UNESCO supports South Sudan to establish its first education sector monitoring system

(Photo: © UNESCO)

South Sudan is moving towards a more systematic way of tracking progress under its General Education Strategic Plan (GESP) 2023–2027, following a four-day consultation among the Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI) and partners, facilitated by UNESCO.

Held in Juba from 18 to 21 August, the consultation brought together around 30 representatives from government, UN agencies, NGOs and civil society to map ongoing initiatives and progress made against the GESP (2023-2027), while also mapping gaps in coverage. 

With the support of UNESCO, the GESP was approved in 2023 and sets out the government’s priorities for South Sudan’s education sector throughout its five-year duration.

While activities have been underway, no system has been put in place to track progress against the targets set. This consultation therefore aimed to establish a foundation and a clear understanding among MoGEI and partners on the development of robust GESP monitoring system.

Speaking at the opening of the consultation, Director General for Planning and Budgeting at MoGEI, George Mogga Bengamin, said:

“This is a milestone for South Sudan. We have developed education plans since 2005, but none had a tool like this to monitor performance. Setting goals is not enough if we cannot measure the outcomes. Let this demonstrate our ability to monitor our sector and turn our plans into action.”

Participants engaged through interactive group work to map interventions, as well as plenary discussions, and exercises to develop a roadmap for a sector monitoring system. The discussions focused on system design and solutions as well as what is needed for the system to work, including leadership, coordination, capacity, and ownership. The consultation closed with agreed actions and a timeline for developing the monitoring systems in the coming months.

Source: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-supports-south-sudan-establish-its-first-education-sector-monitoring-system