Strategic Review Confirms Education Out Loud’s Relevance and Impact
After five years of implementation, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) has commissioned a comprehensive strategic review of Education Out Loud. The findings offer strong validation of the programme’s design, execution, and impact—particularly in fostering civil society’s role in shaping inclusive, equitable education systems worldwide.
The independent external review conducted in two phases by INTRAC set out to examine Education Out Louds relevance, efficiency, coherence, and sustainability. The report draws from extensive fieldwork — Including 199 stakeholder consultations across global and national levels, country case studies, and thematic analyses on gender equality and fragility.
The verdict is clear: Education Out Loud is a well-managed, effective, and strategically important initiative, with significant contributions to both grantee outcomes and broader education systems. Education Out Loud has been a programme which is relevant, well designed and executed, the report concludes, “with the Grant Agent making significant contributions to the quality and relevance of the programme.” [p.4]
A Recognised Role for Civil Society
Education Out Loud was launched in 2019 to amplify civil society’s voice in education policy and accountability, especially on behalf of marginalised and vulnerable communities and groups. Since then and building on its predecessor program Civil Society Education Fund (2009-2019), the programme has evolved into a cornerstone of GPE’s strategy, supporting over 80 grantees through its three operational components (OC1, OC2, and OC3), and spanning national, local, and transnational levels.
The review affirms that the Education Out Loud structure and approach are not only relevant to GPE’s mission, but also uniquely positioned to support a vibrant and resilient civil society across diverse country contexts. Civil society has a fundamental role to play in promoting inclusive, quality education systems, the authors note.
“EOL support to civil society is relevant to the GPE mission, its design is strategic and the experience in practice across GPE countries largely supports this claim.” [p.16]
The review documents clear cases of policy impact at both national and local levels, including the revision of inclusive education laws, budget advocacy wins, and enhanced gender-focused interventions. Importantly, the review highlights how Education Out Loud funding has built the foundations of sustainable civil society organisations, contributing to their financial, programmatic, and organisational sustainability.
Efficient and Impactful Grant Management
Oxfam Denmark’s role as the Grant Agent is highlighted as a key strength of the programme. The review appreciates the grant management systems for being adaptive, transparent, and responsive — underpinning a relationship of trust and collaboration with grantees.
Notably, the flexible and responsive nature of the funding — particularly core and long-term support — is seen as essential in enabling civil society to navigate shrinking civic space and financial uncertainty.
“Most significant was the nature of the relationship between Grant Agent and grantee – features such as flexibility, proximity and openness promoted relationships of trust and collaboration … the review team feel confident to say that the quality and approach of the Grant Agent has directly contributed to the impact of EOL.” [p.7+8]
A Model to Build On
As GPE considers its future strategy, the review underscores that Education Out Loud’s design and implementation have positively contributed to GPE’s vision for quality, inclusive education systems.
Click here to download or read the Phase 2 Review reports of Education Out Loud
Click here to also download or read a review of Education Out Loud Phase 1, published in 2024