In the ESSP 2006-2010 relevant capacity building needs have been included under each of the twelve priority action programmes. Time did not allow for this section of the program to be subsequently edited to ensure consistency. It will be necessary during 2006 to align this section both with the capacity building needs in the earlier parts of the programme and with the overall capacity development plan being developed by the ministry.

Introduction

The ESSP institutional development and capacity building programs are broken down into 2 main components:

Component 1: The mainly technical and professional institutional development and capacity building requirements for effective planning, management and monitoring of the 11 recurrent budget financed priority action programs (PAP).

Component 2: The broader crosscutting and system wide institution and capacity building needs for planning, management and monitoring of the education reforms, focusing on requirements at HQ, provincial, district, cluster/commune and school levels.

These inputs will include, but not be limited to, technical assistance support in specific areas. Other inputs will be training programs, operational budgets for seminars, meetings, surveys, provincial missions etc. There will also be need for selective provision of equipment (vehicles, computers etc.) that will enable trained staff and re-organized/ strengthened structures to perform their tasks effectively. Staff who participate in capacity building activities are encouraged to share their understanding with other staff, particularly in their own departments, as a method of strengthening what is learned and institutionalising the information.

3.2.1 Strengthening Program Management Systems » Up

The main program outcome will be to further strengthen MoEYS capability at HQ and provincial levels to monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of education reforms, especially for assuring cross-cutting quality and efficiency improvements. The main activities will be to continue improving processes, training and other capacities (e.g. increased use of ICT) of HQ and provincial level staff in monitoring and evaluation techniques. The monitoring programs will be managed through a number of departmental BMCs for various programs.

Improve capacity in gender analysis and gender integration through: a) annual review of gender issues in all programs, b) prepare action plan for increasing the proportion of women in management positions in the education sector, and c) strengthen the capacity of MoEYS gender mainstreaming teams.

3.2.2 Strengthening Sector-Wide Management Systems » Up

Revision of financial planning and implementation of decentralization and monitoring: through 1) Establishment of recurrent and capital budget framework for education sector for 5 years in MTEF; 2) Action plan to link the ESP to PFM reforms, with MoEYS acting as the pilot ministry; 3) Review of the progress of PFM coverage in accelerated education reform; 4) Review of the financial performance focused on annual achievement in the ministry; 5) Review of the impact of PFM reform on ESP reform. This will be part of revision of institutional development and capacity building coordination that will be guided by institutional audit in this period.

Revision and expansion of standard monitoring: through 1) Development of minimum standard of student achievement in grade 1-12; 2) Action plan for testing in selected grade in primary education; 3) Action plan for strengthening of grade 9 and grade 12 national examinations¹¹

4) Action plan to re-assign the responsibilities of central department in examination and testing; 5) Standard testing in selected grades in primary education and strengthening of grade 9 and grade 12 national examinations including public dissemination of the results; 6) Revision of remedial class in school year with links to incentive provision and to ensure sustainability of school performance; 7) Review of the progress of institutional reform in MoEYS for standard monitoring.

Institutional and Change Management Processes » Up

This ESSP gives increased attention to the need for more fundamental institution building and change management processes. The ESSP recognises that a narrow focus on improved operational support and staff training may not be sufficient to reform institutions. The ESSP gives increased priority to a) leadership development at various levels, b) greater definition of powers, authority and responsibility through the anticipated Education Law and c) processes which can facilitate changes in staff deployment patterns, work planning processes and incentive and reward systems.

Key implementation processes will consist of a) an initial analysis of the roles and responsibilities of MoEYS departments as a basis for broader functional analysis, b) revisions to staff job descriptions and work priorities, c) further delegated authority to departments and institutions, including increased flexibility in the use of operational budgets, d) selective changes in institutional status, including establishment of all public higher education institutions as Public Administration Institutions¹²

(PAIs) and e) early issue of specific regulations and operational guidelines related to the Education Law, once approved.

The main program outcome will be to further strengthen planning, management and monitoring systems for the various priority programs. One aspect of this will be to establish a process by which each department will produce an annual action plan to be reviewed against progress every six months¹³

. Capacity building will include organizational development, equipment, other logistical support, advisory services and training programs for MoEYS departments, provincial and district authorities, HE institutions and schools. The operational management and co-ordination for the capacity building programs will be the Capacity Building Coordination Groups (CBCGs) within the respective directorates. Support is required to strengthen these bodies in the following areas:

• Strengthen the capacity of Capacity Building Coordination Groups (CBCG) under Directorate General Education (DGE) and Directorate General Administration and Finance (DGAF) for sector wide monitoring and management.
• Strengthen the capacity of CBCGs for sector wide monitoring and coordination (DGAF)
• Support the establishment and capacity strengthening of, a single institution with overall responsibility for all technical and educational inspections conducted at primary and secondary school levels.

