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1. CHANGE IN THE FTI CO-CHAIRMANSHIP

As of July 1, 2004, Sweden has taken over the co-chair position held for the past year by Norway. We warmly welcome Ewa Werner Dahlin and Anders Frankenberg (SIDA) as the FTI co-chairs, and we send our deep gratitude to Norway, in particular Olav Seim and Camilla Helgø, for their continued support to the FTI.

2. MEETING OF FTI STEERING COMMITTEE IN JULY

On July 22 and 23, 2004, the FTI Steering Committee will meet in Paris, back to back with Unesco’s Working Group on EFA, to be held on July 20 and 21. Topics on the agenda include: status of the FTI working groups (harmonization, communications, financing and FPP), strategy for FTI expansion, HIV/AIDS report to be prepared by David Clarke (DfID-IATT – TORs have previously been circulated for comment), linkages between FTI and UNGEI, potential for increased collaboration with UIS, and upcoming Partnership meeting in Brasilia in November 2004.

3. ANNE PAUGAM, NEW HEAD OF AFD’S HUMAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

Message sent by François Colas of Agence Française de Développement (AFD):

« Being called to other duties within the general management of the Group, as Deputy Secretary General, I wish to inform you that as of June 15th 2004, Mrs. Anne PAUGAM has succeeded me at the head of the Human Development Department.

I have enjoyed setting up this department five years ago and having the chance to meet you and to collaborate with you while I was developing the department.

I am confident that our very good collaboration relationships will continue with Mrs. PAUGAM.

Anne Paugam joined AFD in May 2002 as head of the Strategic Programming Secretariat, within the new AFD Strategic Direction, where she was in charge, among others, of the Agency Business Plan, the design of a Strategic Information System, and of introducing a Results Based approach in the agency sector and geographic strategies. She previously worked as deputy director of the French Minister of Cooperation's cabinet in 2001/2002, after working 5 years as a Public Sector specialist with the World Bank (in Washington DC and the World Bank office in Morocco). Prior to joining the World Bank, Anne Paugam worked as Inspecteur des Finances, with the Inspection Générale des Finances, the audit, evaluation and control Office reporting to the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, after graduating from the National School of Administration (ENA).”

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4. WORKING GROUPS UPDATE New members have joined the working groups. See the updated participant table in annex 1 (changes are highlighted in yellow).

A. COMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP The Communications WG met on June 14, 2004 to start defining the key messages of the FTI. The summary of this discussion is in annex 2. B. HARMONIZATION WORKING GROUP The Harmonization WG has developed a revised Donors Indicative Framework (DIF) that will be piloted in 5 countries (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Niger, and Vietnam). Lead donors in those countries are in charge of collecting the data and engaging in discussions with the government on the progress in the indicators since January 2003. The findings will be summarized in reports to be presented at the FTI Partnership Meeting in Brasilia. C. FINANCE WORKING GROUP The Finance Working Group’s work program includes three major studies: (i) tracking aid flows to education, (ii) review of methodologies utilized to estimate the global financing gap for education, and (iii) impact of financing mechanisms on sector outcomes. The summary of discussions is reproduced in annex 3.

D. FUND FOR PROGRAM PREPARATION (FPP) WORKING GROUP A concept note has been prepared with the help of a consultant provided by DfID. The concept note will need to be vetted by Bank management before a wider consultation can be launched. Two meetings of the FPP working group were held, one to obtain initial ideas, the second to discuss the draft concept note. A review meeting was also held with World Bank departments concerned, during which several issues were raised. Minutes of the meetings will be circulated.

5. SECRETARIAT RECRUITMENTS UPDATE

Four of the five vacant positions in the FTI Secretariat have been filled. Mercy Tembon joined the Secretariat on June 1 as a Senior Education Specialist. Mercy, a Cameroon national, joined the World Bank in January 2000 as a Senior Education Specialist in the Africa region. She has been leading the education programs in Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea, Mali, and Mauritania. She obtained her Ph.D. in Economics of Education from the University of London in 1994. Prior to joining the Bank, Mercy worked as an educator in Cameroon and as a researcher in the UK. In Cameroon, she worked as a head teacher in a primary school, a tutor in a teacher training college and as a lecturer in a high school. In the UK she was a researcher at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in Sussex. Mercy has published widely and her most recent book, co-authored with Chris Colclough, Samer Al-Samarrai and Pauline Rose has

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just been released "Achieving Schooling for All in Africa: Costs, Commitment and Gender". Mercy will be working in the FTI team and will also be the focal point for girls' education.

