Through this project, Education Coalition of Zimbabwe (ECOZI) will seek to strengthen the capacities of Zimbabwean CSOs to ensure transparency and effectiveness in national transformational education policy formulation and implementation. The work will draw on in-policy gains achieved during the previous phase of the project, implemented between April 2022 – December 2023.  

This phase of the project will continue the work towards realising the implementation of UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4, and to improve the quality, equitable, and inclusive access to education in Zimbabwe.  

As the equity of access to education is a main challenge in the education system, ECOZI will aim to influence gender responsive education sector policy dialogue, formulation, implementation, monitoring, and review. This shall lead to a wider and more vibrant national education movement, effective in conducting innovative and participatory advocacy. 

ECOZI will use a social accountability approach to strengthen engagement in education planning, policy dialogue, and monitoring. The interventions will promote inward accountability of the government to its citizens and will enhance the participation of a vast range of civil society actors and citizens in education planning, policy dialogue, and monitoring. In addition, ECOZI will foster a healthy debate and reflections to ensure that civic space is inclusive, as well as equitable participation of marginalised groups. 

ECOZI will concentrate its policy advocacy efforts on the education policies that have already been put in place in Zimbabwe and evaluate them using three main evaluation processes that include: cost effectiveness evaluation; cost benefit analysis; and impact evaluations. 

By the end of the implementation, the project is expected to have contributed to: 

• Vibrant CSO movement with inclusive structures and processes that support greater coordination and collaboration of civil society to engage in gender responsive education sector policy formulation, implementation, monitoring, and reviews. 

• Strengthened capacity of ECOZI in influencing gender responsive education planning, policy development, and monitoring. 

• Increased education policy practice that ensures all girls and boys complete free, equitable, inclusive, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. 

ECOZI will implement the project through its members at national, provincial, and district levels, such as thematic committees that will drive the advocacy agenda, and provincial and district structures that form the grassroots. ECOZI will further take measures to involve marginalised groups, in rural and poor areas, and apostolic groups, who have difficulties in sending girls to school. In addition, the coalition will work together with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, at school, district, provincial and national level to influence policy formulation, implementation, monitoring, and review. Other ministry officials and government departments will likewise be involved.  

By bringing together a broad range of stakeholders, the project interventions will enhance the coalitions advocacy agenda beyond the project, and provide for the sustainability of the results, as other stakeholders will continue to pursue sectoral outcomes.  

An earlier phase of the project was carried out between April 2022 – December 2023. The current project is part of the EOL extension phase of 2024-2026. Read more about the previous phase of the project here.