Will Work with GPE to get all Eritrean Children into School and Learning

Eritrea this week became the latest developing country partner to join the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The country has worked with GPE’s partners to articulate its priorities for education between 2013 and 2017. These include a focus on getting out-of-school children into school, reducing class sizes and repetition and increasing learning achievements. The plan also places top priority on the expansion of educational opportunities for girls. As a member of the Global Partnership, Eritrea will join the GPE Board of Directors.

“We welcome Eritrea to the Global Partnership for Education and look forward to working with the Government of Eritrea and a wide range of development partners to get more Eritrean children, particularly girls, into school and to improve the quality of learning for all children. We will support the Eritrean Government in its quest to develop the knowledge and skills required for a vibrant, competitive economy and foster social development and equality,” said Alice Albright, GPE’s Chief Executive Officer.

As a GPE member country, Eritrea is now eligible to apply for a Program Implementation Grant in the amount of $25.3 million over three years. Eritrea’s new Education Sector Development Plan covers the period 2013-2017 and includes a clear roadmap for strengthened progress in the education sector going forward. These efforts have been supported widely by the newly-established Education Sector Working Group comprised of development partners including UNICEF, European Union, Africa Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, UNESCO National Commission, National Union of Eritrean Youth and Students, National Union of Eritrean Women and National Teachers Association.

The three main objectives of the Education Sector Development Plan are to:

• Increase equitable access to basic (including adult and non-formal education), secondary and technical and vocational education
• Improve the quality of basic, secondary and technical and vocational education
• Strengthen institutional capacity to deliver better quality education services.

The Ministry of Education will also establish a monitoring and evaluation system to systematically evaluate the implementation of the Education Sector Development Plan.

The Global Partnership for Education is made up of nearly 60 developing country governments, as well as other donor governments, civil society/non-governmental organizations, teacher organizations, international organizations, and private sector organizations and foundations, whose joint mission is to galvanize and coordinate a global effort to provide a good quality education to children, prioritizing the poorest and most vulnerable.