National Education Cluster - Minutes of the meeting

Date: 27March2018 at 11:00, MoGEI Boardroom

Meeting Participants:EU, FCA, GCOM, IMPACT (CGA, Mott MacDonald) NCDO, NRC, Oxfam, PCO, SCI, SPEDP, TADO, UNICEF, UNHCR, WR, Windle Trust, WVI.

TOPIC / ACTION POINTS / PERSON/ENTITY in CHARGE + DEADLINE
1.Review of agenda by MoGEI
Nicolas introduced the meeting and went through the agenda. Meeting participants did not make any suggestion of additions/changes. / Do not forward the invitation to the Cluster meeting outside your organization. / All
2.Operational plan/guidance for reintegration of the displaced in Wau
In October 2017 the WBeG State Education Cluster started discussions on creating a conducive environment to support the return home of IDPscurrently staying in the PoC AA. The proposed actions included phasing out of the upper classes (P5-P8) and relocation of temporary learning spaces out of PoC AA to schools nearby the PoC, to Lokoloko, Nazareth and Jebel Kheir neighborhoods.However, schools in some of these locations were already overcrowded (Lokoloko), while others were not functional (Jebel Kheir). Last week, the local authorities stated that they will demolish the PoC in Wau and gave two weeks to humanitarian actors to prepare the move.
Even though the destruction and move of all IDPs out of the PoC still has to be confirmed, the State Education Cluster continues working on emergency solutions for the 832pupils left, who are lower primary classes (P1-P4).The national Education Cluster will support with development of the contingency plan. / Support development of contingency plan. / WBeG State Education Cluster and National Education Cluster, April 6 latest.
3.Coordination with IMPACT
The Education Cluster and IMPACT teams met last week and on Monday 26 March to agree on measures to ease the situation at the school level and make coordination more concrete. The following was discussed and agreed:
a) PoCs
- IMPACT State Anchors will go in PoCs one last time to clarify that payment will be covered by cluster partners, and to provide information/answer questions on the use of data.
- Meetings/visits will be prepared with Cluster State Focal Points (UNICEF and NGOs)and both “organizations” (IMPACT State Anchor, Cluster State Focal Points plus partners) will attend the meeting with teachers and community representatives.
- State Anchors will be fully briefed on different scenarios if teachers want their data removed from HRIS.
b) Payams and counties which cannot be accessed/supported by IMPACT
- IMPACT will share a list of the payams and counties where payment is not likely to take place in the next few months. It will also provide a full school list of specific schools where IMPACT will continue to pay (in those areas). These lists will be provided by the end of next week (to be confirmed).
- Cluster partners will continue paying teacher incentives in those areas if already done and if funding is available.
c) 3,000 schools where payment by IMPACT is planned
- IMPACT will share their payment plan by counties and payams, which should be ready by the end of next week.
- Different geographic areas of the list of 3,000 schools will be reviewed by the IMPACT team, Cluster Unit, one UNICEF Education section representative, and one NGO representative to agree on status of payment and handover.
d) Potential support of Cluster partners to the HRIS process
- The Cluster Unit expressed the Cluster members’willingness to support this process but also their concern about lack of physical resources, manpower and time.
- CGA/State Anchors will make request/s to Cluster partners, who will provide support if they have the time and resources.
- CGA will cover all costs associated with any HRIS registration support provided by partners.
Following the presentation of these action points, the floor was open for more information sharing by the IMPACT team and feedback by meeting participants. IMPACT shared the draft payment calendar (national level, up to mid-2019) and explained that schools paid in the second round will continue being paid in the next rounds (unlike what happened between the first and second rounds). They also explained that most teachers received their transfer letters (those who will have to transfer, the MoGEI confirmed that transfers will take place within the same counties “only”) and that the MoGEI is working on clarifying conditions for private and faith-based schools to apply for teacher incentives (additional criteria for selection/eligibility of these schools will include how much they are charging parents, their geographic remoteness and economic situation).The IMPACT team also insisted on the need for Education Cluster State Focal Points to facilitate meetings in PoCs. One key recommendation from Cluster partners (SCI) was to reduce the handover period as much as possible between the different geographic areas, as teachers communicate with each other and could be frustrated by the apparent differences in support. / See actions listed in left column. / IMPACT and Education Cluster teams, State Focal Points (esp. those states where there are PoCs) Education Cluster members.Follow up of the agreed actions will be done during the next Cluster meeting.
4.5W reporting - Updates and challenges
Julius shared the 5W template which contains the latest list of schools supported by Cluster partners (as reported to UNICEF Education section and by partners). Partners have until March 29 to cross-check the names of schools they support and to get back to Julius in case some schools are still missing. Julius also insisted on the need to fill the 5W in a comprehensive manner: partners should report correct information not only about schools supported, but also numbers of teachers receiving incentives from Cluster members and IMPACT. / Education Cluster members to cross-check the list of schools they support, provide feedback to Julius in case schools need to be added or names of schools are not correct. / Partners, 29th March for reviewing the list of schools supported, 10th April for 5W submission.
5.AOB
-Education Cluster nominations for Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) network: the MHPSS network is inviting Education Cluster members, esp. national NGOs, to join them and participate in the 4W training which will take place this Wednesday 28 March. ICP, GCOM, NCDO and TADO volunteer.
-TADO shared key findings of the two IRNAson IDPs in Doma and Wunbot, andButotgok IDP camp (both in Ulang). Nicolas will get back to TADO bilaterally to get confirmation of numbers of IDP and host community children, and about the security and displacement situation. / Share details of the MHPSS 4W training with ICP, GCOM, NCDO and TADO; inform the MHPSS network about SSEC representatives.
SSEC Unit to get more details from TADO about situation needs in Ulang. / Done (27 March).

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