5 Where will Norway direct its efforts?

The diversity of arenas and partnerships in the education field has led to a fragmentation of efforts. This means that better cooperation and coordination of international efforts is needed if the education goals are to be reached. Norway will strengthen cooperation through dialogue and consensus-building, and will work actively to move education higher up on the international agenda. If all children and young people are to be ensured access to good-quality education, all the relevant partners, at both country and international level, will need to work together strategically and effectively. In order to arrive at sustainable solutions, we must base our activities on national priorities and make use of national resources in addition to contributions by cooperation partners. Norway’s support is not intended to be a substitute for other resources, but to serve as a catalyst spurring national and international actors on to greater efforts.

Norway will systematically seek to promote greater aid effectiveness through country ownership, adaptation to national plans and donor coordination, in line with the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action and the 2011 Busan Declaration.1

Civil society plays an important role as critical observer and contributor to the global debate. Locally based NGOs are particularly important when it comes to reaching especially vulnerable groups of children and young people. These organisations can also play a critical role in countries in crisis or conflict, where the school system tends to function poorly.

Private-sector partners can provide financial support for efforts to make innovation and new technology available and well suited to the education sector and to improve the quality and relevance of the education provided.

The national authorities are responsible for providing all children with good-quality education. However, in many countries they are not able to do so and are dependent on forming partnerships with the business sector in order to increase the number of school places. Public–private partnerships also provide opportunities to improve access to education and the quality of teaching. However, such partnerships should be entered into only if they ensure that poor and marginalised groups also benefit from the improvements.

Another important group that needs to be involved in the efforts to provide education for all is the children and young people themselves, who should be given a stronger voice. It is crucial that the global effort for education yields results that meet their needs and wishes.

Norway will seek to ensure that developing countries establish robust systems for measuring, reporting and evaluating results. Such systems must be integrated in, not parallel to, the planning and implementation of projects and programmes. We will do our part to ensure that the appropriate knowledge and methods are communicated to our partners. Multilateral organisations also have an important role to play in this work.

Norway will work to strengthen partnerships between governments, multilateral organisations and institutions, civil society and the business sector at global and national levels in selected countries in order to achieve maximum effectiveness in the Government’s global education effort.

We will coordinate our bilateral and multilateral efforts as far as possible and build on existing partnerships and institutions. At the same time, we wish to involve new partners. We will seek to work with cooperation partners who have comparative strengths in the form of geographical proximity or technical expertise and capacity. Our choice of partners and channels will be based on a number of factors: 1) the presence of responsible government partners, 2) the involvement and relevance of the multilateral system, and 3) a Norwegian presence and Norwegian experience of cooperation in the education sector.

5.1 Global mobilisation and alliance-building

The UN plays an important role in mobilising international political support for common goals. If a global initiative for education is to succeed, it must be endorsed and coordinated at the highest UN level.

International conventions and norms, and the ability of the multilateral system to help countries meet their obligations, also need to be strengthened. We will continue to support and take part in designing reforms in the UN development system.

Norway will make use of strategic financial support to multilateral organisations to strengthen their technical expertise and relevance under their respective mandates and spheres of responsibility. Furthermore, to avoid fragmentation, duplication and competition between organisations, we will seek to engage them in joint programmes that require greater cooperation and coordination at global and national level. We will encourage the use of joint analyses and efforts to achieve common goals and an effective division of labour between organisations. This will include support for financial mechanisms that promote coordination in crisis situations, for example between humanitarian organisations and those with a development mandate. We will also promote cooperation between the UN system and the development banks.

Norway will assume a leadership role in the efforts to involve and motivate other bilateral donors to work strategically and in a coordinated fashion for the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 2, relating to universal primary education, and the education goals of the post-2015 development agenda. We will form partnerships with important bilateral donors such as the US, Germany, the UK and the Nordic countries, and also with new major donors.

