Reaching the marginalized: EFA global monitoring report, 2010; 2010

THE AID COMPACT: FALLING SHORT OF COMMITMENTSAid for educationafter a conflict, when security and the restorationof basic governance are an immediate priority. Butonce peace has taken root, there is often a potentialfor increasing aid (Collier and Hoeffler, 2002).All too often in the past, donors tended to scaleback aid in countries that had emerged fromconflict but remained politically unstable two orthree years after a peace settlement. The upshotwas that aid declined at a time when publicconcerns were shifting from security to basicservices – and when post-conflict governmentswere building their capacity to use aid moreeffectively (Weinstein et al., 2004). There arealternatives. Recognizing that uncertainty overfuture aid flows could compromise efforts to buildon the Sierra Leone peace settlement, in 2002the United Kingdom Department for InternationalDevelopment made a ten-year commitment tosupport the government. Similar arrangementswere later put in place for Afghanistan, Ethiopiaand Rwanda (DFID, 2005).Seizing opportunities for reconstruction requiresflexible policies and a strong commitment toworking in conflict-affected countries. Some donorsare integrating into their policies approaches toproviding education in conflict and emergencies(Brannelly et al., 2009). Even so, only ten of thetwenty-three OECD-DAC members have policycommitments to providing education in countriesaffected by conflict and fragility, 22 and only fiveinclude education in their emergency policies(Save the Children, 2009b). 23The risks associated with working in conflict andpost-conflict environments can entail hightransaction costs for measures such as securityassessment, engagement with government andnon-government actors, and the design of practicalreporting and evaluation systems. Many donorshave developed innovative strategies for loweringrisks and transaction costs, adapted by context. 24Investing in pooled funds managed by anotherdonor with a strong track record in the recipientcountry is one approach (Box 4.10). TheNetherlands has committed US$231 million, 25around 15% of its direct aid to education in 2006,for the period up to 2010 to a joint programme withUNICEF aimed at supporting education in countriesin conflict and emergencies. Norway has reducedits bilateral aid for education in Afghanistan andincreased support provided through the AfghanistanReconstruction Trust Fund, a multidonor trust fundmanaged by the World Bank (Brannelly et al., 2009;Save the Children, 2009b). Other innovativeapproaches to aid delivery in conflict-affectedcountries include the following:In Guatemala, the 1996 peace accords includeda commitment to support the development ofindigenous education. With the help of fundingfrom Norway directed through Save theChildren’s Rewrite the Future Campaign,60,000 children are reported to have benefitedfrom improved education quality, with therecruitment and training of bilingual teachersand curriculum development playing importantroles (Save the Children, 2009b).The development of a basic educationprogramme (focusing on pre-primary, primaryand adult education) in Nepal in 2004 shows itis possible for donors and government to worktogether even amid serious armed conflict. Inthis case, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the UnitedKingdom and the World Bank contributed to apooled fund. There are indications of some gainsin educational attainment as a result, despitethe conflict (Berry, 2007).In Somalia, since the early 1990s the EuropeanCommission has supported education throughinternational non-government organizations,focusing on basic education, teacher training andvocational or life-skills training for disadvantagedyouth (Brannelly et al., 2009). Support hascontinued through periods of intense conflictand a non-functioning government.Education in northern Uganda has beenseriously hindered by violent conflict, withschools and teachers targeted by the Lord’sResistance Army. Aid from the Netherlands hashelped finance a bursary programme for formerLord’s Resistance Army combatants in the north,along with other programmes helping childrenand youth catch up on missed schooling(Save the Children, 2009b).Another example comes from Canada, which hasdramatically increased its overall aid budget foreducation and its support for conflict-affectedcountries. In seeking to align aid financing witha national policy commitment to the reconstructionof education systems, the Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency (CIDA) has demonstrateda high level of flexibility. In Afghanistan and theSudan, it has allocated resources to multidonortrust funds and non-government organizations.Only ten ofthe twenty-threeOECD-DACmembershave policycommitmentsto providingeducation incountries affectedby conflictand fragility22. Australia, Canada,Denmark, the EuropeanCommission, Ireland, theNetherlands, Norway, Spain,the United Kingdom and theUnited States. The WorldBank, which participatesin the OECD-DAC as anobserver, also has a policyon providing education inconflict-affected countries.23. Canada, Denmark, Japan,Norway and Sweden.24. The first principle forInternational Engagementin Fragile States is to takecontext as the starting point,recognizing that capacity,political will and legitimacydiffer according to whethera country is in a prolongedconflict or recently emergingfrom conflict, for example.25. At 2007 prices.245