Central and Provincial Planning and Monitoring Systems » Up

The focus of central and provincial planning and monitoring system development will be to strengthen capacity at the sector level. Key principles and outcomes will include a) extension of medium-term expenditure planning and budgeting through a revised MTEF2004-08 and a shift towards policy and results led program budgeting¹⁴, b) completion of an organisational audit and capacity building action plan by 2006, c) selective strengthening of financial accounting and monitoring systems through a provincial financial MIS and ensuring all BMCs have trained accountancy staff at various levels, d) selective institutional development for improved financial management (e.g. some higher education institutions) and e) the envisaged development of a strengthened institution responsible for the provision of training of education managers and planners. Individual reviews and action plans for these developments will take place in 2005/06.

This ESSP will further extend the current education sector performance and impact monitoring systems through a number of measures including a) broadening the scope of the EMIS, incorporating data from decentralised personnel, financial information systems, b) extending the range of stakeholders participating in ESSP reviews (e.g. private sector higher education providers), c) improving consultative arrangements with ESWG and the NEP and d) an annual program of operational research and pilot studies. It is anticipated that work programs in these areas will be finalised as part of the ESSP 2006-10 review in late 2005. A key focus will be strengthening provincial performance monitoring systems through preparation of annual Provincial Education development plans.

Strengthening education performance monitoring and impact systems through a) review of ESSP monitoring processes, including expanded stakeholder participation and coordination with EFA monitoring, b) an action plan for EFA FTI progress review and c) publication of EFA mid-decade review report as a basis for EFA FTI implementation and resource mobilization.

District and School/Institutional Management Systems » Up

The broad principle will be to enable district and school/institution levels to manage day-to-day operational activities and budgets. Anticipated system outcomes will include a) capacity building action plans for district BMCs, clusters and schools, especially improved guidelines for better information flow, analysis and reporting, b) revised guidelines to assist MoEYS training institutions in more closely matching human resource needs to staff development programs, including facilities upgrading, staff training and curriculum development, c) expansion of education planning, management and accounting training programs through MoEYS and other providers and d) strengthening provincial and district personnel deployment, planning and management systems through central and provincial technical committees. These systems will be facilitated through revised guidelines, especially for staffing norms at provincial, district and school levels. These guidelines will draw on a District Education Officefunctional analysis conducted in late 2004.

Strengthening monitoring systems for school development planning, including a) annual target setting, b) improved information systems, c) coordinated school/community monitoring, and d) training programs in school development planning.

Financial Planning and Management Systems » Up

ESSP financial planning and management systems be extended to ensure effective pro-poor budgeting through system and program interventions. MoEYS systems will be upgraded to respond to a) parental contributions to basic education costs, b) planning for increased non-Government/private spending on post-basic education alongside poverty targeted subsidies, c) improved targeting systems for pro-poor capital spending on education facilities development and d) improved accounting and audit of Government, parental and donor support for education.

ESSP will extend measures to improve resource predictability through a) active engagement in the MTEF process, b) strengthened consultative processes with MoEF and CAR through review of Education Management Finance Committee (EFMC) arrangements, c) review of existing inter-ministerial Prakas and sub-decrees in response to the revised PAP framework and d) active engagement in other inter-ministerial financial planning arrangements (e.g. the PAP cash management taskforce). In the medium-term, it is anticipated that MoEYS will play a lead role in implementing program based budgeting, consistent with revised PFM guidelines, which it is anticipated, will build upon and strengthen the financial management and budgeting reforms developed under the PAP system particularly within the education sector.

The initial ESSP program budget allocations are shown in Table 14 These allocations will be reviewed annually, based on a) agreement of levels of Government recurrent and capital budget allocations, b) projections of annual external assistance for facilities investment, recurrent budget support and capacity building and c) review of program cost-effectiveness and impact.

Table 14 : Proposed ESSP 2006-10 Program Allocations

(Million Riels)	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Pap Recurrent Program Priorities	149,537	155,987	169,132	168,350	179,642
01 Education Service Efficiency	16,200	17,940	18,900	19,860	20,800
02 Early Childhood Education (ECE)	755	845	1,000	1,100	1,200
03 Primary Education Quality And Efficiency	41,600	42,600	44,100	47,100	47,100
04 Lower Secondary Education Access, Quality And Efficiency >	16,350	19,870	25,065	29,448	33,830
05 Upper Secondary Education Access And Equity	4,775	5,680	7,015	8,335	9,655
06 Higher Education Quality, Efficiency and Equitable Access	5,500	6,000	6,500	7,000	7,500
07 Continuous Teacher Education	10,770	10,845	11,750	11,750	11,750
08 Core Instructional Materials	33,287	33,107	34,002	19,807	19,807
09 Non-Formal Education Expansion	6,700	6,300	7,500	8,350	8,400
10 Youth And Sport Development	900	1,100	1,200	1,200	1,700
11 Strengthened Monitoring Systems	7,700	5,100	3,200	3,200	4,100
12 Secondary Scholarships For The Poor	5,000	6,600	8,900	11,200	13,800
Capital Program Priorities	113,400	98,920	91,440	84,000	82,000
Facilities Expansion	83,400	78,920	71,440	64,000	62,000
Capacity Building	30,000	20,000	20,000	20,000	20,000
Capital And Recurrent Total	262,937	254,907	260,572	252,350	261,642