A further reason for emphasising global political mobilisation is to muster resources. Funding for education has suffered in many countries as a result of the financial crisis. We need to motivate major donors, involve new partners, promote innovative financing, rationalise our efforts, promote predictability and encourage developing countries to increase their budgetary allocations to education.

Their mandates oblige UN organisations to seek to ensure that girls and children from vulnerable groups can start school and complete their schooling. They must also work to raise the quality of learning and for the development of relevant educational programmes. Under these conditions, Norway will continue to work with and through the multilateral system.

The Government will:

• work to strengthen the UN’s normative and political leadership in the education field;

• promote the Government’s global education effort through the multilateral system in accordance with the various organisations’ mandates, results achieved and comparative strengths, and seek to reduce fragmentation and overlapping in the multilateral architecture for aid to education;

• include thematic earmarking of some of Norway’s multilateral support for education, such as contributions to multi-donor funds, in order to improve the effectiveness of multilateral organisations;

• form strategic partnerships with other bilateral donors and motivate them to increase their support for education.

5.1.1 Global Education First Initiative (GEFI)

The Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) was launched by the UN Secretary-General in 2012 to intensify the focus on education and the efforts to meet MDG 2 (achieving universal primary education) and MDG 3 (promoting gender equality and empowering women). GEFI has three priorities: to put every child in school, to improve the quality of learning and to foster global citizenship. Former British prime minister Gordon Brown was appointed UN Special Envoy for Global Education, and the GEFI Secretariat under UNESCO cooperates closely with UNICEF.

Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is an advocacy working group whose aims are to ensure adequate funding for education in humanitarian emergencies, protection of education from attack, and emergency prevention and preparedness measures in education sector plans. The group is associated with GEFI.

The Government will:

• seek to strengthen the level of involvement in GEFI and ECW in the global mobilisation effort for education.

5.1.2 UNESCO

UNESCO is the only UN organisation with a mandate specifically to bring education to the world. Its role is predominantly normative and it functions mainly as a knowledge bank. UNESCO does important work in a number of fields, including promotion of literacy, adult education, vocational training, lifelong learning and non-formal education. Another field is exploiting the links between technology and education, and the organisation has published Policy guidelines for mobile learning.

Norway’s partnership with UNESCO is influenced by these factors. We seek to ensure that the organisation fulfils its role in its focus areas and does not extend its efforts to areas where other organisations can do the job more effectively. Norway’s support for UNESCO’s educational activities promotes its role as a voice and a coordinator for the efforts to meet MDG 2 and the Education for All goals. Norway also supports the development and use of reliable statistics for measuring progress on the international education goals.

The Government will:

• seek to strengthen UNESCO’s normative role in the educational field by setting requirements and providing technical and strategic assistance. Through our representation in UNESCO’s governing bodies, we will work to improve results reporting and cooperation with other relevant UN organisations, and promote a closer focus on areas where UNESCO has the clearest comparative strengths;

• maintain a dialogue with UNESCO on acquiring more knowledge about and raising the quality of education for girls, as well as for children and young people in crisis situations;

• seek to strengthen UNESCO’s efforts to improve educational quality, for example through the adoption of new technology, capacity-building, compiling statistics and monitoring developments in the educational field.

5.1.3 UNICEF

UNICEF’s mandate2 is based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Accordingly, the organisation has adopted a broad approach to its efforts on behalf of children, which include safeguarding children’s rights to health, clean water, nutrition, education and protection. UNICEF is a global advocate of children's rights.

In addition to being an important norm-setter for children’s rights and integrated childhood development, UNICEF’s strength lies in specific action at country level. The vision of the organisation’s Strategic Plan for 2014–17 is to promote the rights of every child, in particular those of the most disadvantaged children, such as those with disabilities.

UNICEF is working to reduce the number of children who do not attend school and to increase the proportion of those who complete their primary education and go on to secondary school. In countries where girls’ education lags behind education for boys, UNICEF has developed strategies for improving school attendance and learning outcomes for girls from early childhood to adolescence.

