Problem Definition, Evidence, and Alternative
The recovery from the conflict in South Sudan is associated with considerable issues in many sectors, including education. The major challenges related to the development of the educational system are the ongoing violent attacks and natural disasters (Ministry of General Education and Instruction [MoGEI], 2017). Girls remain the most vulnerable group due to the cultural peculiarities of the country that is characterized by patriarchal traditions and practices. Girls tend to be forced to marry at an early age since this is often a way for families to receive profit (Japan International Cooperation Agency [JICA], 2017).
It has been estimated that 76% of girls in the country fail to gain education because of the food crisis and the lasting military conflict (“Education Cluster assessment,” 2018). The lack of schools and inappropriate staffing, difficulty with accessing educational facilities, as well as financial issues families have to address prevent girls from attending schools and higher educational establishments.
The MoGEI developed a plan to address the challenges the educational system faces. The General Education Strategic Plan, 2017-2022 (hereafter also referred to as GESP) is the government’s response to the most burning issues in the sector. The government, in collaboration with international institutions and non-profit organizations, has achieved certain progress. For instance, the functionality of the existing schools increased since 2017 and reached slightly over 80% (“Education Cluster assessment,” 2018).
However, it is also reported that approximately 6,000 schools should be built to ensure an appropriate educational level of the children of South Sudan. At the same time, only 4% of the budget was allocated to the sector, which makes the implementation of the educational plan problematic. This report includes an assessment of The General Education Strategic Plan, 2017-2022 in terms of gender equity.
Criteria
When evaluating policies, it is necessary to start with the identification of criteria to consider. The aspects to analyze the policy under analysis will include efficiency, equality, fairness, justice, equity, freedom, and legality. The strategy in question is a general plan that covers all people with a focus on children. The government stipulates that primary education should be free and mandatory for all children of the corresponding age (“Education Cluster assessment,” 2018). Moreover, some of the major priorities mentioned in the GESP are the provision of more opportunities to females to obtain education at different levels.
An increased interest to such vulnerable groups as girls does not undermine the government’s effort to ensure equality, justice, and freedom. The established priorities are justified by the challenges related to gender (JICA, 2017). Girls do not attend school due to financial issues (families may have no sufficient funds to ensure their children’s transportation to schools) and safety problems (parents are afraid to let their daughters go to school). The legality of the policy is appropriate as the strategy is based on major international standards and the legislation existing in the country.
As far as the efficiency of the GESP is concerned, the plan has numerous drawbacks. One of the major issues related to the strategy is the allocation of funds that seems ineffective. Although the country has to address various challenges, education is one of the priorities, but 4% of the budget can hardly suffice for achieving the established goals. The implementation of any policy depends on the availability of resources and proper allocation of funds (Unsicker, 2013).
The government heavily relies on international financial aid, which is essential under the current circumstances (MoGEI, 2017). Nevertheless, this support should not be the basis of the planned measures. The policy in question needs considerable funding and substantial public support that cannot be achieved without more focus on collaboration with communities and individuals. These two aspects are not properly addressed in the plan, which undermines the efficiency of the policy in question.
Projected Outcomes
The MoGEI set ambitious goals and developed a plan that covered the vast majority of the identified challenges (see Figure 1). By 2021, the government intends to increase female student enrollment to 79% at the primary level (MoGEI, 2017). It is projected to reach an 8% increase in female student enrollment at the secondary level. The government highlights specific steps to achieve these objects by building new schools and liberating existing ones from military groups. The plan also includes initiatives that imply the provision of some commodities (such as food, sanitary products) or financial support to female students.
The construction of diverse types of educational facilities funded by the government and various donors is regarded as an important facilitator of the development of the system. The lack of female teachers is seen as one of the factors contributing to the existing gender inequality, so the government’s attempts to ensure that 40% of primary teachers and 25% of secondary educators will be females by 2021 (MoGEI, 2017). Additional benefits and financial aid are the primary instruments chosen to reach the set goals.
Figure 1. Outcome matrix.
Importantly, the strategy is also characterized by a considerable level of collaboration with different stakeholders, including the public, religious institutions and leaders, and organizations. The primary focus is on discussions, radio broadcasts, and the dissemination of information through official channels. The government also intends to transform education into the platform of peacebuilding in the country.
It is planned to ensure the implementation of campaigns promoting schools and creating an image of the school as a peacebuilding space (MoGEI, 2017). Students, their families, and communities will be involved in the process of rebuilding schools, which will be one of the measures to create the ground for uniting people. The use of media is mentioned as an important component of promotional and informational campaigns.
The policy under discussion is associated with several unintended consequences. For instance, it has been acknowledged that female secondary-school students drop out mainly due to the change of their marital status (“Education Cluster assessment,” 2018). It is also reported that once girls enter primary education, the drop-out rate at the secondary level is comparatively low. Therefore, if the campaigns aimed at raising people’s awareness of the benefits of education and the disadvantages of early marriages are successful, the shortage of secondary schools may be substantial. The target increase in the number of secondary schools will not meet the potential needs of the population. In addition, it can be difficult to forecast the rate of returning people, so the problem of the shortage of schools is likely to be the major problem.
Regarding the emergent features of the strategy in question, it is possible to note that the strategy is characterized by a considerable degree of collaboration and involvement of diverse groups. The government plans to involve international donors, international and local non-profit organizations, communities, individuals, specific groups (such as the faculty, students, parents, educators, researchers, among others) (MoGEI, 2017). This feature can have a positive influence on the outcomes of the plan if it is implemented properly.