The recurrent program priorities, through the PAP mechanism are consistent with ESP 2006-10 priorities. Key features consist of a) an increase in per-student expenditure at primary level for quality improvement, b) increased secondary program allocations in accordance with enrolment growth and quality improvement, c) increased higher education program allocations in accordance with enrolment growth and quality improvement, d) growth of NFE re-entry programs, e) expansion of youth and sport activities, especially school physical education and f) need for more lower and upper secondary scholarships for the poor, as more schools are provided in poor communes. These allocations may be supplemented by discrete donor/NGO support, and capacity strengthening especially for the mainstreamed HIV/AIDS awareness and scholarships for the poor.

It is recognised that effective ESSP implementation will require a review and action-plan for procurement system development, in consultation with MoEF. Key anticipated features will include a) agreed guidelines for instructional materials procurement, b) more flexibility at the school level for procurement of basic supplies and c) agreement with MoEF on procurement systems which allow for effective internal and external audit. It is anticipated that these guidelines will be finalised by Department of Finance by mid 2006.

Education Facilities Planning and Management Systems » Up

MoEYS will continue to adopt a gradual approach to decentralisation of facilities planning and management, based on ongoing review of available capacity and recent decentralisation in selected provinces, where a Provincial Education Facilities Committee (PEFC) has been constituted.

Higher Education Planning and Management Systems

Higher education planning and management systems have yet to be finalised. Anticipated features are likely to consist of a) PAI status for all public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)¹⁵, including establishment of a board of governors, b) establishment of criteria for staff qualifications, experience, capability and expected performance outputs, c) revised guidelines for Department of Higher Education responsibilities for enabling public/private partnerships, quality assurance and associated information systems development and d) agreed working arrangements with the ACC and HEIs on performance management monitoring and reporting systems. At present 4 public HEIs have been established with PAI status, the remaining public HEIs will produce action plans outlining their process and timetable for adopting the new status. This process will be carried out incrementally.

Legislation, Governance and Regulatory Framework » Up

The ESSP implementation will be underpinned by new legislation and regulations, set out in an Education Law expected to be approved in 2006. Key features will include a) guidelines on use of parental and private contributions to schools and other institutions, b) guidelines on governance of schools and post secondary institutions and c) issue of selective new regulations and administrative guidelines to new powers and responsibilities of education authorities, parents and community associations.

The work program will include formulation of selected pieces of education regulatory reform which will include a) rights and obligation of education personnel, b) an agreement on the roles and responsibilities of Commune Sangkat Council in education¹⁶ c) signing of contract and responsibilities of public school managers, d) private participation in education service delivery and e) transferable educational credits and evaluation mechanisms or quality assurance.

Further regulations will be issued in relation to a) grade 9 and grade 12 national examinations and tests of general education and equivalency testing, b) structure of administrative hierarchy and educational management, c) education management and governance at public and private education establishments, d) the responsibility for supervision and management of the internal financial audit committee, e) public school internal budget and financial monitoring committee and f) violation of the rights of learners, educational personnel, parents/guardians.

Enabling legislation and regulation for increased decentralization of education services through a) presentation of Education Law for adoption by the National Assembly, b) preparation of an action plan for key regulations related to decentralized authority and responsibilities, c) progress review on the effectiveness of implementation of the legislation and early regulations and d) an impact review on the effectiveness of legislation and regulatory guidelines, including necessary institutional development.

Planning, management and monitoring arrangements » Up

The Director Generals will ensure a first level of coordination for program components falling under their responsibility. In particular, they will receive regular reports on capacity building activities and will review such things as terms of reference for TA support, plans for training programs and other specifications.

These capacity building frameworks will be used by MoEYS and supporting partners as a tool for continuous monitoring of the program activities and outputs. This will enable MoEYS to adjust detailed designs and plans as would be required by changes within and outside the ESP/ ESSP management framework. The ESP/ ESSP annual review will be an appropriate time and forum to appraise progress made in strengthening the sector management, and assessing the changes that are being proposed for further planning and implementation.

Financing Plan » Up

The capacity building program financing plan will be finalised following further definition of needs and detailed designs for each component. The table below presents broad indicative envelops for each component that reflect overall priorities as identified by the Ministry.

Table15 : Indicative Capacity Building Financing Plan

(Million Riels)	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Component 1: Program Management and Monitoring	15,000	10,000	10,000	10,000	10,000
Component 2: Sector Wide Management	15,000	10,000	10,000	10,000	10,000
Total	30,000	20,000	20,000	20,000	20,000

¹¹ The Action Plan will address any implications for the timing of the two national examinations
^12,15 Excluding TTCs
¹³ This process will be established over 2006-07 as it is recognised that some departments will require external support
¹⁴ This shift will build upon and strengthen the program budgeting approach initiated through the PAP budget planning system
¹⁶developed through negotiation with Ministry of Interior,