UNICEF has a close dialogue with authorities and partners at country level. Norway has put emphasis on this approach when choosing the organisation as a key channel for our efforts in the education sector. Its presence in over 135 countries puts UNICEF in a unique position to contribute to the development of national education policies, legislation and systems, and to provide practical support to low-income countries and countries in crisis. Furthermore, the organisation gains experience that contributes to the global knowledge base.

In addition to the annual core contributions, Norway’s support to UNICEF takes the form of thematic support, programme and project cooperation, and humanitarian support. We will use our seat on the Executive Board to promote Norwegian priorities and improve documentation of results.

Through UNICEF, Norway is helping to finance the global network Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), which is a driving force in the international efforts for gender equality in education.

The Government will:

• maintain a high level of support for education through UNICEF, but at the same time expect improvements in results reporting;

• maintain a close dialogue with UNICEF to ensure greater efforts in fields such as early childhood development, girls’ education, education for vulnerable groups and education in crisis situations;

• through UNICEF, intensify Norway’s efforts to promote an integrated approach to early childhood development as a foundation for learning.

5.1.4 Global Partnership for Education

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) is a multilateral partnership consisting of developing countries, donor governments, international organisations, the business sector, teachers, and civil society/NGOs. Norway has played a leading role in its establishment and development. Today the GPE is one of Norway’s most important channels for aid to education, and we are currently the fourth largest donor country. The GPE focus areas include girls’ education, education in conflict-affected and fragile states, educational quality, increased financing for education, and increased aid effectiveness, all of which are in line with Norwegian priorities.

The GPE is part of the effort to achieve MDG 2, universal primary education. It helps countries to develop and implement sound sector plans to provide good-quality primary education for all girls and boys. These plans are intended to outline ways of achieving improved access to schooling, more and better qualified teachers, better and more relevant learning materials and better assessment systems and tests to measure pupils’ progress. The GPE also works to improve coordination of the international support for education.

One of the main conditions for cooperation in the GPE is that the individual countries themselves assume the fundamental responsibility for planning and implementing the reforms necessary for achieving universal primary education. The GPE provides funding, advice and innovative solutions. In 2013, 59 developing countries were members of the GPE; 38 of them were in sub-Saharan Africa and 28 were fragile states.

The GPE’s efforts to increase educational capacity in developing countries enabled 21.8 million more children to attend primary school between 2002 and 2013. Of these, 10.1 million were girls. In addition 413 000 new teachers were recruited, 37 000 new classrooms were built and 220 million textbooks were purchased and distributed. In 2011, 71 % of children in conflict-affected GPE member states completed primary education, as opposed to 56 % in 2002. A 2010 evaluation showed that enrolment of children in primary schools was twice as high in countries that had received support from the GPE as in countries that had not received such support.

In addition to its efforts at country level, the GPE wields considerable influence at the international level and plays a key role in promoting a continued international focus on education.

The GPE is seeking to increase aid effectiveness so that better results can be achieved, and is therefore helping developing countries to give priority to education in their budgets and to seek support from other donors in addition to the GPE.

The GPE is intensifying its efforts to improve results reporting by partners, among other things by more direct use of results-based financing. The plan is for a certain share of the aid to a country to be transferred once results have been achieved.

The Government will:

• take an active part in the further development of the GPE;

• promote learning within the GPE in areas such as results-based financing and innovation;

• increase Norway’s contribution to the GPE on condition that it delivers results.

5.2 Other multilateral arenas

As part of our global education effort, we will regularly review which channels best enable us to reach our goals in the priority areas.

5.2.1 International Labour Organization (ILO)

The ILO is an important partner in Norway’s efforts to promote decent work.

The organisation is a key channel for combating child labour. There are large numbers of children whose jobs prevent them from going to school. The ILO has made it clear that education and training are crucial to effectively eliminate child labour, and that eliminating child labour is vital if all children are to have the opportunity to go to school. The ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), which was launched in 1992, is a worldwide programme that operates in 88 countries and is the world’s largest programme of its kind. UNICEF, UNDP, NGOs and companies are among the participants.

