Canada announces C$1.5m for strategic education in Jordan

AMMAN — On the occasion of the G-7 development ministerial meetings in Paris and the UNESCO International Conference, the government of Canada announced 1.5 million Canadian dollars (C$) to provide technical assistance to Jordan for the "Education System Strengthening" initiative, in partnership with UNESCO. 

The funds seek to support the improvement of evidence-based strategic policy making, planning, monitoring and reporting and coordination at the Ministry of Education, a UNESCO statement said on Tuesday. 

In 2017, Canada supported the development of the first nationally-owned Education Strategic Plan (2018-22), according to the statement. 

UNESCO will be optimising this new contribution towards education system strengthening over the next three years, supporting the Education Ministry by enhancing capacities in evidence-based and data-supported planning and policy making, the statement read. 

In collaboration with experts and technical institutions, UNESCO will continue to foster the Education Ministry’s capacity to maintain, manage and utilise the education management information system platform while also expanding the ministry’s core functions of planning and budgeting, monitoring and reporting, research and evaluation, data and information management and development cooperation. 

The Education System Strengthening initiative will bolster the Education Ministry's capacity to implement, monitor, evaluate and report on activities and results achieved, as reflected in the five-year Education Strategic Plan, which stems from the National Strategy for Human Resource Development, and which will contribute to the realisation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in particular, Sustainable Development Goal 4.  

The leadership and ownership of all the components remain with the government of Jordan and the Ministry of Education. 

This pledge complements Canada’s commitment to provide C$75 million over five years in budget support to Jordan’s Ministry of Education for the implementation of the Education Strategic Plan, according to the statement.