Campaign Focus & Agenda
EDUCATION FOR ALL (EFA) GOALS
In April 2000 more than 1,000 participants from 164 countries signed up to The Dakar framework for action on EFA. The Dakar framework is the most important international consensus on EFA, and reinforced the earlier targets set in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990. The framework sets out six broad goals with several targets and signposts building towards 2015. The goals form the most comprehensive campaign agenda for the Coalition’s work in Kenya; these goals are:
1. Expand early childhood care and education: The goal calls for better and more possibilities to support young children, and their families and communities, in all the areas where the child is growing – physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually.
2. Provide free and compulsory primary education for all: Therefore this goal sets the objective of seeing that all children – girls as well as boys – go to school and finish primary education.
3. Promote learning and life skills for young people and adults: This goal places the emphasis on the learning needs of young people and adults in the context of lifelong learning.
4. Increase adult literacy by 50 per cent: This goal calls for a certain level of improvement in adult literacy by 2015 – it says that it should be 50 per cent better than it was in 2000.
5. Achieve gender parity by 2005, gender equality by 2015: This goal calls for an equal number of girls and boys to be enrolled in primary and secondary school by 2005 – this is what gender parity means.
6. Improve the quality of education: This goal calls for improvement in the quality of education in all its aspects, aiming for a situation where people can achieve excellence.
Millennium Development Goals
To compliment the EFA goals are the MDGs, which are global targets set out in the Millennium Declaration, agreed by leaders of 191 UN member states at the Millennium Summit of the year 2000. The Goals outline an agenda, with measurable, time-bound targets, for reducing poverty and its causes and manifestations by 2015. Two of the MDGs - goals 2 and 3 relate directly to education, and correspond with Dakar goals 2 and 5; they are:
EYC CORE STRATEGIC THEMES AND AGENDA
EYC has a three year Strategic plan, during this strategy period of 2009 – 2012, EYC will concentrate its energies and deepen its focus on four broad themes, which will comprise the key strategic thrusts for its campaigns;
1. Networking and Coalition Building: EYC has an inherent responsibility of bringing together all education stakeholders to solidly work for the achievement of EFA goals in Kenya. The Coalition shall intensify activities aimed at Coalition building and networking among its members, education providers and partners.
2. Education Policy, Curriculum and Legislative Reforms: In the next three years EYC will be seeking to play a central role in the implementation of Kenya Education Sector Support Program (KESSP), Education For All plans, review of Fast Track Initiative (EFA FTI) and engage in other education sector policy processes. In terms of legislation we will be seeking greater role in fast tracking repeal of Education Act through the pending Education and Training Bill, securing basic education as a constitutional right in the ongoing constitutional reform process by the Committee of Experts; and based on the Sessional Paper no. 1 of 2005, advocate for development of a comprehensive education sector policy for Kenya.
3. Finance Analysis and Budget Tracking: EYC will continue to review and analyze education sector budget with a view to influencing allocation priorities every year; given that financial plans and allocations are indicative of what the government intends to fulfill, and are an important demonstration of commitment to progressive realization of obligations around basic education in particular and Education For All in general. Public spending directed to education will be interrogated to determine if the maximum available resources are actually being devoted to realizing the right to education in urban and rural areas and if the expenditure reflects the principles of equity and non-discrimination as committed to by the Government. EYC further seeks to build capacity of CSOs and communities in finance analysis and budget tracking to inform their advocacy work and promote accountability for increased public investment in basic education. This will involve reviewing and analyzing the education sector budget, against priorities of KESSP and current development plans and conduct education sector accountability sessions with the Parliamentary Committee on Education, relevant ministries and other stakeholders.
4. Research, Communications and Technology: EYC’s principal responsibility is to mobilize all actors in the education sector and coordinate national campaigns for the achievement of EFA goals in totality. The Coalition shall endeavor to conduct research from time to time (at least one study per year) to inform its advocacy efforts and to influence policy and curriculum reforms. To augment its research efforts, the Coalition shall put in place mechanisms for effective storage and retrieval of information in order to ensure efficient dissemination and sharing of such information to members and stakeholders.
Activities & Initiatives
EYC has been undertaking campaigns around EFA goals in Kenya for the past ten years, since 1999 and seeks to use the experience it has accumulated to inform this strategy and renew its efforts towards 2015. Here we outline some selected examples of our past experience:
Increased Civil Society Participation; - through members, outposts and thematic networks EYC has succeeded in grass-rooting the EFA campaign in Kenya over the past 7 years. We have worked to increase civil society involvement in the EFA processes at national and regional levels. This was evidenced in our participation in the National Education Conference of 2003. We have also done a number capacity building around EFA for media and civil society.
The Planning Process for EFA in Kenya; - we have been part of the EFA planning process since the year 2000. As a result we have played lead roles in producing two Ministry of Education publications - the EFA hand book of 2000 and EFA plan 2003 to 2015.
Part of the MDGs Campaigns; - EYC has been part and parcel of the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) and local civil society efforts around MDGs.
