Strengthening capacities to execute the Common Education Fund (FCE) in Burundi

Detailed description of project Back

Burundi is updating the Education and Training Sector Development Plan (PSDEF) taking stock of all main education programmes to be implemented over the period 2011 – 2016 to ensure Quality Education for All. The PSDEF shows a clear wish to further elaborate an education sector approach. In order to finance the PSDEF, multiple technical and financing partners (AFD, Belgian and Luxembourg Cooperation, DfID) have agreed with the Burundi authorities to pool their financial support through a Common Education Fund (FCE).

The organisation of the disbursement of the FCE is based on the creation of a special budgetary allocation (BAS). A new manual with procedures for the FCE has been adopted by the national Party and the PTF. A planning and programming for 2011 on the basis of these new procedures has been approved in October 2010. The execution of the BAS/FDE will start in the budgetary year 2011 (Jan-Dec 2011), with a Programme of 12.4 Million Euros. At the same time a plan to strengthen the capacities has been elaborated to assist the MEBASE in the implementation of BAS/FCE 2011 and the preparation of the planning of the BAS/FCE 2012.

This contract covers the following capacity building actions:

• Support to the financial execution and accounting of the BAS/FCE;
• Support to the technical and financial follow-up of BAS/FCE ;
• Support to the planning of BAS/FCE 2012 & 2013.

Type of services provided

Support to the financial execution and accounting (3 experts):

• Follow-up of commitment, clearance, mandates and payment of expenditures; analytical, budgetary and accounting entries;reconciliations;
• Support monthly, six-monthly and annual reporting;
• Monitor the execution of delegated credits in the DPE and schools as well as contracted expenditures;
• Strengthen the public expenditure management capacity and insure a skill transfer.

Support to the technical and financial follow-up of the FCE (Team Leader):

• Needs analysis;
• Use and adaptation of planning, monitoring, and reporting tools and aides;
• Putting into practice the operational procedures;
• Strengthening the organisational capacities to apply the procedures; to execute expenditures, the organisational development of the Admin and Finance Services at MEBASE and the DPE;
• Institutional development and specifically de-concentration of services and decentralisation of school financing;
• Setting up school subvention mechanisms;
• Planning institutional strengthening and financial management activities for 2012 & 2013.

Support to the Planning for 2012/2013 (1 expert):

• Use of planning tools within the overall Education Sector Services;
• Organising the planning process respecting budgetary and operational cycle deadlines;
• Programming, including the preparatory work on a technical and financial framework;
• Consolidation of operations and financings;
• Budget programming: Transfer analytical plan into a budgetary plan, draft Financing Law and the Rectifying finance laws.

Main staff provided:

• Team leader (229 m/d);
• Education planning (20 m/d);
• Financial management/ accountants (804 m/d).