Education Strategic Framework

Objective

To assist developing countries to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development by giving more girls and boys in the Asia-Pacific region a better education.

Aim

By 2010 to assist developing countries increase by 10 million the number of children attending school and to improve the quality of education for an additional 50 million children.

What Australia will support

Helping education systems deliver

Improve the governance of education systems:

Improve policy capacity
Strengthen government systems
Help partners to develop sustainable information systems
Support social accountability measures
Support anti-corruption measures in education programs and introduce codes of conduct

Strengthen service delivery:

Enhance the availability and quality of resources such as teachers, classrooms and learning materials
Trial innovative ways to encourage children to complete their education
Support health initiatives within schools
Support the re-establishment of schooling following emergencies and build domestic response capacity

Meeting specific regional needs:

Improve vocational and technical training:

Assist partners to reform their vocational and technical education systems
Establish the new Australia-Pacific Technical College

Support Islamic education:

Assist in improving the quality of education in Islamic schools

Improve English language skills:

Improve the teaching of English in schools
Support English language initiatives through informal education tools, such as the media

Increase the effectiveness of aid

Strengthen performance orientation:

Incorporate more detailed sector analysis in country program education strategies
Accelerate a shift to more sector programs with greater alignment to national education plans and strategies
Improve performance reporting
Seek policy coherence, particularly with the AusAID gender policy

Combat corruption:

Integrate anti-corruption measures in education programs

Enhance regional engagement and strengthen partnerships:

Increase policy dialogue with partner governments
Enhance harmonisation with other bilateral donors, UN agencies and international development banks
Strengthen whole-of-government approaches

2007