UNICEF Global Course on EiE

Module 1. Case Study: Crisis Sensitive Education Sector Plan

Introduction to Advocacy for EiE

1. Case Study: South Sudan Crisis-Sensitive Education Sector Plan
1. About South Sudan and its education situation
 It is a young nation.
 It has a protracted crisis and ongoing instability.
 It has a long history of fragmented development support, even following
independence.
 For decades, there has been no coherent government-led policy or strategic
framework to guide the work of all the education actors.
 Most education interventions have a short time horizon, offer limited coverage of
particular regions or population groups, or are influenced by humanitarian
approaches with a focus on responding to immediate needs, to the detriment of
longer-term development.

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UNICEF Global Course on EiE
Module 1. Case Study: Crisis Sensitive Education Sector Plan

2. Conditions of the cooperation

UNESCO-IIEP and UNICEF have supported the Ministry of Education, Sport and
Technology through the provision of technical assistance and capacity-building for
central and state-level officials for many years.
In 2015, UNESCO-IIEP and UNICEF supported the Ministry of Education, Sport and
Technology to conduct an Education Sector Analysis (ESA) and develop its Education
Sector Plan (ESP) for 2017-2021.

3. How they worked

The education sector analysis process sought to be inclusive and participatory, and
worked to engage development as well as humanitarian actors, including UNHCR and
the Education Cluster.
Throughout the ESP planning process, aspects of conflict and disaster risk reduction,
together with the provision of quality education for refugees and internally displaced
populations, were discussed.
The political and humanitarian context was a cross-cutting theme that was considered
across the planning process. This theme covered aspects related to geographic,
political, humanitarian, demographic, social and macroeconomic context of South
Sudan. Although external to education systems, these aspects significantly influenced
both education demand and supply.
The team developed a description of the main risks in South Sudan.
The ESA brings together available data and conducts additional analysis through
acrisis-sensitive lens.

OCHA composite risk indicator

The main innovation in developing the South Sudanese crisis sensitive analysis
was the use of the OCHA composite risk indicator. The establishment of severity
rankings and thresholds for the counties throughout the country using OCHA data
was then used to analyze schooling patterns, quality and management in those
areas most severely affected by crisis. This indicator greatly facilitated the analysis
and effectively helped demonstrate the negative association between the
occurrence of conflict and the provision of educational resources, as well as
educational outcomes in spite of the limited availability of education data in some
of the worst affected states.

The finalization of the ESP also involved develop ing a monitoring and evaluation
framework, with key performance indicators for the sector, including indicators for
conflict and disaster risk reduction activities.

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UNICEF Global Course on EiE
Module 1. Case Study: Crisis Sensitive Education Sector Plan

The development of partnerships in collaboration with humanitarian partners, such

as the Education Cluster, NGO representatives, the Ministry of Humanitarian
Affairs and Disaster Management and OCHA, is also an essential aspect of the
crisis-sensitive planning process.

In the case of South Sudan, their participation throughout the process was key to
ensuring that the humanitarian work that is ongoing in the country is aligned with
Government priorities and long-term objectives.
Today in South Sudan, the economic crisis is likely to result in a further shift in funding
from development to humanitarian support. Such a shift risks eroding progress made
and retarding the development of the education sector. It is especially critical in the
context that the ESP clearly articulates the humanitarian and development priorities of
the education sector. Then, all external funding, whether development of human or
humanitarian, is utilized in pursuit of agreed education priorities. This will help maintain
the education system and children’s rights to education, and allow for the
development of the sector as the situation stabilizes.
Seeking ways that the humanitarian and development response can align with a
common framework will continue to bridge the humanitarian-development divide in
South Sudan.

4. Lesson learnt from this case

 Government leadership and the strong participation of national authorities reinforce
ownership and alignment.
 Developing capacities for crisis-sensitive education sector planning is a long process
that may ultimately be undermined by the crisis itself.
 The planning process in and of itself can contribute to fostering social cohesion.
 There is a need to build upon the different complementary organizations and ensure
strong coordination in order to develop plans that are crisis sensitive.
 Bridging the humanitarian-development divide through crisis-sensitive planning
requires managing different stakeholder expectations, approaches, and agendas.
 Even in situations of crisis, it is feasible to develop an ESP that is based on evidence.

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