Luc Charles Gacougnolle (France) and Felicity Townsend (DfID) have been selected

and will be seconded by their organizations to, respectively, the positions of Economist (changed to Education Planner) and Senior Economist (changed to Senior Education Specialist). They both will be on board by September 2004.

The Secretariat is currently negotiating with Abigail Spring to fill the position of

Communications Specialist. Abby is currently finishing a consultancy with UNAIDS and could join the Secretariat in September.

The Budget officer position has been advertised within the Bank and recruitment should

be completed within the next few weeks. 6. FTI LOGO

In the May Newsletter, the search for an FTI logo was launched. This prompted a few good suggestions and ideas, but mostly pointed to the lack of consensus among partners on the very need for an FTI logo. Three options are emerging:

A. no need for an FTI logo, since FTI is a part of EFA and there is already an EFA logo

B. design an FTI logo that would be an “offshoot” of the EFA logo, to show the clear linkage between the two initiatives

C. a stand-alone FTI logo, to show that FTI is a separate entity from EFA and has an identity of its own.

The term logo may be interpreted in many ways, from a very simple design around the letters of the acronym “FTI”, to a more complex and pictorial graphic design. We suggest to move on this issue as follows: all FTI partners are encouraged to send their views and share their preference between options A, B and C to the FTI Secretariat (fti@worldbank.org) by July 16, 2003. The FTI Secretariat will then present the results of this consultation at the FTI Steering Committee Meeting in Paris for a decision.

7. INTERESTING READING

• The trouble with the MDGs: confronting expectations of aid and development success Report published by the Center for Global Development. May 2004. You may access this report in the FTI website at the following address: http://www.cgdev.org/docs/cgd_wp040Rev2.pdf

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• Linkages between the Millennium Challenge Corporation eligible countries and FTI countries (table below provided by USAID)

Comparison of Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)

and EFA Fast-Track Initiative Countries May 12, 2004

1 The US Department of Labor supports basic education in 26 countries as one means to curb child labor 2 Only adult literacy basic education support provided

• Education could be America’s best defence Financial Times article by Gene Sperling– June 21, 2004 The text of the article is reproduced in annex 4.

• Donor Harmonization hits the mark in Bangladesh World Bank Today article – April 2004 The text of this article is reproduced in annex 5. If you have similar experiences that you would like to share with the Partners, please do so (fti@worldbank.org, or you can email the donor partners directly at fti-partners@lists.worldbank.org )

8. FTI PUBLIC WEBSITE UPDATES

Visit our website for the latest updates. In particular, many new documents have been added to the section “ Documents & Reports”. If you have relevant documents that you would like the Secretariat to publish in that section of the website, please send them to us at: fti@worldbank.org http://www1.worldbank.org/education/efafti/documents_reports.asp

MCA Eligible Countries

(16)

Current FTI (4)

FTI 2004 Candidates (6)

FTI 2005 Candidates (3)

Current USG-BE Support

Other

(3) AFRICA (8) USAID DOL1

Benin X X X Cape Verde UPC achieved

Ghana X X Lesotho X

Madagascar X Mali X X X

Mozambique X X Senegal X X ANE (3) Mongolia X Sri Lanka UPC achieved Vanuatu No PRSP date E&E (2) Armenia X Georgia X LAC (3) Bolivia X X2 X

Honduras X X Nicaragua X X TOTALS =

16 MCA eligible 4 FTI 6 possible 3 possible 8 3 3 other

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ANNEX 1 EFA FTI WORKING GROUPS

As of July 1, 2004

Working Group WG Leader WG Participants EMAIL ADDRESSES

Harmonization/Coordination

Listserv:

fti-harmonization@lists.worldbank.org

France (Marie Dorléans)

