Mid-Term Review of Developing Operational Best Practices and Lessons Learned for Financing Private Basic Education

Project Overview
The combination of large and growing numbers of school-aged children not in school and the serious challenges facing the education system suggest that the public sector is taxed to provide quality education services, and the Government of Ghana (GOG) needs to encourage the growth of private sector sector schools.
Client: USAID/EGAT/ED
Countries: Ghana
Region: Africa
Project Description
In response, TMG conducted a mid-term review of the Private Sector Basic Education Financing Pilot (PSBEFPP) to outline the lessons learned to date in both the operational and technical areas that can be replicated, adapted and built upon in other country contexts, with a focus on identifying for other USAID missions and donor the opportunities, challenges, prerequisite, pitfalls, and ingredients for success. Specific tasks completed by TMG for the evaluation include: assessing the institutional capacity and skill sets of key stakeholders in Ghana and identifying the institution with the most potential to implement activities; recommending roles and responsibilities each stakeholder should assume to help ensure effective implementation and sustainability; identifying issues between private schools and the Ministry of Education, as well as policy implication for including private schools in the country’s official framework and strategy for education; recommending ways in which the pilot program could inform the broader national policies for education; and working with EGAT/ED and USAID/Ghana to identify ways in which the pilot may be integrated in to the Mission’s plans and/or ways in which private school teachers and administrators may be included in the Mission’s current and future educational quality/professional development activities. TMG also identified implementation gaps and emerging issues and make recommendations to help guide USAID and TMG in their programming decisions for the remaining portion of the program as well as for possible replication of the pilot in other countries.