A daylong
joint donor review and supervision mission for the education sector was
recently held at the Regional Education Office in Kanifing.
The review also included consultations and dialogue on sector policy issues, sector plans, field trips and school visits.
It also looked into the technical and vocational training education needs, macroeconomic trends, education budget and governance issues.
The main objective was to ensure the entire education plans were successfully implemented but also within the framework of the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action commitment on aid effectiveness, especially with regard to national ownership, use of country system, aid alignment with national development agenda and priorities, and improved coordination, management results and mutual accountability for better result for the education sector.
Speaking on behalf of the permanent secretary, Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mod K. Ceesay, deputy permanent secretary, said the joint review and donor supervision mission is an annual event organized by the education sector purposely to consult and dialogue on sector policy management issues, sector plan development on particular market environment and education budget.
He said his ministry is fully encouraging this type of platform and happy to report the realization of good education sector performance and service delivery.
He said to ensure achievement of aid effectiveness, the Government of The Gambia in collaboration with UNDP has developed and validated the Gambia Aid Policy and Aids Action Plans which now awaits cabinet approval.
He further stated that this framework for mechanism will promote policy guidance in mobilizing resources and providing a framework for an optimal management of AIDS.
In his official opening remarks on behalf of the minister of Basic and Secondary Education, the permanent secretary, MOBSE, Babucarr Bouy, said such a school programme was the first of its kind in The Gambia but also is the second such product in the West Africa.
He added that it exists only in Abuja and today it is a reality in The Gambia too, referring to the school improvement programme.
He further told the gathering that if the ministry had an additional DM80 on top of its current allocation.
The permanent secretary further stated that Gambian can be the first country in West Africa in which a child can go to grade one and finish his or her education up to grade 12 without the parent paying school fees.
“We know it is possible because we have looked at the figures and realized that if we focus on the necessary aspects of our educational operation or the services we deliver this additional million of dalasi can financially help us.”
For her part, Vitoria Ginja, chair of Local Education Group and WFP country director, expressed great pleasure to be part of the review and implementation of strategic policies and programmes within the education sector of The Gambia.
This coincided with the World Bank review mission, she said, noting that not long ago, LEG members came together under the leadership of the ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to discuss and strategize on the way forward.
“The most recent work undertaken in 2013 is the drafting of the education sector strategic plan-2013-2022, appraisal and endorsement of the Medium Term Plan 2014-2017, and commendable participation in the development of the new Education project to be supported by World Bank and Global Partnership for Education,” she said.
