The Sudan Ministry of Finance and National Economy and the World Bank sign a USD 76.5 million Grant Agreement for the Sudan Basic Education Recovery Project.
KHARTOUM, April 11, 2013 - In an important milestone towards supporting the improvement of education in Sudan; the Undersecretary for the Sudan Federal Ministry of Finance and National Economy- Mr. Yousif Abdalla El Hussein and the World Bank Acting Country Director for Sudan, Mr. Stephen Ndegwa, today formally signed the Global Fund for Education Partnership Grant Agreement for the 4 year Sudan Basic Education Recovery Project.
The BER Project will be implemented by the Ministry of Education with a total of US$76.5 million Grant financed by the Global Partnership for Education Fund (GPEF), which is a multilateral partnership devoted to supporting countries’ efforts to educate children from early primary school through secondary school. There are over 20 donors to the GPE Fund such as Norway, Australia, France, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Global Partnership includes bilateral and multilateral agencies, civil society organizations and the private sector. The Partnership is represented in Sudan by the Local Education Group with UNICEF as the Coordinating Agency. The BER Project will be administered by the World Bank on behalf of the Local Education Group.
The Ceremony was attended by the Federal Minister of Finance and National Economy, The Federal Minister of Education, the Acting Country Manager of the World Bank, Representative of UNICEF, Head of DFID in Sudan and the Deputy Head of Mission-Netherlands Embassy, as well as State Governors.
During the Signature Ceremony, the Federal Minister of Finance and National Economy, H.E. Mr. Ali Mahmoud, stated that this Fund will help substantially support progress of education in the country, especially at state level. H.E. also emphasized the commitment that the MoFNE has in facilitating the implementation of this important project.
H.E. Ms. Suad Abdelrazig, the Federal Minister of Education, stated the importance of education and how it “is one of the strongest components to building peace in Sudan” and her appreciation for the signature of this important agreement.
Acting Country Manager, Mr. Stephen Ndegwa, reiterated how this is a project that all development partners and government counterparts should be proud of; stating that the funding of this project is an example that “we can have global results in Sudan”. He also added that this is an important project “signifying the confidence we have in the education system in Sudan and the impact that this will have in the progress of the country.”
Mr. Ben Mellor-Head of DFID in Sudan, joined in showing appreciation of the fruitful partnership between the government, the World Bank and development partners; adding that he is looking forward to seeing this important project unfold and improve the quality of education in Sudan. In addition, Mr. Geert Cappelaere- Representative of UNICEF-Sudan, stated that this is an important day because it contributes to change for “millions of boys and girls in Sudan”.
The BER Project aims to improve the learning environment in targeted areas; increase the availability of textbooks; and strengthen education planning and management mechanisms in Sudan.
The Project plans to:
- Construct 2, 000 classrooms and provide school grants in deprived areas in 10 of 17 states in Sudan; ( Blue Nile, El Gadarif, Kassala North Darfur, Red Sea, South Darfur, East Darfur, Northern State, Sinnar, and North Kordofan)
- Revise existing procedures, guidelines and practices for textbook procurement and provision,
- Purchase and distribute over 9 million textbooks to all students in basic education,
- Strengthen the foundation for the education system to ensure long-term quality, accountability and sustainability through the development and launch of a national learning assessment,
- Establish a system to enable the MoE to monitor teacher supply utilization and development,
- Strengthen the education management information system (EMIS),
- Develop the full Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP 2012-2016).
