Key takeaways from the webinar on "Initiating Partnerships in Education"

On 23rd October 2024, GSF held a webinar on “Initiating Partnerships in Education” with attendance from over 60 participants globally.

We are grateful to our moderator Chirantan Shah, CEO, Gyan Shala (India) and panelists, Anthony Hall, Project Lead, Public School Partnerships (South Africa), Daniel Kyasanga, Head of Quality Assurance, PEAS (Uganda), and Sina Long, Advocacy & Partnership Manager, United World Schools (Cambodia) for their insights into creating long term partnerships within their diverse contexts.

Here are some takeaways from the webinar:

1. Align Projects with Government Priorities and Needs: Partnerships succeed when non-state actors offer solutions that directly address government priorities and demonstrated needs within the education system. Ensuring that the intervention fills a recognised gap fosters trust, commitment, and long-term support from government stakeholders.

2. Define Clear Roles and Responsibilities Early On: Effective collaboration requires clarifying roles, responsibilities, and accountability among all stakeholders at the outset. Establishing specific commitments for each partner, especially regarding support for schools once programs are running, helps sustain quality and minimises potential conflicts.

3. Engage Communities for Sustainable Impact: Programs should centre on the users—students, parents, and teachers—in both design and delivery to ensure relevance and impact. Evidence-based results, bolstered by the voices of parents and community members, are powerful tools in advocating for continued government and funder support. Incorporating community participation, fosters local ownership and supports the sustainability of education initiatives. Community members are more likely to invest in long-term program success when they are active contributors.

4. Remain Transparent and Open to Feedback: Sharing practices, results, and challenges openly with government and local partners strengthens partnerships by building mutual trust and allowing for continuous program improvements. Non-state actors should stay adaptable, welcoming feedback to refine their approaches in line with government feedback and community needs.**For those of you who missed the session please find the recording here .

About the Evidence Hub Resources

Uncover toolkits, innovative case studies, categorisation framework and policy briefs designed to strengthen partnerships and collaboration between the government and non-state actors.

You can also learn more about our panelists’ work through the case studies on the Western Cape Collaboration Schools in South Africa, Inspect and Improve Programme with PEAS in Uganda and United World Schools in Cambodia on the evidence hub.

Visit the Hub here .

Please reach out to? ([email protected] ) or Kavita ([email protected] )? if you wish to partner to test the tools, learn more or provide feedback.