Tradeoffs
The evaluation of a policy should include an analysis of tradeoffs that highlight the efficiency of the strategy (Unsicker, 2013). The policy under consideration requires the investment of millions of U.S. dollars. The construction of educational facilities, training of personnel, and development of materials, as well as the implementation of promotional and educational campaigns, need substantial funding. Nevertheless, this investment will pay off in a comparatively short period of time since the country will train people who will contribute to the development of its economy.
The country has significant agricultural potential, but the techniques employed in this sector due to the low qualifications of those employed in agriculture are inefficient. Therefore, increased access to education for females (who constitute a significant part of those working in the sector) will boost the development of agriculture.
The mentioned social benefit (strong economy) will come at a certain private cost related to cultural beliefs and norms. People will have to change their attitude towards early marriages and gender roles. Marriage should not remain an important source of income for families as daughters can contribute more to the development of the community and the entire country if they are properly educated. Domestic violence and violence against women should also be stigmatized and tabooed in South Sudan, which will ensure proper enforcement of the existing laws that presuppose adequate punishment for such crimes but are not enforced effectively.
Decision and Telling the Story
The policy is rather inefficient and unlikely to achieve the established goals since it implies limited funding and does not include sufficient details regarding its implementation. Although the GESP includes quite a detailed description of the major priorities and measures to be undertaken, it lacks attention regarding the allocation of funds, initiatives aimed at promoting certain ideas, and collaborating with other stakeholders (see Figure 2). The implementation of the plan can be hindered by environmental issues and factors related to the military conflict.
In a nutshell, the policy in question highlights important problems to address and many steps that can potentially lead to positive outcomes. However, a written plan, even if it seems effective, does not mean that all the problems will be solved within the set timeline. The GESP only outlines that a certain sum will be spent on grants for girls, but further distribution remains unclear, while the initiatives for female teachers are not highlighted in the cost section at all. Although the strategy includes information concerning the people and institutions regarding the implementation of the incentives, the responsibility of these stakeholders is not properly highlighted. In simple terms, no one can guarantee that the funds will reach the target population, and the programs will be implemented properly (see Figure 2).
Policy Implementation as the Major Issue
As mentioned above, the policy in question can hardly be implemented properly due to certain operational and cultural gaps. The responsibilities of the stakeholders, especially when it comes to supervision and control, are not described in detail. The measures to ensure people’s adherence to the plan are not highlighted. The policy is not supported by laws and regulations that would make the implementation of the strategy possible.
The preparation of female teachers completely lacks any operational details (budget, responsibilities, laws, and norms). The educational sector is considerably damaged, and the allocated costs will not suffice to achieve the major goals. The government will have to address donors, which is associated with substantial risks since the amount of provided help is difficult to predict. Moreover, the social tension is still substantial, which may result in a new wave of violence. Finally, existing cultural norms are unlikely to be changed in a short-term perspective with the help of promotional campaigns since laws and their appropriate enforcement could facilitate the process.
Policy Evaluation
Although the program is developed for a period of five years (from 2017 to 2022), some results and outcomes can be evaluated, and operational aspects should be analyzed. The public still sees the gender gap in education as an almost unaddressed issue (Munene & Wambiya, 2019). The economic situation in the country and cultural norms are regarded as the central challenges to solving the issue. People admit that some steps are being made by the government and other stakeholders, but these measures are still insufficient. Girls are forced into early marriages, they have to rear children and focus on households rather than obtain an education, their families do not have resources to access schools (due to food, transportation, and safety issues).
The policy had an impact on the educational system and people’s views on the matter. Female student enrolment is steadily increasing, and such initiatives as food and financial aid to female students and their families have proved to be effective (“Education Cluster assessment,” 2018; Karani, 2019). If the GESP had not been implemented, the rate of females in schools would have been lower. However, some challenges mentioned as emergent issues have occurred as people are witnessing an increased interest in education and the educational system’s inability to cater for the demand (Karani, 2019). Schools cannot provide high-quality services to all students who want to receive these services. Moreover, the program is not implemented in strict accordance with the design, which leads to a lack of resources.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is necessary to state that The General Education Strategic Plan, 2017-2022 only partially achieved the established goals in terms of the effort aimed at decreasing the gender gap. Although some improvements are obvious, the allocated funds could have been managed more effectively. The lack of attention to its implementation and supervision over outcomes has led to the policy’s results. The lack of laws and their enforcement is one of the most serious issue s to be addressed. These laws should support the changes in the educational structure, and should also lead to the shifts in cultural norms related to gender roles (see Figure 3).
References
Education Cluster assessment: South Sudan. (2018). Web.
Japan International Cooperation Agency. (2017). Country gender profile: Republic of South Sudan: Final report. Web.
Karani, Z. (2019). Education keeps girls in school and out of early marriage in South Sudan. World Vision. Web.
Ministry of General Education and Instruction. (2017). The general education strategic plan, 2017-2022. Web.
Munene, I. I., & Wambiya, P. (2019). Bridging the gender gap through gender difference: Aiding patriarchy in South Sudan education reconstruction. Africa Education Review, 16(5), 86-101. Web.
Unsicker, J. (2013). Confronting power: The practice of policy advocacy. Sterling, VA: Kumarian Press.