Education Out Loud’s support for civil society organizations helps countries make the most of their limited resources for education funding. Civil society organizations have become crucial in coordinating technical policy discussions and mobilizing funds for education at the country level thanks to their years of experience participating in the dialogue about technical education, collaborating with key financial partners, and implementing sustained accountability work with communities.
Local leadership for global impact: A new era of civil society-led coordination in Lesotho
In education advocacy, the Lesotho Council of NGOs (LCN) has long played a significant role. As a member of the Local Education Group, LCN has worked to ensure that civil society not only contributes to shaping education policies but also demonstrates its capacity to lead decision-making processes.
For years, international agencies led multistakeholder coordination in Lesotho. Although these organizations provided funding and expertise, their leadership made it difficult for grassroots voices to influence education reforms and left local organizations with little room to influence decision-making. There was a clear need for local organizations like LCN to play a bigger role in decision making and policy implementation.
LCN presented its candidacy for the role of Coordinating Agency building on years of experience as part of a technical group, which worked on shaping the drafting of the GPE System Capacity Grant, the Report of the Independent Technical Advisory Panel and the Partnership Compact Development.
Its nomination was unanimously supported by members of Lesotho’s local education group, making Lesotho one of the few countries where civil society leads this critical function.
To ensure a smooth transition, LCN shadowed UNICEF, the incumbent Coordinating Agency, throughout 2024, gaining first-hand experience in facilitating local education group meetings, engaging stakeholders, and overseeing the application process for key grants selection.
LCN has fully assumed the role of Coordinating Agency since the beginning of 2025. In its new role, it has organized two local education group meetings, led the application for a US$5 million System Transformation Grant and provided support to the World Food Program in the development of a GPE technical assistance initiative focused on strengthening the government’s capacity to own and sustain school feeding efforts.
The transition of the GPE Coordinating Agency role to LCN represents a significant step forward in localizing education governance.
LCN’s leadership ensures that civil society is informed about GPE funding and processes and has a direct role in shaping how allocated resources are utilized. This shift enhances social accountability, as LCN is well-positioned to monitor fund utilization and ensure alignment with national education priorities.
As LCN fully assumes its Coordinating Agency role in 2025, it demonstrates the increasing recognition of civil society’s role in education governance that can drive meaningful education reforms. Lesotho’s education sector is poised for increased innovation, accountability, and long-term viability with civil society at the helm.
Local advocates turned technical advisors in Tanzania
As active members of Tanzania’s local education group, the Tanzania Education Network/Mtandao wa Elimu Tanzania (TEN/MET) and HakiElimu are civil society organizations strengthening collaboration with the government and education stakeholders to advance education financing and policy reforms.
In addition to advocacy, the National Education Coalition TEN/MET monitors and evaluates GPE grants to ensure that funds are effectively utilized to enhance learning. TEN/MET ensures that the grant is designed and carried out in accordance with GPE guidelines while also providing the grant agent with technical guidance and support as a member of the GPE Systems Capacity Grant Technical Committee. Additionally, the coalition mobilized 250 of its members to unify civil society voices in shaping the education priorities and to contribute evidence-based recommendations to strengthen the Partnership Compact’s focus on gender equality, inclusion, teaching and learning environments, and teacher workforce planning and management.
In addition, TEN/MET contributed to the preparation of financing application documents for the System Transformation Grant top-up allocation and the new multiplier grant by participating in the Compact Midterm Review and ensuring that all triggers adhere to GPE criteria. TEN/MET promotes equitable, inclusive, and long-term education financing through these efforts, bolstering national efforts to improve Tanzania’s education system and generating funds for transformative education programs.
Leveraging funding: Unlocking Tanzania’s GPE Multiplier
Recognizing the critical role of adequate funding in achieving quality and inclusive education, a collective effort of like-minded civil society organizations including HakiElimu, TEN/MET and CAMFED acted in strategic partnership to mobilize financial resources to unlock the GPE multiplier.
By conducting a budget analysis, involving stakeholders, and advocating for increased budget allocations for the education sector, HakiElimu was instrumental in supporting this process. HakiElimu made recommendations to the government that were supported by evidence, ensuring that education funding would continue to be a top priority in national planning and budgeting. Efforts by the CSO and other stakeholders led to the collection of US$58 million, which enabled the release of $22 million from the GPE Multiplier. This exemplifies the capacity of civil society to engage in powerful advocacy and to leverage domestic funding for the education sector in Tanzania. Civil society continues to play a crucial role in the development of policies that promote sustainable and inclusive educational development by advocating for increased investment and accountability in education financing.
