Mid-Term Review of Norway’s Support to UNICEF’s Education Programme in Madagascar (2005 – 2007) GLO-2108

The Project
Norway's support to the UNICEF programme in Madagascar "Ensuring the Right to Quality Primary Education for all Children in Madagascar" has its background in an agreement (MOU, 2004) between Norway and Madagascar with a main commitment for Norway to support the strengthening of basic education in Madagascar. Norway channels funds both directly through Ministry of Education and a substantial part to basic education through the UNICEF programme for the three year period 2005-2007. The budget is 12 mill. NOK per year, a total of 36 mill. The programme has a dual strategy with two main elements: the Parent-School Contracts, CPRS, which are based on an old tradition in Madagascar to take responsibility and solve problems through social contracts, and a pedagogical innovation, APC (Approche par les Compétences), including production of new material and training program for trainers and teachers.

Interesting Findings
• The team's overall assessment of the progress of the UNICEF programme is positive. The strength of the programme is the combined effects of the main elements, resulting in broadly based impact on the pedagogical work in schools, management of the education sector at all levels and the decentralisation policy.
• The two main elements, CPRS (Contrat Programme Reussite Scholaire) and APC (Approche par les Compétences) with the pedagogical training program for trainers and teachers show promising results at school and community level. UNICEF has contributed to strengthen local initiative and responsibility.
• A main point for discussion is how capacity is developed at all levels, how ownership and competence are built up and transferred. A serious concern is, however, that in remote areas training is often reduced and/or delayed, due to transport problems and capacity constraints.
• UNICEF is considered a competent and trusted partner with international experience of interest for Madagascar to contribute to pedagogical innovation and curriculum reform. Channelling support through UNICEF is thus considered to have an added value.
• UNICEF should improve its system for reporting, on achieved results in general, and including financial reporting to be more self-explanatory.
• Because of the complexity of the programme, with many stakeholders involved and capacity building at many levels, it takes longer time to get the expected results, continuous support over a long period will be necessary.
• Based on the achievements so far and with the improvements suggested the review team recommends continuing the programme within a new programme period.