The ILO cooperates with member states on reforming and strengthening vocational education systems by linking competence-building with productivity, employment, development, decent work and green jobs. The organisation carries out statistical and qualitative research and policy and legal analyses, publishes guidelines for national policies and engages in technical cooperation. One of the ILO’s priorities in this field is providing young people with vocational education that meets the needs of the business sector.

The Government will:

• intensify its support for the ILO’s efforts to strengthen vocational education and combat child labour through education.

5.2.2 World Food Programme (WFP)

WFP cooperates with governments, UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank on a programme for school meals. WFP provides school meals to 25 million children in 60 countries annually and helps national authorities develop their own school meals programmes. Through these programmes, 1.3 million girls and half a million boys receive a ration of food to take home to their families, with girls given priority as an incentive to encourage them to attend school. WFP considers it essential that the countries themselves have the capacity to implement school meals programmes, and offers technical advice on developing and running them.

WFP’s work for the provision of nutritious food to pregnant and nursing mothers and children under two is perhaps the most important of its efforts from a humanitarian perspective. It helps to ensure that children’s physical and cognitive development is not compromised.

The Government will:

• support WFP and its efforts to improve nutrition among groups where this particularly promotes the healthy development needed for improved learning, especially in low-income and conflict-affected countries.

5.3 Development banks

The development banks are key sources of financing for development in general and education in particular. They play a central role in helping to provide good conditions for the education sector in developing countries through their support for economic governance, tax revenues and the efficient use of public funds.

5.3.1 World Bank Group

With its 8.9-billion-dollar portfolio and its projects in 70 countries, the World Bank Group is one of the largest partners in the education field. The Group helps countries achieve their education targets through financing and by providing analysis, advisory and technical services.

The Group’s 2011 education strategy emphasises the link between education and employment and gives priority to early childhood education and care, vocational education, quality, and efforts in fragile states. The Group especially seeks to support the development of integrated education sectors. Greater importance is being attached to results, and analytical tools have been developed to improve their measurement. Efforts are also being made to induce the developing countries themselves to invest more heavily in education.

The World Bank Group is at the forefront in promoting public–private partnerships for innovative development strategies in several fields, including education. The goal is to give young people the right qualifications for the labour market.

Norway supports the Multi-Donor Education and Skills Fund (MESF) through the World Bank Group. The Fund supports capacity-building in the post-primary education field at country and regional level in sub-Saharan Africa. It helps authorities and partners in the various countries to develop the knowledge and skills of the labour force, thereby promoting inclusive growth and competitiveness.

The World Bank Group would be a suitable partner for the establishment of a fund for the testing of results-based financing in education. In addition to the fact that the Group is the largest multilateral contributor in this field, its multi-donor trust fund in the health sector has already acquired useful experience in methodological development. The advantage of pilot testing under the auspices of the Group is that partners can cooperate on the choice of focus areas and countries, and results can be obtained more quickly than through other channels.

5.3.2 Regional development banks

The regional development banks are an important source of financing for the poorest countries in their respective regions. The banks’ local knowledge gives them legitimacy as development partners in national and regional efforts.

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Education is one of the five core operational areas of the ADB’s 2020 strategy for reducing poverty and promoting inclusive development in Asia and the Pacific. Recently, in response to requests from recipient countries, the ADB has shifted its focus from primary to secondary and higher education and vocational training. Much of its support is directed at achieving higher levels of productivity, employment and innovation.

The ADB increasingly supports reforms in the education sector and the development of sector strategies, planning and leadership. Its support covers primary, secondary and higher education and vocational training, and at school level it has mainly concentrated on teacher training, development of teaching and learning materials and building of schools. Women, the poor and people from rural districts are priority groups. It has been found that the success of vocational training depends on close ties with the labour market. Evaluations show that the ADB has achieved good results in this sector and confirm that higher quality and improved access require comprehensive reforms, close cooperation with recipient countries and a long-term perspective.