Marion Ginolin (France) Pascal Thiais (France) Christopher Shaw (EC) Johan Stierna (EC) Rosemary Bellew (FTI Sec.) Camilla Helgø (Norway) Ronald Siebes (Netherlands) Nadine Dusepulchre (Belgium) Kaviraj Appadu (UNESCO) Francisco Gonzalez (Spain) Toshimi Kushida (JICA) Naoki Umemiya (JICA) Minoru Yamada (JICA) Anders Frankenberg (Sweden) Negda Jahanshahi (World Bank) Rema Balasundaram (World Bank) John Morris (Canada) Susanne Schroth (Germany)

marie.dorleans@poledakar.org marion.ginolin@diplomatie.gouv.fr thiaisp@afd.fr christopher.shaw@cec.eu.int johan.stierna@cec.eu.int rbellew@worldbank.org camilla.helgo@norad.no ronald.siebes@minbuza.nl nadine.dusepulchre@diplobel.fed.be k.appadu@unesco.org francisco.gonzalez@aeci.es kushida.toshimi@jica.go.jp umemiya.naoki@jica.go.jp yamada.minoru@jica.go.jp anders.frankenberg@sida.se njahanshahi@worldbank.org rbalasundaram@worldbank.org john_morris@acdi-cida.gc.ca susanne.schroth@kfw.de

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Working Group WG Leader WG Participants EMAIL ADDRESSES

Financing

Listserv:

fti-financing@lists.worldbank.org

UK - DFID (Desmond Bermingham)

Bridget Crumpton (DfID) Marion Ginolin (France) Elsa Duret (France) Pascal Thiais (France) Marie Dorléans (France) Mathieu Brossard (France) Luc Gacougnolle (France) Torben Lindqvist (Denmark) Yolande Miller-Grandvaux (USA) Gregory Loos (USA) FTI Secretariat Economist (when seconded) Ronald Siebes (Netherlands) Hilaire Mputu (UNESCO) Suezan Lee (USA) Buff Mackenzie (USA) Dina Abu-Ghaida (World Bank) Susanne Schroth (Germany) Denis Baresch (EC)

d-bermingham@dfid.gov.uk b-crumpton@dfid.gov.uk marion.ginolin@diplomatie.gouv.fr elsa.duret@diplomatie.gouv.fr thiaisp@afd.fr marie.dorleans@poledakar.org mathieu.brossard@poledakar.org luc.gacougnolle@poledakar.org torlin@um.dk ymiller-grandvaux@usaid.gov gloos@usaid.gov rbellew@worldbank.org ronald.siebes@minbuza.nl h.mputu@unesco.org johnandsuezanlee@aol.com bmackenzie@usaid.gov dabughaida@worldbank.org susanne.schroth@kfw.de denis.baresch@cec.eu.int

FPP

Listserv: fti-fpp@lists.worldbank.org

World Bank (Rosemary Bellew)

Desmond Birmingham (UK) Abhimanyu Singh (UNESCO) Malcolm McPherson (USA) Kurt Moses (USA) Olav Seim (Norway) Ronald Siebes (Netherlands) Nadine Dusepulchre (Belgium) Pascal Thiais (France) Anders Frankenberg (Sweden) Denis Baresch (EC) Stefan Lock (Germany) Scott Walter (Canada) John Morris (Canada)

rbellew@worldbank.org d-bermingham@dfid.gov.uk abh.singh@unesco.org malcolm_mcpherson@ksg.harvard.edu kmoses@aed.org olav.seim@mfa.no ronald.siebes@minbuza.nl nadine.dusepulchre@diplobel.fed.be thiaisp@afd.fr anders.frankenberg@sida.se denis.baresch@cec.eu.int lock@bmz.bund.de scott_walter@acdi-cida.gc.ca john_morris@acdi-cida.gc.ca

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Working Group WG Leader WG Participants EMAIL ADDRESSES

Communications

Listserv:

fti-communications@lists.worldbank.org

UNICEF ( Cream Wright)

