Last Tuesday, the NEP representative and a board member of NGO Education Partnership, Mr. Mark Desmaele, conducted a presentation in the Joint Technical Working Group meeting in Phnom Penh on Empowering Marginalized Learners. This meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Education and co-chaired by the UNICEF.
There are two key takeaways from this meeting that will have a significant impact on our members.
First, over 60% of the national education budget will be decentralized to the subnational level. This shift in budget allocation is a major game-changer and implies that the responsibility for implementing plans and policies will primarily reside at the subnational level. This presents a strong opportunity for NGOs to actively engage with POEs/DOEs.
The NEP representative recommends that PESWs discuss this development with their members and POEs.
Secondly, there is a growing trend to prioritize soft skills development and teacher capacity, as evidenced by the planning efforts of both MoEYS and development partners.
