| Mali Regional Action Plan Decision Making (RAP-DM) Project
Component 2: Program support to decentralization through strengthening of AE/CAP
The technical approach for this component has evolved profoundly since the program description was originally written. The underlying theme to the component was that the decentralization process could be improved and accelerated by moving from a top-down implementation model to one that focuses on removing the barriers to community involvement in basic education. In other words, instead of empowering individuals, communities, local and regional governments, it was proposed that it would be more effective to work on decentralization by raising awareness of how the current system inhibits decentralized entities (i.e., communities, local governments) from playing the role they want to play, developing strategies for removing identified obstacles, and providing technical support for the removal of barriers to public participation in basic education. This strategy does not imply that the current top-down empowerment strategies are irrelevant, but that they would be more cost-effective to start elsewhere. For example, the current system for pre-service teacher training in a teacher training institute (IFM) requires students to transfer from a rural public elementary school to a consolidator middle school in a large village or town. Statistical data imply strongly that rural boys from wealthy families have a much higher propensity to complete teacher certification than poor rural girls. This provides for a teaching force made up mostly of men from urban areas and large towns. Exclusive use of male teachers, often without spouses, is a barrier to girls’ enrollment and persistence. Revised Programmatic Directives
The original program description of this component contained three sub-components: indirect support to community capacity building and education system management tools, set up pilot partnership activities between AE/CAP and decentralized entities to build capacity for school management, and pilot activities to help school mapping units better understand the relationship between education supply and demand. However, parallel projects by the Ministry of Education have caused changes in the programmatic support provided by the project. During the first year of RAP-DM, it became clear that its activities were redundant with the Education Deconcentration and Decentralization Support Unit (CADDE) programs. CADDE supports implementation of ascendant planning, which aims to provide local governments with the capacity to develop detailed district-level education development plans. The first two subcomponents from the Program Description section on Decentralization have been revised, condensed and folded into one subcomponent.
During the second year, RAP-DM support for ascendant planning has continued with its technical contribution to the guide for supporting school management committees. RAP-DM will continue to be involved in the ascendant planning process, but it is not a major component of the program’s intervention. Permanent Monitoring of Capacity Strengthening Projects
RAP-DM identified three regional technical correspondents (CTR) in each AE to monitor efficiency. The CTRs were selected from the existing AE staff working in the planning, budget, and education quality areas and have responsibility for monitoring all capacity-strengthening support to the AEs and liaising with the RAP-DM staff. The CTRs also participate in the development of training modules, pilot field activities, and monitoring and evaluation at the AE and CAP level.
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