FTI Secretariat Communication Specialist (when seconded) Phil Hay (World Bank) David Weidner (USA) Gregory Loos (USA) Susan Foster (USA) Scott Walter (Canada) Ronald Siebes (Netherlands) Khawla Shaheen (UNESCO) Patricia Moccia (UNICEF) Pascal Thiais (France) Bridget Crumpton (DFID) Desmond Bermingham (DFID)

cwright@unicef.org rellew@worldbank.org phay@worldbank.org dweidner@smtp.aed.org gloos@usaid.gov sfoster@usaid.gov scott_walter@acdi-cida.gc.ca ronald.siebes@minbuza.nl k.shaheen@unesco.org pmoccia@unicef.org thiaisp@afd.fr b-crumpton@dfid.gov.uk d-bermingham@dfid.gov.uk

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ANNEX 2

Summary of Communications Working Group Discussions June 14, 2004

Why do we need an FTI communications strategy ?

• Increase and strengthen financial and political support for the EFA Fast Track Initiative

• Articulate clearly what FTI is, and how it has changed to update perceptions of framework

• Devise a common set of talking points and messages for FTI partners and audiences Which priority audiences should we target first?

• In-country governments

• In-country donor consultative groups

• National and international civil society Which additional audiences to target next ?

• National and global media

• Development community as in UN agencies, other multilateral development banks (MDBs) and IFI's.

• Bilateral donor agencies

• Children within FTI countries themselves Messages (what we want to say) generally

• FTI is a national and global partnership to help developing countries reach universal primary

• completion by 2015

• FTI will support all countries with a credible education sector plan

• FTI wins additional resources from donors for countries that champion education and the 2015 EFA MDG

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• Specifically, FTI helps to bridge financing gaps in 2015 education plans; provides technical help during implementation; spurs better in-country donor harmonization; calls for more in-country spending on primary education, and more efficient government sectoral and budget systems

Messages we want to give in-country governments

• FTI will only deliver impact when twinned with sound education sector policies that specifically address disparities

• Moreover, FTI prospers in countries which pursue greater internal efficiency; build a culture of quality performance; and can measure progress effectively.

Messages for in-country donors

• FTI is back in business after a review of progress/ bilaterals now belive FTI is technically sound

• Backing FTI in-country allows donors to make good on financial pledges of support struck in Jomtien, Dakar, and Monterrey

• By backing national champions of education with FTI support, you are helping poor countries reach an achievable MDGs with wide cross-sectoral development benefits (health, HIV/AIDS, womens' empowerment, participation)

Messages for global and national civil society

• None of us can bring about FTI on our own, we need NGOs as full partners

• Countries need you to be part of the FTI process to help raise donor financing for their FTI plans

• Development community needs you to push national governments towards greater accountability and monitoring of finances and results

• The FTI movement is stronger for having you advocate strongly in both North and South for universal primary completion by 2015 for all boys and girls currently out of school.

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ANNEX 3

FTI Finance Working Group Summary of teleconference of 16 June 20: Key points & action points

1. Objective 1: Tracking Aid Flows to Education

• Agreement reached that the follow up to Mick Fosters Report “Accounting for Donor Contributions to EFA” is a priority activity for the Finance Group. The focus on tracking of financial flows addresses the importance accorded to this issue at the FTI Oslo meeting in November 2004.

• The aim of the follow up study is to verify the proposed methodology in a range of country contexts where direct budget support and other aid instruments are the channels of external assistance. The study will provide a technical contribution to the debate on improving the international reporting of external aid to education through OECD-DAC. Under current OECD-DAC reporting arrangements, education spend channelled via direct budget support is not captured and therefore is under-reported internationally.

• How to link efficiency of resource use to tracking of resource flows was raised as an issue. It was felt this could best be covered under Objectives 2 and 3.

• A proposal that the study extend to tracking private/non-state financing of education was accepted.

• The potential for education to pioneer new approaches to financial attribution at the sectoral level was flagged as an opportunity for FTI.