A mid-term review of the ADB’s 2020 strategy has shown that its efforts in the education field need to be intensified.

African Development Bank (AfDB)

The AfDB has defined technology and vocational skills as a core operational priority in its strategy for 2013–2022. The aim is to promote inclusive growth and reduce the high unemployment rate in the region, especially among young people. The African member states want the Bank to intensify its efforts for secondary and vocational education, targeting both the formal and the informal sectors.

Norwegian support for the AfDB is particularly directed towards the 40 poorest countries in the region, around half of which are defined as fragile states.

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

Education has always been a priority for the IDB, and the Bank has shifted its focus from higher education to primary and secondary education and capacity-building, with particular emphasis on educational quality and the learning environment and on the transition from school to working life. The most disadvantaged are a target group. The IDB’s presence at country level and its knowledge of the culture and the region make it a key supplier of technical assistance and financial support in the education sector.

Norway provides fresh capital to the Bank and has supported the establishment of a Social Inclusion Trust Fund, which runs projects in the education sector.

The Government will:

• strengthen cooperation with the World Bank Group and the regional development banks on the effective use of public funds, tax reform and giving priority to education in public budgets;

• strengthen cooperation on education with the World Bank Group and the regional development banks in order to ensure that their efforts in this sector are as strong and as comprehensive as possible;

• play a leading role in the establishment of a World Bank fund for testing results-based financing in education, in order to gain broader experience in the field.

5.4 Regional cooperation

Norway wishes to cooperate with regional organisations and networks that promote regional solutions and cooperation.

The political, security and development policy role of the African Union (AU) has been strengthened in recent years. Thus the organisation can be an important partner for Norway in our global education effort. The AU is strongly committed to improving girls’ education and empowering women.

The Government will:

• conduct a close dialogue with the African Union with a particular focus on girls’ education. Cooperation with other regional and sub-regional organisations in Africa and elsewhere will be considered on an ongoing basis.

5.5 South–South cooperation

It is a goal for the Government in its development policy to promote comprehensive, effective South–South cooperation, including in the area of education.

Photo: Ken Opprann

It may be useful to facilitate transfer of the competence we have helped to develop in individual countries in the South to other countries where our global education effort is being implemented.

BRAC, which started in Bangladesh, has shown that South–South cooperation can be extremely effective. BRAC has grown into one of the world’s largest development NGOs, and has established major education programmes in a number of countries, including South Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan in addition to Bangladesh. The next step for the organisation will be Myanmar.

The Government will:

• act as a catalyst for practical, results-oriented South–South cooperation.

5.6 Cooperation with private foundations, the business sector and civil society

One of the conditions for success in reaching the education goals is that all relevant partners contribute. Innovation and creative thinking are sorely needed at every level of the education sector, from projects in rural districts to the international community’s organisation of efforts to improve education. The business sector can deliver information technology that will make education more widely available and improve its quality. This means that we should increasingly involve private partners that can contribute knowledge adapted to conditions in developing countries.

Currently there are many good projects and initiatives being implemented by philanthropic organisations, civil society, the business sector and various funds and alliances. However, these activities are fragmented and there are few evaluations of the efficacy of the various measures.

The Government will:

• work systematically to involve new cooperation partners in efforts to achieve the education goals. We will redouble our efforts to identify measures that yield good results and can be applied to other situations, and share this information.

5.6.1 Private foundations and philanthropists

Interested and dedicated individuals, foundations and trust funds can also be a source of funding, new technology and technology transfers. Successful partnerships with individuals or private foundations may also motivate other private donors to contribute.

The strengthening of results reporting is essential for attracting philanthropists to participate in the global efforts to improve education.

The Government will:

• establish a dialogue with interested and dedicated individuals, institutions, foundations and trust funds in order to form new and innovative partnerships in the education field.

5.6.2 The business sector

The business sector can provide new technology that raises the quality of education and makes it more accessible. This is particularly important for ensuring that the education system contributes effectively to employment, job security and economic growth.

