CLEAR is a consortium project led by School for life with YefL Ghana and GDCA as implementing partners. It is a two-and half-year project from 2022 to 2024. CLEAR is funded by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) under the Education OutLoud (EOL) Operational Component 2 (OC2) through Oxfam/IBIS International. The project is being implemented in 6 districts (East Mamprusi, Nanumba North, Northeast Gonja, Talensi, Tatale-Sanguli and Wa West) across 5 regions (Northern, North-East, Savanna, Upper East and Upper West) targeting a total of 2700 citizens of 180 citizens groups.

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Overall, the project seeks to contribute to equitable access to quality basic education for children in deprived areas of Ghana by strengthening transparency and accountability.  The specific objectives are:

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• To Mobilize CBOs and communities in deprived districts on their education rights and build their capacity to hold education authorities accountable

• Facilitate citizens to generate evidence on basic education delivery for use in national policy dialogue

• Enhance the capacity and voice of Northern Ghana CSOs in national policy dialogue on equity in basic education

• Influence national policy dialogue to promote equity, accountability, and transparency in basic education

 

It is expected that by the end of the project:

• Citizens in deprived communities understand their educational rights, analyze government commitments, and engage local education authorities on education provision

• National policy dialogue is influenced by evidence from the grass-root level for more equitable quality basic education

• Northern Ghana CSOs have increased voice in national policy dialogue on equity in public basic education

• There is increased focus on and political will to achieve more transparent, accountable, and equitable public basic education

 

Some of the key strategies of the project of the project include:

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• Community Mobilization and organizing:

The project will identify committed community-based citizens groups across 60 communities and support them to generate evidence and serve as education monitoring teams. The groups will be educated about citizens’ rights to education and government commitments and trained to use social accountability tools. They will be facilitated to engage in educational dialogue and supported to hold education review and appraisal sessions. Capacity building trainings will also include gender barriers and working with communities to address the socio-cultural factors that affect children especially girl’s education.

 

• Youth Engagement Strategy:

The project will engage selected youth groups from the project operational communities and facilitate spaces for their engagement with duty bearers. The selected youth will have their capacities built on equity and accountability in basic education to be able to work with local communities and engage duty bearers. A selection of innovative approaches and methodologies will be used to inspire the youth to take interest in advocating for equity in the provision of public basic education.

 

• Data/ Evidence Gathering

Data and evidence will be gathered using citizens generated data processes, research and/surveys and review and analysis of government official data.

 

• Facilitating Social Accountability Processes

The project will make use of several social accountability tools such as the citizen reports card, scorecard exercises, public expenditure tracking surveys and citizens Charter to facilitate citizen-duty-bearer interfaces.

 

• Collaboration and Networking with Relevant CSOs

The project will promote collaboration among CSOs in Northern Ghana and linkages with national level CSOs to open spaces and embark on joint actions. The project will leverage on existing collaborations and alliances such as NNED, and GNECC to hold learning events and accelerate advocacy issues.

 

• Advocacy and Policy Influencing

Advocacy and policy influencing will be an ongoing strategy on all levels of the education delivery system. At the level of the community and district, citizens group will engage school and district authorities and hold them accountable for the delivery of services. At the regional and national level, relevant ministries and agencies will be engaged with evidence from grassroots level

 

• Capacity Support for State Actors

CLEAR will also work closely with relevant education authorities to enhance their capacity and responsiveness to issues raised and demands made by citizens groups.

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