Formulation mission ‘Support to the National Strategy for Alphabetisation and Non-formal Education in Morocco’

Detailed description of project Back

The Moroccan Government has selected the fights against illiteracy and non-formal education as national priorities. In this context a State Secretariat responsible for Alphabetisation and Non-formal Education was created in November 2002. The priorities were once more underlined in the new National Initiative for Human Development.

The National Strategy on Alphabetisation and Non-formal Education adopted in 2004 has the following main objectives:

• Reducing illiteracy below 20 % by 2010;
• Total eradication of the phenomenon by 2015;
• Reducing illiteracy below 10 % for the active population by 2010;
• Guarantee Education for All.

An identification mission for a new EC funded support programme to the national strategy did take place in February 2007. The analysis of the 7 criteria for a sector budget support programme (preferred implementation modality) did conclude that not all criteria were actually met, but that the potential existed that these were fulfilled prior to the signature of the financing agreement, if targeted technical support would be provided to the State Secretariat. This technical support relates to (i) a revision of the objectives of the Strategy in line with financial resources available so as to be considered as viable and realistic; (ii) the preparation of a medium term expenditure framework (MTEF) and (iii) the setting up of a technical donor coordination mechanism.

The objective of the mission is twofold: (i) to provide technical support to the State Secretary as outlined above and (ii) to undertake the formulation of the EC support programme.

Type of services provided

PROMAN provides the services of a team of 3 experts for these 2 missions:

• One expert specialised in the organisation and management of non-formal education, included alphabetisation (team leader);
• One pedagogical expert, specialised in the sociology of education;
• One macro-economist/public finance specialist.

During the first mission the technical support focuses on the revision of the sector strategy; the preparation of monitoring matrix on the implementation of the strategy; necessary arrangements for donor coordination; the preparation of a MTEF and the identification of immediate needs on capacity building.

The second mission focuses on the actual formulation of a support programme.