A basic requirement of education in the 21st century is that it prepares people to participate in a knowledge-based economy. The use of electronic media in learning, e-learning, is a cornerstone in the building of an inclusive knowledge society. Mobile learning, or m-learning, refers to mobile units, such as handheld computers and tablets, MP3 players, smartphones and mobile phones, that support the learning process. This technology has enormous potential to revolutionise education and training, since the relevant services can be supplied anywhere in the world, thereby increasing the number of people with access to good-quality learning materials.

As discussed in Chapter 3, the Government will intensify its cooperation with the business sector. This will help to ensure that the Government’s global education effort is relevant to business, and that Norwegian development assistance funds will generate private funding and efforts.

Norwegian and multinational companies can provide financial support, services and goods. Strategies must be developed for joint and complementary measures that are effective and of high quality, while at the same time ensuring that the principles of development aid and sustainability are followed.

The Government will:

• invite the business sector to engage in a close dialogue on how to forge links between Norwegian companies operating abroad and our global education effort, and how we can benefit from their experience;

• engage in a dialogue with relevant partners in the information industry on incentives for the development of technological solutions that will give more children access to good-quality education.

5.6.3 Civil society

Civil society can play an important role in the efforts to achieve the education goals in every country, by implementing programmes that stimulate cognitive development in early childhood, managing schools and other educational institutions, keeping a critical eye on whether good-quality education is available to children and young people, and playing a major role as driving force and agent for change at local, national and global level. For example, religious communities run schools in many countries.

Through its use of innovative methods, civil society plays an especially important role in efforts to reach the most vulnerable groups of children and young people. There has been a favourable trend in recent years towards closer cooperation between NGOs and local authorities in these efforts. In a number of countries, the innovative methods introduced by organisations have later been incorporated into national plans and strategies.

Civil society can play a critical role in providing education for children and young people in crisis- and conflict-affected countries where the authorities themselves have insufficient capacity. Examples of organisations that have adopted innovative and flexible solutions in this respect are the Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children Norway. Even though ideal solutions are not always possible, there is great value in providing access to and continuity in schooling, or even simply giving these children a safe place to play.

The Norwegian Refugee Council and Save the Children Norway are currently the largest Norwegian NGO partners of Norwegian authorities for providing education during humanitarian crises. In order to strengthen Norway’s efforts, the Government entered into a three-year framework agreement with Save the Children Norway last year on education in emergencies. The main aim of the agreement is to help ensure that children in emergencies have access to good-quality education during and immediately after a crisis. The agreement also enables Save the Children Norway to assume a co-leadership role along with UNICEF in the IASC Education Cluster, coordinating education efforts in humanitarian crises.

Organisations that are firmly established in the local community are often able to strengthen parental involvement in education. Experience has shown that involving civil society organisations and parent groups in schooling promotes engagement and participation, as a result of which the authorities are more likely to be held accountable for fulfilling their responsibilities. In addition, demands by civil society actors for transparency in national and local budget allocations help combat corruption.

NGOs also help to improve the quality of education by organising other activities in connection with schools, including informal instruction in fields such as health, human rights, comprehensive sexuality education and vocational education, and also games and sport. Such activities often serve as incentives for children to start and stay in school. One example of this is the organisation Right to Play, which in cooperation with the educational authorities in the countries concerned uses games and sport to teach the children life lessons that are also relevant to national education plans. Another example is the Norwegian Confederation of Sports, which uses sport as a tool for developing social skills, to teach children about their rights, and to strengthen their ability to make independent choices and develop a healthy lifestyle.

However, it is important that NGOs’ activities strengthen national structures rather than building up parallel systems.

Norwegian NGOs work through local partners, for example in delivering services, and play a proactive role in the educational field. Several of these organisations have considerable expertise and long experience. Many have participated actively in campaigns for achieving MDGs and Education for All goals. They also serve as an important channel for Norwegian support for education. In 2013, around 25 % of Norway’s bilateral aid to education, both long-term education programmes and activities in crisis-affected countries, was channelled through NGOs.

