The Girl-Child and Government Service Provision.pdf - Tanzania ...

Some models in placeUnicef, UNESCO, NGOs and the World Bank operate respectedprogrammes working to advance teachers’ skills,train new teachers and develop curricula. The EducationQuality Improvement Project (EQUIP) of the World Bankis a good example of what is possible with skilled involvementsupported by policy. It builds capacity in 1,000schools in three provinces and is funded in part by theWorld Bank. It plans further partnership with the Ministryof Education for a larger project. While this is significantcapacity building in education, other groups also work toimprove the teaching practice, school facilities and girlchildaccess. Some models include salary subsidies forteachers; however, because this expense is not absorbedby government, there are questions about how sustainablethis approach can be. Other models that build capacityand set standards exist in the health and childprotectionsectors. The World Bank, however, has uniquedevelopment status with governments as a player with adistinct sphere of influence. It is in this area of advocacythat the Bank may be able to link with others and lobbyfor increased budget management. Effort in this areacould promote access to education beyond the 1,000schools currently in the programme. Attention to thequality of teaching as well as access is needed due to thepush to improve school retention. Reducing school dropoutrate is a valid aim, but it is not necessarily an effectivemeasure of learning.Support to government institutionsKey structural initiatives to strengthen government institutionshave had limited success. The World Bank’s PRSP(Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper) process for Cambodiabegan in 2000 and was able to build on established strategydeveloped in the health and education sectors. It wasalso able to integrate this initiative with the ADB’s povertyreduction initiative (SEDP). The development of a povertyreduction strategy owned by the government of Cambodiais an achievement and a valuable tool to others. It hasgiven donors opportunity to ally their plans with the strategy.Other players include the ADB, the European Union(EU), bilateral aid arms and the consultative group of donorsto Cambodia’s continued development. The challengeis to have a national strategy that affects the barriers toaccess at the grass-roots level, such as those identified bythe survey group.The perception of structural adjustmentThe PRSP and structural adjustment initiatives have beenseen by elements of the Cambodian government as an opportunityto create programme wish lists, with requests fordevelopment initiatives to the international communitytotalling US$5.7 billion over three years. This is considerablymore than the US$1.5 billion which is more likely thelevel of commitment over this period. Priority setting isneeded for the government as a whole; however, each lineministry appears to be setting its priorities independently.Of most concern to children and their communities, asnoted in the survey, are improvements in education and inhealth care. These clearly do not receive sufficient budgetsfrom government sources, and a recurrent theme in responsesfrom public-sector staff is the problem of accessingoperating funds.Donor cooperation neededOpportunity exists with the donor community to advocatefor greater sustainability for basic services to the Cambodiagovernment. To this end a key priority for the government isto respect the budgetary process and to ensure that mechanismsinstalled for revenue collection are used. This messageneeds to be reinforced at every level. All government officialsoperating services in the community contacted in thisstudy identified lack of resource as a major barrier. Cooperationamong donors is essential to give support to thismessage and to promote much-needed reform. This hasbeen a recommendation of a number of studies including theWorld Bank’s Cambodia public expenditure review, Enhancingthe Effectiveness of Public Expenditures (January 1999).A February 2004 report on the 2003 budgetfrom the Finance Ministry shows that someministries outspent their allocated budgets byas much as 826 per cent, while the fouridentified “priority ministries” were not able tospend money allocated to them. Spendingcompared to budget allocation: Health, 79per cent; Education, 59 per cent; Social Affairs,96 per cent; and Rural Development, 54per cent. Spokespeople for those ministries saythat this was because the Finance Ministry didnot release the funds on time. The reportshowed that the government gathered lessrevenue than in 2002 but spent more money.– Cambodia Daily, February 20, 2004The Girl-Child and Government Service Provision 23