Oslo, June 15, 2016 -- Today the Board of Directors of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) approved a US$100 million grant to support education for millions of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The grant will help the government to improve student’s reading skills, ensure children complete primary school and strengthen the governance of the overall education sector. This will include providing textbooks in local languages, supporting early childhood education and improving teacher training.
GPE’s results-based funding model links 30% of grant allocations to the achievement of specific results in learning and education system efficiency in addition to equity for all children. DRC's targets to receive the results-based portion focus on ensuring that children, who will have equal access to education through improved equity with the elimination of primary school fees, do not drop out in first grade and acquire expected reading skills.
“The Democratic Republic of Congo has been an engaged partner of the Global Partnership for Education and shown strong commitment to an equitable quality education for all Congolese children,” said Alice Albright, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Partnership for Education Secretariat. “The GPE grant will build on previous progress and further strengthen the country’s overall education system.”
The Democratic Republic of Congo joined the Global Partnership for Education in 2012 and has received a first GPE grant of $100 million in 2013, which is supervised by the World Bank. UNICEF is the GPE coordinating agency in the DRC. Since then, the country made good progress in education, but significant challenges remain.
“The US$100 million grant from GPE is an important contribution, which will allow us to continue the necessary education sector reforms in order to achieve our goals for the country’s development,” said Maker Mwangu Famba, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education and New Citizenship Initiative. “At the same time we will continue to focus on the 2030 UN global goals and the 2063 goals of the African Union. The DRC government thanks GPE and all other partners for their support.”
The new grant is in support of the new national Education and Training Sector Strategy covering the period 2016 to 2025. The strategy aims to promote an equitable education system for growth and employment, foster quality of education, and establish a governance system premised on transparency and efficiency.
One of the most pressing problems to be addressed with the new funding is low student learning outcomes. The 2012 early grade assessments in reading and mathematics have shown that 47 percent of fourth grade students and 23 percent of sixth grade students could not read one word after a minute. Student also had significant problems in mathematics. Teachers require skills training to increase the effectiveness of teaching and learning.
There are also disparities related to access to education, characterized by level of income of the household, proximity of the school, and gender. Being poor is the single most significant factor that affects whether children go to school in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Geographical and gender disparities widen as children progress through the system.
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