The Government will:

• strengthen innovation in the education field through Norwegian, international and local NGOs, especially in terms of quality and in the context of humanitarian crisis situations;

• strengthen the work of NGOs in delivering education services that will ensure all children a good-quality education. Special priority will be given to girls, vulnerable groups, crisis-affected countries and other fragile states.

5.7 Bilateral cooperation

Norway has pursued bilateral cooperation on education and sector programmes in a number of countries. The proportion of bilateral aid has been reduced in recent years, but our experience and considerable expertise still form a sound basis for further efforts.

At country level, the question of whether to engage in direct bilateral cooperation or to support other efforts, for example through multilateral organisations, will always be considered in relation to a Norwegian presence, the local situation and the need to focus on fewer countries. Where appropriate, we channel support through NGOs. In some cases we use more than one channel for the same country.

Multilateral support makes it possible to streamline administration, strengthens coordination and makes development cooperation more effective. On the other hand, bilateral cooperation can offer advantages in the form of closer contact with expert and political networks in the recipient country, learning from our own direct efforts, and greater knowledge about the culture and the people. It also gives Norway more direct influence and greater visibility. The question of what Norway can bring to the cooperation will be carefully considered for each country.

Photo: Jan Håkon Olsson

In countries where we go in bilaterally, we will enter into partnerships with the national authorities and appropriate multilateral, private- and public-sector actors. Where the national authorities have moved education higher up the agenda and increased budget allocations, this will be considered a sound basis for partnership. We will seek to ensure that our efforts are relevant in other situations as well, and share the experience we have gained from our bilateral cooperation.

Norway will focus its support on a few selected countries that show political will and leadership by giving priority to education and vocational training in national plans and budgets, particularly countries that are seeking to reach children and young people who are poor or vulnerable in other ways. At the same time, we will give weight to the authorities’ willingness to provide favourable conditions for value creation in the business sector. Support will be allocated in accordance with national plans and procedures, thereby enabling the country to improve its capacity to make its own strategic long-term choices. We will use our influence to ensure as far as possible that assistance is concentrated on areas and groups with the greatest problems, and will make it clear that Norwegian educational support is not intended to replace the country’s own efforts in the sector, but to reinforce them. In crisis-affected countries and other fragile states where we aim to reach vulnerable groups, we will employ the most suitable channels in each case.

Regardless of which channel is being used, our embassies will follow country-level activities where Norway is involved. There will be a greater emphasis on results. Norway will also help to coordinate international education efforts at country level in focus countries.

Although progress is being made in education at the global level, many African countries are lagging behind. Sub-Saharan Africa will therefore be given high priority in the Government’s global education effort. It may also be appropriate to give priority to low-income countries in other regions as well.

We will identify a small group of pilot countries as a focus for intensified efforts, including bilateral efforts, on the basis of the following criteria: that there is strong national ownership of the education sector, and that priority is being given to vocational training and the most vulnerable groups. Norwegian funding will include support for capacity-building and systems development. Our efforts will be ambitious and will include policy areas that influence and are influenced by education. Extra resources will be allocated to these pilot countries to enable them to reach predefined goals in the education sector. Concrete, measurable results will be emphasised. Partnerships may be formed with more than one actor, for example authorities, multilateral organisations, civil society and the business sector. Norwegian expertise will be used as a resource where appropriate. The plan is to launch bilateral cooperation in these pilot countries in 2015.

The Government will:

• organise bilateral cooperation in a way that maximises synergies between the various efforts, upholds the responsibility of recipient countries and ensures that the requirements for aid effectiveness are met;

• promote the development of effective cooperation arrangements at country level and consider assuming responsibility for coordination of GPE activities in selected focus countries;

• launch a special education effort in a limited group of pilot countries that will be chosen for their strong national efforts in the education field and the priority they give to vulnerable groups;

• seek to ensure that all children in the pilot countries are able to complete primary education, that as many as possible, especially girls, complete secondary education, and that the education is of good quality and relevant to the labour market.