What is the initiative and where is it implemented (city or country, for example)?
PEFAF is an initiative launched in 2020 to improve the education system in Chad. A form of investment operation was chosen as the most efficient way to achieve desirable results. The Transition Support Facility (TSF) finances the project alongside a government contribution. PEFAF's aims at benefiting girls and women and targets communities in specific areas. Two establishments will be rehabilitated and/or constructed in the regions of N'Djamena and Massakory. Literacy programmes will target 7,500 women in two provinces (AFDB, 2020).
How was the initiative established? How was it implemented?
To improve the situation in the education sector, the Government of Chad adopted an Interim Education Plan 2018-2020 (PIET 2018-2020). The PIET contributes to the Five-Year Development Plan (PND 2017-2021), specifically supporting Pillar IV of the plan, which aims to improve the quality of life for the people of Chad. Additionally, a National
Gender Policy (PNG) was adopted in 2017, targeting gender discrimination and striving for gender equality. The PEFAF project’s objectives line up with these national policies adopted by the government and will contribute to their implementation.
Implementation of the project will benefit targeted groups and enhance knowledge on education reforms, school statistics, investment project programming and execution. Steering Committee members will share the most efficient and effective practices within the administration. The training sessions will be organized on the national and international level, which will familiarize experts from the Ministry with the best practices in developing pedagogy, curricula and the use of ICTs, allowing for better governance of the education system. Various project reports at different levels will also contribute to the accumulation of information and further analysis (AFDB, 2020).
There are several measures planned to mitigate risk factors and support the project implementation unit. One of the measures concerns restructuring of the project implementation unit, which involves recruiting a team of experts placed under the leadership of the Director of Education Projects within the MENPC. The team will comprise a wide range of specialists, including a project coordinator, a procurement specialist, an administrative and financial officer, an accountant, a communication specialist, a monitoring/evaluation specialist, an architect, a gender specialist and an environmental and social safeguards specialist. Another measure to be taken is updating the manuals of the administrative, accounting and financial procedures. Moreover, accounting software for diverse projects should be procured.
Another agency involved in the implementation of the project is a Steering Committee which includes representatives of various ministries: the Ministry of National Education and Promotion of Civic Responsibility (MENPC), the Ministry of Women, Early Childhood Care and National Solidarity, the Ministry of ICTs, the Ministry of Finance and Budget and the Ministry of Economy and Development Planning (MEPD). A representative of the Adviser to the President of the Republic on Education and a representative of civil society (CONAF) will also be included in the committee (AFDB, 2020).
Which stakeholders are involved in the design and/or implementation of the initiative? Which sectors do they represent?
A wide variety of stakeholders representing both private and public sectors are involved in the design and implementation of the project. A Local Group of Education Partners (GLPE) led by the Ministry of National Education and the Promotion of Civic Responsibility includes a Committee of Technical and Financial Partners, currently coordinated by the French Development Agency (AFD). The leading investor in the education sphere of Chad is The World Bank. Other agencies providing financial aid for the development of the education sector in Chad include the Swiss Cooperation, the Saudi Fund, the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Global Education Partnership and Education Cannot Wait (ECW). Moreover, representatives of the relevant technical ministries, women's groups, the private sector, groups and cooperatives, civil society, students, teachers, parent associations, various NGOs and the administrative services of the high schools are actively involved in the project (AFDB, 2020).
What are the impacts of the initiative in terms of facilitating lifelong learning? Who does it benefit and how?
The project is expected to make a significant impact on the education sector of Chad. There are several key performance indicators by which the impact will be measured: women's underemployment rate, the early (before age 15) marriage rate among girls and the female literacy rate.
One of the project's objectives is to provide girls with an opportunity to access quality secondary education; consequently, an increased indicator of the access will highlight the project's positive impact.
To effectively implement the project and improve the quality of education, girls' secondary schools will be renovated. Moreover, new schools will be constructed, which, as estimated, will increase the rate of enrolment of girls in the target schools by 20 per cent, at the same time increasing the number of girls taking science classes.
One of the primary aims of the project includes the financial empowerment of women involved in functional literacy programmes. Functional literacy programmes focus on learning a trade and are oriented toward the generation of income. The estimated increase in the income of those women is believed to amount to at least 15 per cent.
The project will increase the enrolment rate of girls not only in middle and secondary schools but also in vocational training, which will contribute to improving the quality of education and training for girls and women (AFDB, 2020).
References
AFDB (African Development Bank Group). 2020. Chad - Girls' Education and Women's Literacy Project (PEFAF) - Appraisal Report. [Online] Chad, AFDB. Available at: https://www.afdb.org/en/documents/chad-girls-education-and-womens-literacy-project-pefaf-appraisal-report [Accessed 4 September 2021].