Technical Assistance to Support the: Roll-Out of MoEYS Leadership Development Program

Project Update

 

The Leadership Professional Development Program (phase 2) takes the form of a deliverables-based contract between KAPE and UNICEF, with funds from The Capacity Development Partnership Fund III (CDPF III). CDPF is a long-running partnership between the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) in Cambodia, the European Union, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the United States Agency for Development (USAID), the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and UNICEF.

Building on the national level Leadership Development program for MoEYS personnel in phase 1, the overarching objective for phase 2 is to provide technical assistance to MoEYS in Cambodia to further develop and roll out the MoEYS Leadership Professional Development Program at sub-national level, in 20 provinces. The program aims to enhance the overall managerial competencies of MoEYS personnel, with an emphasis on the diverse needs and advancement of women leaders. Real-Time Evaluation (RTE), our sub-partner for the activity supports the monitoring and assessment of the quality and effectiveness of the program.

The program will roll out a core Leadership Development Module (LDM), adapted to suit the needs of the sub-national level, as well as 2 to 3 elective modules, based on priorities identified by sub-national leaders.  The program is still in the needs analysis and baseline phase. Nevertheless, some key milestones have been achieved, including the set-up of the Project Advisory Group (PAG), development and acceptance of the Inception Report, the development of the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan, the diagnostic survey of training needs and priorities, as well as the completion of the baseline survey data collection in 8 provinces.

 

Objective

 

Objective 1: To develop and/or modify accredited leadership training modules (including through the new MoEYS Capacity Development platform) to meet MoEYS’ subnational development needs.

Objective 2: To expand the program’s coverage to a maximum of 20 Provincial Offices of Education and all District Offices of Education in those target provinces. Target: 700 (additional) POE/DOE leaders (with at least 178 or 80% of the 223 female leaders, 100%, if feasible)

Objective 3: Enhance gender Equity in MoEYS sub-national leadership roles

 

Key Activities

During October 2024, The Project Advisory Group, the official oversight and consultation mechanism for the program was officially formed. It is chaired H.E Nath Bunroeun and is formed of 7 members made up of MoEYS, UNICEF and KAPE at the management level, with a larger technical working group of 14 members to support actual implementation of the program.

Following consultations with key stakeholders, including relevant MoEYS Departments, UNICEF and relevant NGOs, during August and September, the inception report, which provides a road map for the project was completed and endorsed by the PAG during October 2024.

During October & November, a diagnostic learning needs analysis survey was developed, administered to 603 (129F) sub-national education staff working at Provincial Offices of Education (PoEs) and District Offices of Education (DoEs), across 20 provinces.

During November 2024, the Baseline methodology was developed. The purpose of the baseline is to evaluate the knowledge, application and practice of the LDM Training Module areas of focus, including the initial competencies, challenges, and needs of MoEYS sub-national leaders. The baseline will establish a reference point to measure progress and outcomes achieved by the end of the course.

On 27 November 2024, a Program Advisory Group (PAG), Management Level meeting, chaired by HE Nath Bunrouen was held in order to present the key planned activities of the program, and to gain endorse the MEL Plan and Baseline Methodology.

During December, baseline data was collected in the 8 selected provinces, with the baseline report due to be completed in early 2025.