• Status of report: it was agreed that studies and reports undertaken on behalf of the Finance Group would not be formal FTI products and that a process of endorsement would not be necessary. Partners will be invited to comment on Terms of Reference for studies and to review and comment on draft outputs. Papers produced will represent technical inputs to issues of collective interest.

• Selection of case studies: the group agreed that case studies should be relatively light touch and technical in scope. They should engage with the lead donor and donor group, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Education as key players. Ideally the case studies should be representative of highly aid dependent and less aid dependent contexts and draw on examples from Africa and Asia. Uganda and Niger were considered good choices for Anglophone and francophone Africa. Mozambique was recommended because of the presence of multiple donors and multiple aid modalities. Suggestions for Asia included India and Pakistan but there no obvious choice emerged.

• Timing: the aim is to present an interim report summarizing findings and case studies to the November High Level Group. Therefore commissioning of work and case studies needs to get swiftly underway.

Action

• Selection of case study countries: partners are requested to complete the matrix below by 29 June, indicating their level of interest a) in each case study and b) in forming a small working group to take forward a particular case study. We also welcome your suggestions on other options – since the teleconference, Nepal and Sri Lanka have been suggested as possible Asia options. Cambodia is not included because it does not receive direct budget support. Final selection will be based on the results of the matrix and readiness of countries to participate.

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Case Study Country Donor interest in country

(ie member of education group)

Donor interest in participating in case study working group

Uganda Niger Mozambique India Pakistan Nepal Sri Lanka

• DFID will circulate draft TOR for the case studies week of 28 June and liaise with interested partners on the selection and commissioning of consultants.

2. Objective 2: Financing Gap for Education

• Agreement reached that refining the figures and methods for estimating resource needs at global and country level is a priority activity, best undertaken by the FTI Secretariat.

• Global level: the group recognized the political imperative to agree a working estimate for financing education and the education MDGs that can be agreed by all FTI partners. The proposed way forward is to review different methods currently in operation, summarize their strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations on the most viable method for calculating a global figure.

• Country level: analysis of country financing estimates for education needs to address efficiency issues and refine existing models. A proposed starting point is to review the accuracy/feasibility of initial estimates put forward by countries and build on the experience of country groups. A specific suggestion was to present the analysis in terms of low, middle and high cost scenarios. Private/non-state contributions can also be reflected in the costing process.

• FTI Indicative Framework: in order to develop a common approach for country level costing of education, it was agreed to further adapt and develop the indicative framework.

• The importance of comprehensive costing that focuses on maximizing existing resource use, efficiency, innovative and alternative modes of supporting learning, was stressed.

• Timing: the aim is to present an interim report on the global financing estimate by November with some supporting country level input. The priority for the FTI partnership is to reach consensus on a global figure that can speak to international politicians represented at the November High Level Group. Timeframe for country-level analysis to be decided.

Action

• Secretariat to draft and circulate Terms of Reference for comment.

3. Objective 3: Linking budget support to progress towards education MDGs and outcomes

• Widespread interest in this study which seeks to look at the impact of external resources and mix of aid instruments on education outcomes.

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• Green light to proceed with more time allocated for specific feedback on the Terms of Reference.

• Initial comments included: what is meant by education outcome; more focus on efficiency and accountability; more focus on quality outcomes etc

• The potential to link the study on Tracking of Aid Flows to this study on education outcomes was flagged.

• The importance of linking with other studies was also flagged: World Bank is starting a study on “Impact of SWAPs on Education Outcomes”

• Partners were invited to join a small working group to take forward the study and to suggest consultants for this study and the case studies (Objective 1). NL and France expressed interest to join the working group. NL proposed collaboration with an economic institute they work with on public financial management.

• Timing: the aim is to provide an interim report on phase 1 scoping phase of the study as a contribution to the November High Level/FTI meeting.

Action

• Partners are invited submit written comments on the TOR by 29 June, preferably using Track Changes.

• Bridget and Ronald to follow up on consultancy links. • Secretariat to provide contact for the “Impact of SWAPs on Education Outcomes” study

4. Other business • The proposed workplan was deemed to cover priority issues up to November. From the

discussion it was felt that additional areas of interest such as efficiency, innovation and alternative approaches could be integrated into the core work of the group.

