Strengthening government systems

The Initiative takes a holistic approach to systems strengthening. At the forefront of our approach to program implementation is systems strengthening at all levels from education Ministries, Departments and Agencies to local governments and schools.

Nigerian ownership and partnership are central operating principles and key to the success of the program. Embedded in the systems strengthening approach is full federal, state and local ownership.

The project is implemented through Technical Working Groups working within the state and local government to develop materials, train and support teachers and other officials, plan and budget at state and local levels and involves Civil Society Organizations to strengthen local responses to education challenges.

Tracking government spending on education

The Initiative provides technical support to government officials to plan and budget for programmatic components with increased counterpart funding from state education agencies as the project progresses in implementation.

The project reviews State Education Accounts to provide a framework for measuring total education expenditures and presents that information following a user-friendly format that is easily understood and interpreted by state officials and policymakers. This provides a more complete and transparent view of total spending on education in Bauchi and Sokoto states.

Results from the review of State Education Accounts will be used to track the costs of teaching and learning materials production and distribution. Measures of cost effectiveness will be included to help state-level decision makers plan for taking increasing responsibility for recurring costs during the project.

To achieve this, the project uses the following strategic approaches:

Effective Participation
Capacity Development
Policy Influencing
Leadership Support
Co – Location with state institutions

Supporting change agents

The project supports government institutions to prioritize and develop action plans that improve access to quality education and reading outcomes in schools, set standards and benchmarks for education systems, increase accountability and strengthen oversight mechanisms for effective monitoring.

What Change Do We Want to See?

Implementation of policies that encourage reading in schools
Better funding of basic education and early grade reading
Institutionalization and sustainability of project achievements
Quality assurance of schools that improves the education system
Reward system for performing schools