Civil Society-Government Partnership for School Improvement

“I really feel happy about this whole development. What this means is that whatever evidence-based issues and challenges we the Civil Society Organisations (CSO) partnering with government identify as a result of our work in the school, is presented to government. We are now confident that an action to tackle such challenges will be taken immediately.”

These are the words ofMrs. Grace Ozioko, a staff of Youth Resource Development, Education and Leadership Centre for Africa, YORDEL. YORDEL is one of the CSOs partnering with the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board (ENSUBEB) to train and mentor community members to support the school improvement programme. Grace is pleased with the positive turnaround of government’s attitude towards working with CSOs in the provision of quality basic education.

The Civil Society Government Partnership (CGP) strategy facilitated by ESSPIN has helped Enugu State raise the level of quality basic education. Due to training and support given to the CGP, government officials and civil society now work to ensure that quality basic education is provided in public primary schools. Government now shares information on education planning and budgeting with CSOs on more regular basis. Education programmes and projects are jointly monitored and evaluated and emerging issues and challenges identified and tackled collectively.

“I never believed that civil servants can be so dedicated to reforms,saidan enthusiastic Grace. “This ESSPIN programme is an eye opener to all of us”.

Todaythe State government is funding CSOs to work on improving teaching and learning as well as sensitising and mobilising communities to support school improvement. In the current school year, the State Government through the Enugu State Universal Basic Education Board has signed a memorandumof understandingwith A cross-section of SBMC members in a training

eight Enugu State based CSOs including YORDEL, which Grace works for, to train and mentor 3,240 SBMC members to support school improvement in 405 schools.

One other result of ESSPIN’s CSO strategy in the state is the strengthening and enlargement of the membership base of the Advocacy Task Committee on Education Sector (ATCES), a network of CSOs working in education in Enugu State. ATCES is partnering with the government to ensure the functionality of School Based Management Committees and implementation of the SIP in all the 1,218 public primary schools in the state. According to Grace, “ESSPIN has created a platform for CSO and government to work together and our schools are getting better. ESSPIN’s continuous training and support for CSOs has been wonderful’’. Na Malia.