Endorsement of Benin's Ten-Year Education Sector

UNCLAS COTONOU 000091

SIPDIS

AID FOR: WALTER NORTH, AFR/AA; NATALIE FREEMAN, A/AFR/WA; WADE
WARREN, AFR/DP; JACQUELINE E. SCHAFER, EGAT/AA; JOSEPH CARNEY,
EGAT/ED; GREGORY LOOS, EGAT/HCD; JEFFREY BORNS, AFR/SD;
SARAH MOTEN, AFR/SD; JEAN POE, AFR/W

DEPT FOR AF/W (BANKS) AND AF/EPS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID SOCI PREL PGOV BN
SUBJECT: Endorsement of Benin's Ten-Year Education Sector
Development Plan.



1. SUMMARY: Under USAID leadership, 12 donors have completed their
endorsement of Benin's Ten-Year Education Sector Development Plan
(TESDP). USAID/Benin sent the donor assessment of the plan and
letter of endorsement to the World Bank's Fast Track Secretariat on
January 31, 2007. With this endorsement, Benin should be admitted
to the Education For All - Fast Track Initiative (FTI),a
partnership between developing and donor countries to help
developing countries to achieve universal primary education by 2015.
The FTI partnership is supported by a Steering Committee and a
Secrtariat managed by the World Bank. END SUMMARY.


2. The FTI was created in 2002 to increase education funding
available for low-income countries that demonstrate a serious
commitment to achieving universal primary education. The increased
assistance will result from the development of well-thought-out ten
year education plans that are endorsed by the local donor community.
By taking advantage of this initiative, Benin is pursuing a path for
sustainable development of the education sector and accelerated
movement toward universal primary education.


3. Benin's TESDP addresses the policy, capacity and financial issues
of Benin's education sector. The plan focuses on strengthening the
management of the sector; improving the quality of and access to
educational services; improving the quality of the sector's human
resources; reducing the continuing gap in enrollment rates between
boys and girls; and increasing the role of local communities as well
as that of the private sector in education. The plan also sets out
financial requirements for the next ten years. Under the primary
education component, Benin expects to reach universal primary
education by 2015, with a targeted achievement rate (completion of
grade 5) of 100% by 2014.


4. In accordance with FTI guidelines, education donors in Benin
conducted a technical assessment before endorsing the plan. The
purpose of the assessment and letter of endorsement were: (a) to
establish evidence that a positive policy environment exists for the
education sector and that constraints to policy implementation are
being addressed; (b) to guide the donors in coordinating their
support to the sector; and (c) to provide donor endorsement that the
country's sector plan is credible and sustainable.


5. The donor assessment and endorsement concludes a review process
that began in June 2005, and which was led by USAID -- Benin's main
donor in the primary education sector for the past 15 years. USAID
has also been the head of the local donor coordination group on
education for the past three years. Overall, the donors found that
the Benin plan meets the FTI guidelines.


6. Donor endorsement of the TESDP and the inclusion of Benin in the
Fast-Track Initiative are important achievements for the education
sector here. These are critical steps toward obtaining additional
resources to address the education quality and access problems that
have confronted Benin's education system since the beginning of
primary education reform in 1991. With FTI eligibility, Benin hopes
to qualify for transitional short-term funding under the FTI
Catalytic Fund when the Strategy Committee meets in March 2007.

BROWN