The Power of Persistence: Education System ... - EQUIP123.net

Assistance Modality
The project modality, which has been USAID’s primary support mechanism
in the case study countries, also demands a fresh look. This review was not a
comprehensive effort to review alternative modalities, or to attempt to compare the
impact of alternative programs. It is not clear that isolating out different elements
and comparing relative impact is a particularly useful exercise in reviewing
systems. However, by looking at the process of reform, some insights emerge.
The experience in these cases indicates that projects can be a highly successful
and effective modality for fostering conditions for reform, for creating a stimulus
for reform, and most importantly for enabling a process that creates mutually
reinforcing incentives for reform. None of the country experiences demonstrate
an unvarnished model of effective project experience, and it is tempting to engage
in counterfactual explorations of alternative strategies in each country that might
have changed the reform trajectory. But asking “What if you had only done x, y,
z” is not as useful an exercise as is looking at the elements and processes that did
seem to make a difference.
The projects showed that they could be highly effective in supporting a genuine
process of engagement and collaborative development in partnership with
the MOEs and larger society. USAID is perhaps in the strongest position
for developing the kind of partnerships that enable genuine policy dialogue
and collaboration. However, this is neither simple nor automatic. Given the
paradox of change, reliance on a given set of actors in a Ministry may not be
the most effective approach from a development perspective. On the one hand,
any development program must be responsive to and supportive of Ministry
goals, because MOEs have the legal responsibility within the country for the
education system, and USAID should and must work to inform the decisions
related to and provide the tools for empirical-based policies without indulging
in a competing agenda. But likewise, we must be careful to avoid the pitfall
of a simplistic formulation of the relationship between recipients and donors:
international consensus established over time may emphasize some goals that
are critical to development, and yet are not central to a particular MOE strategy.
Girls’ education is an example of such a goal. As the case studies show, assistance
can also provide the kinds of support that enable USAID and contractors should
work to achieve the joint goals, which enhances its credibility and potential to
accelerate reforms.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Education is often the least stable institution
in countries with frequent and wide-ranging staff turnover. In these cases,
stability and progress are significant challenges, and developing ownership in new
SECTION 3: SUMMARY fINdINGS ANd CONClUSIONS
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