Campaigns to Secure Basic Education as a Constitutional Right; EYC spearheaded the campigns leading to the declaration of FPE and subsequent abolition of user fees by the NARC administration in the year 2003. We also took effective part in the constitutional reform process including the Bomas Conference of 2002-2003.
Policy dialogue and Influencing; - we have worked very closely with Directorates of Policy and Planning at MoE, Basic Education, Quality Assurance and Adult Education as well as the EFA Unit. We have also worked with Parliamentary Committee on Education. We will exploit these relationships in this new project. We have been part of all the major policy, legislative and curriculum reforms in Kenya including the Eddah Gachukia taskforce on FSE, the Kamunge commission on Education Act among others.
Capacity for Tracking Education Budgets; - one of the EYC’s niche areas is in Budget Tracking where we have done research, tracked expenditure in several districts, build capacity of CSOs and develop publications – Budget tracking tools in English and Kiswahili.
Budget; Through member organizations, EYC undertakes annul review and analysis of the Education Sector Budget and disseminates the outcome in the form of budget review papers. Further, member organizations are encouraged to take part in the National budget process both at grass root levels and national level. Annually, the coalition also participates in the budget sectoral hearings. Plans are underway to begin developing annual citizens’ report card on budgetary allocations and expenditure in Kenya with focus on Education sector.
Working with Teachers; - We work very closely with the two main teacher unions KUPPET and KNUT as well as other associations like KSSHA. These networks will be brought to bear here as well.
The Report Card on EFA in Kenya; - Despite committing themselves to both the Dakar EFA goals and the MDGs, most countries in the region are seriously off-track to achieve them by 2015. For example according to the 2006 Global Monitoring Report published by UNESCO, both Kenya and Tanzania are rated as standing a “low chance” of achieving the goal of universal primary education by 2015. Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Sudan are off track.
GWA on EFA: EYC participates in the Global Action Week on Education for all marked during the end of April every year. Through the regional outposts, the coalition mobilizes stakeholders in every province to take stock of achievements and challenges on EFA at various levels while at the same time present petitions to the government, political leaders and other policy makers in the country.
ILD Process; Every year, in collaboration with the department of adult Education, the coalition participates in the International Literacy Day Celebrations held on 8th September every year. This is usually preceded with various activities such as public lectures, public forums, media related activities such as press briefings and press conference.
Elections cycle; Since 2002, the collation plays a key role in voter mobilization and participation in the general elections in Kenya. The coalition played a key role during the 2007 general elections by providing useful information to the citizenry to make informed choices while electing new political leaders. EYC developed the Education Sector’s manifesto which appealed to the citizenry to elect leaders who could pledge and commit reforms in the education sector together with increased budgetary allocation. Currently the coalition is following up on commitments made by the leaders already in the grand coalition government.
Special Campaigns
Other efforts have revolved around increasing civil society participation in policy processes; involvement in the planning process for EFA in Kenya; campaigning to secure basic education as a constitutional right; policy dialogue and influencing work; tracking education sector budgets; and preparing annual report cards on EFA in Kenya. On these some specific examples include:
(i) 2000/2001- EYC was part of the civil society groups which successfully advocated for ratification of the Children’s Act 2001, which provides for the right to basic education for all Kenyan children and re affirms that guaranteeing this right is the primary responsibility of the Government.
(ii) 2002/2003 – EYC was part of the advocacy groups which lobbied political parties before 2002 general elections to have free primary education in their manifestoes. As a result the then NARC government was convinced and declared FPE in January 2003.
(iii) 2003 – EYC played a lead and key role in the National Conference on Education and Training. Our roles here ranged from being in the planning committee, mobilizing civil society participation, convening thematic workshops and presenting papers calling for specific reforms in education sector.
(iv) 2003-2004 – EYC was a member of the Edah Gachukia Taskforce on FPE which produced guidelines to streamline the implementation of FPE.
(v) 2005 - As a result of 2003 Conference and follow up engagement with MoE and Parliamentary Committee on education by EYC and other players, the Sessional Paper no 1 of 2005 (now taken as the national education policy for Kenya) was passed by Parliament.
(vi) 2005/06 – EYC working with others like GCN pushed for gender in education policy now in place.
(vii) 2006/07 – EYC was a member of the Kamunge Task force reviewing the Education Act. The Draft produced by the Taskforce is yet to be presented to Parliament by MoE.
(viii) EYC has been making budget presentations each year to both MoF and MoE through budget committees and sector hearings. In some occasions, these engagements have influenced budget allocations for Education sector.
(ix) 2008/09 –EYC had serious engagement with Parliamentary Committee on Education on the causes and possible solutions to the Secondary Schools unrest. This led a submission of a position paper to the Koech led House Committee on Education;
(x) Each year, EYC has been leading the GWA activities in April; been part of annual literacy campaigns through ILD events and been spearheading DAC activities in June related to education and teachers day every October.
(xi) 2008 –Successfully hosted CONFINTEA VI Africa Civil Society Preparatory Summit of November 3rd - 4th, in preparation for CONFITEA VI in Nairobi November 5th - 7th.
(xii) 2008/09 – EYC has been a lead player in Education Cluster for Emergency response Committee led by UNICEF and MoE.
