Switzerland signs $2m partnership with UNESCO, Education Ministry

AMMAN — A signing ceremony was held on Thursday to formalise an additional contribution of $2 million from Switzerland to the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) in support of the “System Strengthening Partnership with Jordan’s Ministry of Education” (SSP) programme, implemented with UNESCO technical support under the leadership of the Ministry of Education. 

Swiss Ambassador to Jordan and Iraq Emilija Georgieva signed over the contribution to the UNESCO Representative to Jordan Min Jeong Kim, according to a statement from the Education Ministry. 

This latest contribution follows an initial grant of $1.6 million in 2021 when Switzerland joined Canada, Italy and Norway as a member of the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for a multi-year initiative to support the Ministry of Education in one of the core domains of its Education Strategic Plan (ESP) on system strengthening. 

With UNESCO’s technical assistance, the initiative provides overall support to the ESP implementation, monitoring and reporting; strengthening core functions in crisis sensitive and evidence-based planning and budgeting; data management; gender responsiveness; partnership and coordination; as well as strengthening institutional and individual capacities in these areas at both central and field directorate levels. 

Minister of Education Azmi Mahafzah chaired the ceremony which was held at the Ministry of Education. He highlighted that “this additional contribution from Switzerland will support the critical need to ensure that system strengthening efforts of the Ministry of Education continue to be the foundation that underpins the process of a transformative education.”

Georgieva said: “The Jordanian government, particularly the Ministry of Education, has shown unwavering commitment to adopting a holistic and evidence-based approach in its goal to transform the education system [through research and analysis]. We firmly believe that such a data-driven approach will provide a solid foundation for the advancement of education in Jordan. Switzerland is proud to continue this partnership and provide support to this significant endeavour.”

Kim said: “This generous contribution from Switzerland will allow UNESCO to continue our support to the Ministry of Education to transform and reinforce its education system to be more resilient and responsive to crisis, while continuing to build robust governance and information management systems for evidence-based planning, monitoring and decision making. The initiative is in line with the Sustainable Development Agenda and Goals, particularly related to SDG 4 on education, SDG 5 on gender equality and SDG 17 on partnership.”

The new contribution of $2 million will build on achievements made so far under the SSP programme, which was established in 2019, and be used to support the realisation of a more resilient and robust education ecosystem in Jordan based on the principles of partnership and coordination. 

It will also build on previous support to the development of the Education Management Information System (EMIS), which continues to be a key component of the MPTF programme, through the provision of specialised technical support to the Ministry of Education to reinforce its capacity to maintain, manage and utilise EMIS for evidence-based policy formulation and planning, the statement said.