• The workplan will be reviewed in November and follow up priority activities identified. • The proposal that the Finance Group discuss face-to-face in the margins of the Paris

EFA Meeting 20-22 July was welcomed. All members of the group are likely to be present.

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ANNEX 4 Education could be America’s best defense By Gene Sperling Financial Times – June 21, 2004 In the war on terror, the Bush administration has insisted that there is a strong case for a pre-emptive strategy against weapons of mass destruction. It would be wise to extend this doctrine to the equally important battle for hearts and minds in the developing world. Nowhere would such a pre-emptive approach make more sense than in helping countries provide universal basic education. America's current strategy for supporting education in poor nations is inadequate and fundamentally reactive. Despite overwhelming evidence that education - particularly for girls - can make countries more prosperous, healthy, stable and democratic, the total annual US contribution to education in poor countries would not be enough to build 20 American high schools. The only time the US has taken bold steps on education has been after it has invaded or bombed countries - such as the effort to get girls in Kabul into school for the first time - or has identified a security threat - as in Pakistan, where weak public school funding provided an opening for fundamentalist Islamic schools. At the recent summit of the Group of Eight leading industrial nations, the Bush administration continued to follow the reactive route. Instead of pushing for a bolder, global effort on education, it backed a relatively modest literacy initiative for the Middle East. Such a reactive approach certainly can do some good, but overall it is likely to prove inadequate. First, it sends the wrong signal to governments in poor countries that are trying desperately to do the right thing and enroll all their children in school. Substantial support from the US comes not when you take bold steps to promote good basic education, but when you fail so badly that you need funds for reconstruction. Second, while Americans may see their country's efforts as well-intentioned and generous, others may see them as transparently self-serving, designed purely to meet security goals. On two recent trips to the Middle East, I often heard the same refrain - Americans do not care if children around the world starve or go without basic education, as long as they do not grow up to attack them. I spoke to legislators from Bahrain who told me that recent US initiatives had made their efforts to reform the curriculum more difficult. Where once they might have encountered skepticism, now their motives were questioned. "Why are you tools of the US?" they were asked. "The US never cared about our children before September 11." Rather than waiting until schools have been subverted by extremists or flattened by bombs, the US would do better to support poor countries' efforts to educate their children before conflicts and imminent threats arise. No country better exemplifies the need for such a pre-emptive strategy than Kenya. After Daniel arap Moi's 24-year rule ended in 2002, the new government established universal education as a national priority and has made important progress in eliminating school fees and decentralising school management. Yet it now faces significant financial challenges.

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A bold commitment to Kenya at this critical moment would not only signal America's support for those promoting democracy and reform in Africa, but would also improve US national security in the long term. Kenya, like other east African countries, is seen by western intelligence agencies as a potential home for al-Qaeda-linked extremists. In North Eastern Province, where the Muslim majority resides, fewer than 20 per cent of primary school-age children are enrolled. Without efforts to expand public education in this region, George Saitoti, Kenya's education minister, fears that schools funded by radical religious groups could flourish. Taking preventive action to ensure that a viable public education system offers an alternative to extremist schools is precisely what many policymakers now wish America had done in Pakistan years ago. If the US allows Kenya's experiment with democracy and universal education to fail solely because the nation poses no big threat today, it may end up paying a high price tomorrow. By the time the G8 meets in the UK next year, America should be doing things differently. It needs to work with other donors to spearhead a global push on universal basic education. Such an initiative would cost billions of dollars - but it would be extremely effective in fighting global poverty. It would also go a long way to improving America's image in the Middle East and across the developing world. The best way for America to win the war of hearts and minds is not just to show compassion after war, but to show its heart at all times by giving all children a chance to broaden their minds through education. The writer, who was national economic adviser to President Bill Clinton, is senior fellow for economic studies and director of the Center for Universal Education at the Council on Foreign Relations

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ANNEX 5

Donor Harmonization Hits the Mark in Bangladesh World Bank TODAY - April 9, 2004—At the high-level Donor Harmonization Forum in Rome last year, President Jim Wolfensohn told members of the development community that it was time for a “culture” change in the way we were working—or not working—together. The Rome meeting identified harmonization and alignment as key elements in making development assistance more effective. Representatives from over 50 developed countries and donor institutions then committed to working together to save developing countries money and hassle while encouraging them to take ownership of their own development.

