The KIX EMAP Workshop on Understanding and Monitoring National Education Budgets took place over two days on 28 February and 29 February 2024. The workshop welcomed 378 unique participants who joined to understand the essential concepts of domestic education financing and monitoring national education budgets. Over the two days, participants delved into the key elements of national education budgets, exploring their structure and processes.
The workshop was designed for anyone involved in education planning, implementation or advocacy. It provided them with the tools to ensure that education budgets are effectively allocated and utilised, driving improvements in educational outcomes. It was intended to be useful for both actors working directly with education finance and education experts currently not engaged in education finance discussions.
Day one of the workshop covered essential concepts of national education budgets. Arushi Terway, KIX EMAP Hub Senior Technical Advisor, led the workshop and addressed the following topics: what an education budget is, the role of various actors in setting it, equity in resource allocation, revenue sources for education budgets, expenditure/allocations in education budgets, recurrent budget and capital budget. Margaret Irving, Education Specialist, Thematic Lead on Data and Finance, GPE Secretariat, spoke to the audience about why they should engage with education budgets. Lastly, Ugyen Pem, Chief District Education Officer in Dagana District, Bhutan, provided valuable insights into her experience engaging with national education budgets and the need to do so.
Day two of the workshop focused on monitoring national education budgets. Arushi Terway kicked off day two with a recap of day one. Following this, she covered the following topics: an introduction to the budget cycle, decentralisation, data and information sources. She also led discussions with the audience and other speakers on budget evaluation, budget formulation, budget approval and budget execution. The workshop then welcomed speakers from Ministries of Education in the KIX EMAP countries, who shared their insights on the education budget planning and monitoring process in their countries. Ana Marie Contreras-Calapit, Director IV Department of Education – Central Office – Office of the Director for Finance Service, explained the education budget planning process in the Philippines. H.E. Tep Phyorith, Director General of Administration and Finance at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport Cambodia, shared the developments with the education finance management information system in Cambodia. Orzugul Goyibova, Senior Specialist at the Ministry of Preschool and School Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan, spoke about the education budgeting process in Uzbekistan.
The workshop closed with remarks from Margaret Irving and Jose Luis Canelhas, KIX EMAP Hub Director.
Guidelines for the Monitoring of Education Budgets: https://www.globalpartnership.org/content/guidelines-monitoring-national-education-budgets
Key Education Finance Resources (in English): https://www.norrag.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Key-Education-Finance-Resources.pdf
