The NGO Education Partnership (NEP), in cooperation with Deutscher Volkshochschul-Verband e. V. (DVV) International, with financial support from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ), is implementing the project “Mobilizing Civil Society to Address Gaps in the Implementation of Education Sector Reforms.” The project aims to improve education services in Cambodia through stronger civil society participation in policy dialogue, monitoring of policy implementation, and joint advocacy efforts. The project has been implemented from January 2016 to December 2018 and provides opportunities to promote the participation of non-governmental organizations in government policymaking and to strengthen civil society mechanisms to ensure sustainability.
The NGO Education Partnership serves as the lead implementing organization of this partnership project, with additional inputs provided by DVV International. Some project activities are implemented by external service providers or through small grant projects. The project aims to build the capacity of civil society organizations operating in Cambodia, particularly in the education sector, to enable their fuller and more effective participation in decision-making and local governance. It also seeks to promote sub-national and national policies to strengthen equity and inclusiveness in education service delivery and to respond confidently to the strengthening of local accountability.
One of the key activities of this project is strengthening sub-national networks (Provincial Education Sector Working Groups) in each province by providing support and capacity-building training to network representatives and members. This work can be achieved through the development of a guideline on leading Provincial Education Sector Working Group Networks, referred to in English as the “P-ESWG Handbook.”
The NGO Education Partnership (NEP) has supported Provincial Education Sector Working Groups over the past five years, and most of these provincial networks (22 out of 25) are currently operational. Provincial Education Sector Working Groups were established by civil society organizations actively working in the education sector within each province and have worked directly with the Provincial Department of Education, Youth and Sport. However, network representatives (Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons), who are elected by members through voting, are facing capacity challenges. Therefore, to support Provincial Education Sector Working Group representatives in effectively leading their networks, this European Union–funded project will produce a guideline on leading Provincial Education Sector Working Group Networks, including good practices, terms of reference, and the various roles of network leadership.
Objectives of the Guideline
The guideline on leading Provincial Education Sector Working Group Networks aims to help representatives and members of Provincial Education Sector Working Groups understand their roles and responsibilities, as well as the structure of each stakeholder (for example, Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and members). This understanding will enable all stakeholders to work collaboratively to achieve common goals.
