the perspective of MoEs? And what are the enabling conditions for effective CSO engagement and monitoring in the sector policy cycle, from planning to implementation, monitoring and learning? More specifically, the paper will explore the role of CSOs in LEGs to achieve effective partnerships, (2) CSOs as active partners in the promotion of innovative planning and management techniques, and (3) enabling factors for governments’ capacity to engage with CSOs. It will base itself on a review of the literature and information from EOL grantees, in addition to country field work.

Author

• Muriel Poisson, UNESCO-IIEP