By Abdou Mbye
Photo: (MOBSE) DPS Jobe and PS Mendy
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MOBSE) in partnership with World Bank on Tuesday, May 10th validated the Education Sector Finance Brief, held at the Coco Ocean Hotel in Bijilo. This high level technical interface brought together expert stakeholders from the Ministry and World Bank to develop a comprehensive document that would equip personnel to make informed decisions as far as achieving quality and accessible education through credible data management system and analysis.
Speaking at the opening event, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Louise Moses Mendy encouraged officials to be critical about the “sensitive document”. He described it as the architect of the budget projections and allocations with the aim to ameliorate potential financial gaps. “This forum will give us an insight as to the actuals in terms of expenditure of the education sector. Accurate data is important for the purpose of planning, analysis, implementation, and informed decision making.
The Director of Policy, Planning, Analysis, Research, and Budgeting Directorate (PPARBD),Sohna Foon Chore, expressed optimism that the convergence would come up with a comprehensive and coherent document to address the educational resource needs of the sector through partnership with donors and actors.
“The achievement of our education major policy objective; such as access, quality, and relevance, requires funding on operational activities like building of schools, payment of teachers’ salaries, training and provision of teaching and learning materials, among others”.
She justified: “Therefore, the implementation of these policy interventions invariably come with substantial financial burden for the sector, which requires the use of resources from both the domestic and the development partners”.
The Director affirmed that the finance brief aims at providing updates under cost and financing of education in The Gambia, and that it presents an overview of the education financing by source of funding and nature of expenditure. “It also describes the pattern, features and evolution of education expenditures,” she added.
The World Bank Consultant, Lamessa Tariku, expressed optimism that the process would be smooth because of the engagements and the technical capacity buildings offered to the local team.
“We made an exercise on how indicators are computed and the feedback we collected from participants was encouraging in terms of validating this document,” he elucidated.