Localised and flexible is the formula for resilience

Localised and flexible is the formula for resilience when delivering education programmes in fragile and conflict-affected states (FCAS), writes John Shotton and Patricia Schwerzel.

The final lesson is that change rarely happens without good people leading it. They are the glue on programmes like these.

In South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, over half of the 12-million population live beneath the poverty line. The country faces huge practical challenges in rebuilding, following decades of civil war and renewed conflict in recent years. The UK aid-funded Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) and EU-funded IMPACT programmes were set up to support education and to counter the impact of economic crisis, with the aim of breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty.

The programmes have successfully improved the level and breadth of education in South Sudan, despite the recent resumption of conflict. Landmark achievements since 2013 include putting cash directly in the hands of more than 200,000 girls; the near real-time monitoring system based on mobile phone technology; school grants that have raised the quality of learning environment; and the radio shows to address cultural taboos against girls’ education, including outreach support in remote villages.

However, these headline innovations would have proved impossible without the right structure beneath them and the right people powering them. Put simply, if the programmes had chosen a rigid, centralised approach that failed to work closely with the Ministry of Education, they never would have made such progress.

From the start, the designers for both projects recognised the benefits of recruiting ‘State Anchors’, a network of organisations, charities and agencies that had been in South Sudan during the civil war and will be there for future years. These actors provided a ready modus operandi for making things happen. They employ staff from local communities who know the language, understand the context and are trusted. For example, if there are queries about the eligibility of a particular girl for a cash transfer, they will know of the families and easily provide verification. For an outsider from Juba, for example, that’s not a given.

In times of displacement – which is now such a common part of life in conflict-affected South Sudan – the State Anchors are already embedded within communities and can move with them. When school communities are displaced, the programme’s staff can assist with setting up temporary learning centres, help schools qualify for grants and enable girls to continue their education – something which is usually of low priority during emergencies. Girls can immediately qualify for cash transfers. This provides continuity for both schools and pupils and financial support for families.

State Anchors also implement the programmes’ wider work in empowering parents, school management councils and community decision-makers to take ownership of their children’s education. They are nalso able to inform, monitor and evaluate progress, allowing the programmes to effectively adapt to the challenges of the conflict. Their involvement is already proving sustainable. Although 30% of the population is displaced, the number of girls in school is still increasing.

Top down as well as grassroots

Cambridge Education, with its parent company Mott MacDonald, has been involved in South Sudan for more than 50 years and was one of the first organisations on the ground following the ceasefire in 2007. Its people have built up long-standing working relationships with the Ministry of Education, both at national and state levels. The Ministry’s ownership of the programmes is high, with officials chairing monthly technical meetings. At local levels, the support of government officials for programme activities has provided a degree of protection for staff and school communities.

The school grants were a good example of how partnership can work. The Ministry paid for the primary schools, while the programme paid for secondary schools. GESS’s people worked hand in hand with officials to develop policies and procedures, with both parties sharing challenges, targets and objectives, such as how to get money to schools and how to make them accountable.

The results in South Sudan have been remarkable,especially given the level of conflict. DFID, as donor for GESS, deserves credit for being willing to listen and take recommendations on how to adapt the programme as the situation evolved. There was clearly a need for emergency relief, but also a shared belief that support for long-term education development needed to continue at the same time.

The original designs for both programmes were conflict-sensitive and allowed for flexibility, which has proved critical. For example, GESS was able to waive a sub-qualification for school grants that said recipients must have a bank account. When it became apparent that many schools in conflict- affected areas didn’t have bank accounts, the State Anchors stepped in. They were able to deliver money in hand and guarantee its accountability.

Scenario planning and the design of responsive interim strategies have also allowed the GESS programme to continue operating throughout the crisis. This has included brief periods of remote management from Kampala and Nairobi, when the December 2013 and the July 2016 outbreak of conflict led to some staff being relocated.

The final lesson is that change rarely happens without good people leading it. They are the glue on programmes like these. The GESS network,for example, comprises over 200 committed and resilient South Sudanese, ably led by Akuja deGarang, who was recognised for her efforts to promote girls’ education in her country of birth with an MBE in 2017. There is a genuine thirst for education to turn the situation round in South Sudan, and a shared determination to maximise the return from available resources.

The programmes in numbers

• Over 200,000 girls in upper primary and secondary schools have received cash payments
• Over 650,000 girls and 850,000 boys have benefitted from the programme’s school grants and quality education improvements
• 2 million adults (15+) have been reached with girls’ education radio outputs
• 3,400 schools have received capitation grants and are being supported with community-based school improvement
• 30,000 teachers are receiving an incentive to help them to continue working in the schools, despite the country’s economic struggles and challenges arounddistributing cash