Civil society for the right to education for all children in Moldova

Between July July 1, 2020 – December 31, 2021, The Alliance of Active NGOs in the field of Child and Family Protection (ASPCF) is implementing the project ‘Civil society for the right to education for all children in Moldova’, with financial support from OXFAM Ibis.

The project will contribute to the fulfilling of the SDG 4 ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for children in Moldova

Objective 1: At the end of the project, the national and local authorities’ awareness of the budget implication on education quality and access has increased. Outcome 1: Increased level of meaningful participation of the NGO Alliance in education policy dialogue and budgeting processes

Engagement of civil society in education planning, policy dialogue and monitoring is primordial for ensuring adequate policies, transparent decision making processes and public budget implementation in education. Within the project NGO Alliance will be empowered to be more involved in education planning, policy dialogue and will have better capacity and expertise to monitor and involve in the policy implementation and budgeting processes. NGO Alliance Secretariat will monitor the new Government policies initiatives and Parliamentary initiatives in order to inform Moldovan Education for All (EFA group) EFA Group members and to develop tougher recommendations. NGO Alliance involvement in policy and finance planning and monitoring will be improved within the Project by joining new platforms and also by being involved in working groups for elaboration of Moldova National Budget Framework. An important aspect for the advocacy activity, will be the development of independent analysis/evaluation of budget planning and execution in inclusive education. The results will be available to the public bodies and will serve for the advocacy messages and also rising awareness campaign.

The organization of Joint MoE & civil society Conference on inclusive education will serve as a dialogue platform for sharing achievements and lessons learnt and will be organized annually.  The conference will gather around 100 participants – policy makers, development partners, local public authorities, academics, teachers and parent and will be focused on strengthening the engagement of all actors involved in ensuring the continuous development of inclusive education according to internationally ratified documents and national policies. An important event held annually is Inclusive Education Gala within which NGO Alliance awards a Trophy to the institutions that have made a substantial and lasting contribution for developing and promoting inclusive education. The event is organised traditionally within the Joint MoE & civil society Conference. Within the project, will be continued the widely promotion of inclusive education innovative models and dissemination of positive examples.

Objective 2: At the end of the project, NGO Alliance will have the necessary capacity to get engaged and participate in the formal education policy and budgeting processes. Outcome 2: Strengthened capacity of NGOs to participate and influence budgeting processes

Within the project the NGO Alliance will be strengthened through: trainings on planning, budgeting and results-based management; development of Methodological guide for NGOs on monitoring the management of public finances in education; Strategical Planning process.

The Methodological guide for NGOs on monitoring the management of public finances in education will be developed for supporting organizations in these complex processes and strengthen their capacities. To ensure equitable participation of marginalized groups the EFA group will be extended and membership diversified.

NGO Alliance Strategical Plan expires in 2020 and a new Plan has to be developed, in order to ensure the sustainability of Alliance work, activities, contribution to public policies, interventions made within the project, but also future actions/interventions and priorities of the Alliance etc. An expert will be contracted to develop the Strategical Plan. The Strategical Planning process will be done through 4 steps: 1. preparation of the planning process – interviews with Governmental and development partners, questionnaires for members etc.; 2. participatory planning in a 3 days’ workshop with members; 3. elaboration of the Strategic Plan; 4. dissemination and promotion of the Strategic Plan.  The new Strategic Plan will be presented and approved in December 2020, during the annual General Assembly of the NGO Alliance

Objective 3: At the end of the project, disadvantaged groups will be better represented in advocacy and policy dialogue. Outcome 3: Improved representation and inclusion of disadvantaged groups in advocacy and policy dialogue engagement

To ensure a better representation and equitable participation of disadvantaged groups in advocacy and policy dialogue the EFA group and APSCF membership will be extended and diversified. Inclusiveness and diversity values of the NGO Alliance are highlighted in the Strategic Plan (2021-2025).