Success Story: RAP-DM Accomplishments 2006
Year one of the RAP-DM program was devoted mostly to situational analyses, integration within the Ministry, and technical support to central services. Year two has been devoted mostly to the creation of a series of trainings and tools that have been developed to support decentralized services. Following the initial training sessions in August 2005, RAP-DM undertook the first wide-range round of training in September and October 2005. In accordance with planning, this round supported the AEs and CAPs in financial management, planning, and decentralization. Most of the content for the training modules was identified directly by the Ministry of Education's central services. Application of the lessons from the last training session was monitored and reinforced through specialized technical assistance and coaching whenever possible. The team continues to solicit feedback from participants about the performance of the trainer team in order to continue improving training methods.
RAP-DM continued supporting the Ministry of Education's efforts to improve community understanding and partnership. In November 2005, the Education Deconcentration and Decentralization Unit (CADDE) organized a consultation with various NGOs with technical support from RAP-DM to devise a community guide for evaluating school systems.
The second round of training in March and April 2006 included relevant information for the preparation of the 2007 Action Planning process (PACA) and overlapped with the Education Sector Investment Plan (PISE) preparation process. The second round of training was followed by a series of support missions in 69 of the 70 CAPs, which helped assess the impact of the first two rounds of training and target ongoing training needs for improved performance.
Year two was also highlighted by the launch of the support to decentralization component for CAPs and AEs, including tools developed by RAP-DM in the area of geographic information systems. The tools can guide decentralized education decision makers to fully understand and analyze the data relevant for planning schooling in their areas.
The integrated technical assistance strategy used by RAP-DM saw successes in its second year of operation for a number of reasons. By identifying real management and planning constraints, the project is poised to help the Ministry of Education find practical solutions to various challenges. RAP-DM develops tools specific to the Ministry of Education in Mali's context. Just-in-time trainings help staff overcome both the structural and skills constraints to better performance. The RAP-DM team accompanies Ministry of Education staff as they work through an improved planning and communication strategy for efficient operations at decentralized levels. Another factor that facilitates success for RAP-DM is the multidisciplinary nature of the mandate to work with several Central Ministry offices at the same time. The three primary partners-CADDE, the Administrative and Financial Directorate (DAF), and the Planning and Statistics Unit (CPS)-have been joined by the National Directorate of Basic Education (DNEB) and other offices to jointly develop strategies for improved basic education services.
The following are a few examples of successful tools and technical assistance provided by RAP-DM in the second year of the project:
- The Donor Financial Positioning Spreadsheet and Analysis and the 2006 National Budget that was developed by the DAF/CPS with technical assistance from RAP-DM has been fully integrated into Ministry planning at all levels.
- The Regional Planning Methodology (PARE) and the Central Planning Methodologies (PASC) are now functional and in place, allowing regions to submit quarterly block requests for funds and greatly increasing the potential for efficient management of resources at decentralized levels.
- The project has introduced tools for improved communications into the daily operations of the Ministry of Education at all levels: a cellular phone network, USB keys, allowance for Internet use.
- The project developed a simple webpage for the Ministry of Education to announce high school placements of students around the country, which significantly decreased the crowding the paper-only format had caused at the Ministry offices.
- The distance study introduced by the projects has been used by CAP and central-level staff to deepen understanding of current schooling models in rural Mali.
