» Topic List
	1.1 Responding to ESP 2006-2010
	1.2 The ESSP Planning and Review Process

1.1 Responding to ESP 2006-2010 » Up

The aim of the Education Sector Support Programme (ESSP) 2006-2010 is to outline how the policies and strategies laid out in the Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2006-2010 will be put into practice. The ESSP identifies the necessary program activities and priorities in reaching the Cambodian Millennium Development Goals and the goals set out in the National EFA Plan.

The basic principle adopted in the ESSP is that the programs will be planned and implemented through Government and Ministry systems rather than through parallel modalities. The management framework for ESSP places the focus on strengthening appropriate MoEYS directorates and departments at central and provincial levels, including delegation of responsibilities to districts, clusters/communes and schools.

The priority recurrent program plan sets out clear priorities, objectives, targets and measurable outcomes and outputs, alongside proposed management and monitoring mechanisms. In other words, the principle behind the recurrent priority programs is achieving concrete and verifiable results. These recurrent programs are detailed in Section 2.

MoEYS is determined that the education facilities capital investment program is also designed to ensure policy implementation and achievement of education access and quality improvement targets. This revised ESSP features accelerated provision of lower and upper secondary education facilities in currently under-served or un-served districts and communes. The facilities program therefore sets out the overall requirements, costs and medium term priorities. The education facilities program is presented in Section3.

MoEYS recognises that an effective sector wide management and monitoring approach will necessitate collaborative planning with other key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MoEF), Ministry of Interior (MoI), Ministry of Planning (MoP) and the Council for Administrative Reform (CAR). The ESP and ESSP also emphasise the need for strategic negotiation and consultation with other development partners, including donors, NGOs and civil society. Proposals for building up the capacities and partnerships for strengthened sector wide management and monitoring, alongside the capacity building required for improved planning and management of the priority programs is set out in Section3.2.

Previous ESSP Reviews reaffirmed the importance of a well-defined sector monitoring and reporting system, which is critical for implementing a rolling program of reforms. The monitoring framework and guidelines are summarised in Section4. It is also recognised that joint agreement with donors and NGOs on key policy actions and performance indicators will facilitate both on-going sector performance monitoring and the annual ESSP Review process. The agreed sector performance indicators are set out in Annex A and an indicative common policy action matrix in Annex B.

It should be noted that the programs detailed in Section 2, 3 and 3.2 are intended to provide outlines of program activity rather than detailed implementation plans and budgets. These detailed implementation plans for priority action programs, facilities development and capacity development will be prepared by designated MoEYS departments or taskforces.

1.2 The ESSP Planning and Review Process » Up

This ESSP revision process has been designed to ensure broad understanding and ownership between key stakeholders. Key activities have included consultation with individual MoEYS departments responsible for implementation and management and with province and district level representatives in the form of four regional ESP/ESSP reviews. The preparation process has been governed by a special working group set up with officials from the MoEYS and representatives from donors and NGO communities.