The Bank’s managers and staff working in Bangladesh have recently demonstrated what’s involved in putting the lofty goals of donor harmonization into practice on the ground—determination, creativity, and a willingness to change. The Second Bangladesh Primary Education Development Program (PEDPII), for which the Bank approved a credit in February, is the institution’s first attempt, following the Rome meeting, to look candidly at separate and sometimes competing donor activities in the same sub-sector.

Bangladesh has achieved net primary school enrollment rates above 80 percent over the past decade. However drop-out rates are high, quality of education is low and coverage is uneven.

Bangladesh’s First Primary Education Program, launched in 1980, and the General Education Project, launched in 1990, were supported by eight donors in an earlier attempt to coordinate their work in the primary education sub sector. The Primary Education Development Project in 1998 covered 27 separate projects, nine of which were receiving external financing from 13 different donors—which meant multiple fiduciary requirements and processes.

Although the donors had recently increased their communication through a local consultative group on education, they had been unsuccessful in attempts to develop a truly programmatic approach whereby donors pool their funds behind shared development objectives of the country, and follow common streamlined procedures for program design, implementation, and monitoring. For the second education program, the Bank team, under Lead Education Specialist and Task Leader Hena Mukherjee, worked with the government and other donors to forge such an approach . With institutional support from OPCS and discussions in Dhaka, Washington and Manila, they reached agreement on several pragmatic strategic and operational issues. These included the sector policy framework and other ways of influencing sectoral

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outcomes indirectly, the lead donor agency, a code of conduct for donor partners, use of the newly upgraded government procurement system, streamlined disbursement, joint reporting and supervision, etc.

Along the way, the Bank team also shared the Quality Enhancement Review Panel’s report with all participating donor agencies with the aim of making transparent the analysis and strategic thinking that underlay their negotiating positions. It was tough going for all sides, including the government, but it came to a conclusion with successful negotiation of the operation in less than 12 months after the concept review.

A major sticking point in previous attempts at harmonization and alignment had been agreeing on a common set of procurement regulations that met the requirements of the various donors. In this case, Bangladesh’s cabinet approved a new set of public procurement regulations as a result, in part, of an ongoing Bank-sponsored Public Procurement Reform Project which had been developed following a country procurement assessment review. The new regulations for local procurement were acceptable to all donors, including the two multilateral Banks, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank.

“Harmonization provides an excellent opportunity to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of international development assistance,” said Mukherjee. “This new approach is a major step forward that will allow the government’s focus and energy to remain on the institutions that need to be strengthened and the children they will serve, rather than on different requirements of the various development partners.”

Apart from helping to reduce transaction costs for the government, this approach also turned the attention of the government and donors to identifying and agreeing on clear, quantifiable and monitorable results, such as the level of public expenditure on education, enrollment rate, education achievement rate for girls, etc. The government invited the ADB to lead PEDPII as they had been among the first to complete their project under the first education program and were well on their way to designing a follow-on project. ADB will be responsible for day to day supervision, but will keep the other donors informed. All participating donors, known as the PEDPII Consortium, will join together for a project review every six months.

Development Partners together are providing about $640 million which is one-third the Government of Bangladesh’s estimate for providing primary education to the formal sector over the next six years. The International Development Association is providing US$150 million for the program which is aimed at making sure Bangladesh’s poorest children have equal access to education and that all children finish their schooling and get a good education

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Amit Dar, a Bank senior economist who also worked on the project team said that it had been a tough journey to reach common agreement, but that it was worth it.

“We don’t really know how it’s going to work day to day. This is like an experiment for all development partners, and we’ve come a long way and overcome so many obstacles together. Obviously there have been some tough moments, but in the end, I think we’ll all learn a lot from each other,” said Dar.