Tool 1.4: Tip Sheet

Having a group of technical stakeholders dedicated to supporting ESA/ESP development can help integrating/strengthening ECE in ESP processes. This ECE TWG can play a crucial technical and advisory role. It can also serve as the link to other technical groups that similarly contribute to the ESA/ESP (for example, the TWG on primary education, TWG on secondary and tertiary education, etc.) and connect to the broader ESP development process.

TWGs can take different forms and may have different names (for example, ECE Task Team, ECE Core Group, etc.), and such similar groups may already be in existence in a country. Three common types of existing technical working groups are:

1. Groups established under Education sector-wide processes, for example for developing the ESA and ESP, for conducting sector reviews beyond the ESP process (e.g., as part of budgeting cycle), etc. These groups may be organized by themes (for example, a group that focuses on access; another that focuses on quality; etc.), or by subsectors (i.e., pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary).
2. Groups established in connection with broader Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiatives and activities. In many countries, these ECD groups are created to contribute to the ECD agenda (for example, to enhance coordination of intersectoral interventions in early childhood), with representatives and stakeholders from different sectors that engage in ECD (health, education, social protection, etc.).
3. Groups established for specific ECE initiatives, activities or projects, without necessarily being connected to any of the two above groups. For example, a country might have an “ECE group” to oversee the implementation of a project to pilot a new preschool curriculum.

In general, these are groups that work on systems strengthening of ECE (or other themes) and are typically led by the government to contribute to policy development and improvements in implementation through consultative process with partners and key stakeholders.

It is ideal to leverage such existing groups.  Establishing yet another working group separate from those already in place may duplicate efforts or create confusion. However, it will be important to consider whether the existing groups’ membership, purpose, objectives and activities warrant adjustments and improvements in order to better align with and support the ECE subsector focus in the ESA/ESP processes. Such adjustments and improvements to these existing groups can help:

• Create a specific role for focusing on the ECE subsector (except for subsector groups established for the purposes of the ESP processes).
• Create a specific mandate to work jointly and contribute to the ESP processes as part of their scope of work/terms of reference.
• Establish technical and advisory roles on ECE activities.
• Broaden the membership  ;that works jointly on specific ECE subsector processes, technical initiatives or consensus-focused decision-making efforts.

For these reasons, the purpose and functionality of the existing groups need to be understood and clarified. Please see the guiding questions to help reflections on this issue in the Tip Sheet.