The Project “Strengthening the Capacity of CSOs towards Safe, Quality, Equitable, Inclusive and Gender-responsive Education for All” is a three-year project aimed at strengthening the civil society engagement in inclusive and gender responsive policy development, implementation, and monitoring. 

The education system of Philippines is one where marginalised communities, including indigenous peoples, children with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, and young mothers, face barriers to accessing quality education. Challenges such as limited resources, inadequate infrastructures, and social stigma persist and hinders equal education.  

Through this project, Civil Society Network for Education Reforms, Inc. (E-Net Philippines) aims to strengthen its capacity to engage in policy advocacy and collaborative initiatives that address the specific needs of the marginalised communities. 

The specific objectives can be divided in three: 

• Improving the capacity of E-net members in advocating for policies and budgets on inclusive and gender responsive education. 

• Strengthen E-Net’s capacity in generating evidence-based research for policy recommendations and advocacy campaigns on inclusive and gender responsive education. 

• Sustaining E-Net partnerships and policy engagements in local and national governments, and regional and global networks to advocate for a safe, accessible, equitable, quality, inclusive, and gender responsive education system. 

The expected outcomes include capacitated members, evidence-based policy advocacy, networking, and collaboration, as well as dialogues with stakeholders at various levels.  

This project builds upon the achievements of the previous project phase, implemented between April 2022 – December 2023. It considers the lessons learned to refine strategies and approaches in advocating for inclusive education policies and promoting gender equality. The successful implementation of this project is expected to result in sustainable improvements to the education system, specifically increased enrolment rates, reduced disparities, safe and inclusive learning environments, and improved learning outcomes for all learners, especially those from marginalised groups.  

E-Net already has a strong and diverse membership, including people from marginalised, excluded, and vulnerable groups. The foundation of the project intervention relies on empowering them to actively participate in shaping the education agenda and influencing policies and practices. 

E-Net will seek to further expand and with networking efforts aim to strengthen civil society engagement in education reforms. By bringing together diverse organisations and fostering collaborations, a strong and more unified civil society will voice the need for inclusive and gender responsive education policies that can have lasting impacts on the education system and practices in the Philippines. Further, E-Net will conduct awareness raising activities to empower communities by providing them with knowledge about their rights to education, in addition to facilitating their active participation in education related decision-making processes. This empowerment can lead to sustained community engagement, ownership of education initiatives, and continued advocacy for inclusive and quality education at the local level. 

A previous phase of the project was implemented 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.