On Saturday, June 28, 2014, the Board of Directors of the Global Partnership for Education approved US$201.8 million in grants to four developing countries providing critical funding and momentum toward quality education for all children. This new financing strongly reflects the Global Partnership's top priorities: increasing access to basic education in fragile states and for children living in marginalized areas; improving the quality of education, championing girls' education and strengthening monitoring and accountability mechanism.
The announcement of the new grant approvals were made at a Board meeting in Brussels following the second replenishment conference of the Global Partnership, which raised US$28.5 billion for global education, including US$ 2.1 million for the GPE Fund. The conference had kick-started the partnership’s replenishment period 2015-2018.
The five new grants (two for Pakistan) build on prior achievements and will help implement the national education plans developed by Haiti, Togo and Uzbekistan as well as the regional education plans in Pakistan’s Sindh and Balochistan regions.
Haiti will receive a grant of US$24.1 million to support enrollment of students in disadvantaged non-public primary schools; student attendance in targeted public and non-public primary schools in disadvantaged areas; and strengthened management of the Haitian primary education sector.
The grant for Pakistan (Sindh) of US$66 million will support the implementation of Sindh's Education Sector Plan. The reform areas and activities supported by the Project aim to achieve structural improvements in the government's ability to ensure effective service delivery through strengthening monitoring, management and accountability mechanism.
Pakistan (Balochistan) will receive a grant of US$34 million to increase school enrollment and retention in schools, with a special focus on girls' participation; to develop mechanisms for information collection and use for the improved management of education.
Togo’s grant of US$27.8 million will improve the quality of teaching and learning in the early grades of primary education and increase access and equity, particularly in the 18 most disadvantaged prefectures, focusing on girls in the four prefectures with the lowest primary completion rates.
Uzbekistan will receive a grant of US$49.9 million to increase access of children age 3-6 to quality early childhood care and education in rural pre-primary institutions. The grant will also help to improve conditions for better learning outcomes of students of rural general educational secondary schools (Grades 1-9).