The overall aim of the project, led by Civil Society Education Partnership (CSEP) is to strengthen CSEP’s monitoring, policy advocacy, and programme implementation in the strategic advocacy platforms and spaces at municipality, national, regional, and local levels. CSEP will further enhance the capacities of its diverse membership, especially those of marginalised groups, and to sustain CSEP as an institutionally strong and credible advocacy coalition to be able to influence and engage in the education policy processes in Timor-Leste. 

The project will continue the efforts made during the past project phase, implemented between April 2022 – December 2023. Thus, the current phase will build on advocacy achievements and the benefits of already established relations. CSEP is already an active member of various consultative mechanisms in the country, as well as government and CSO dialogues and other public policy platforms at various levels. 

The main objectives that the project aims to achieve can be divided in three: 

• Informed and active participation of CSEP in the municipal, national, regional, and global education policy forums, spaces, dialogues, and processes to effectively influence the National Education Sector Plan (NESP) 2011-2030 and Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4).  

• Enhanced CSEP monitoring and campaigns to strengthen policies and implementation for equitable, gender responsive, quality education, including digital learning, in public education and lifelong learning, particularly for vulnerable and excluded children, youth, and adults.  

• Develop CSEP as an institutionally strong and sustainable, inclusive, and credible advocacy coalition in Timor-Leste, with improved CSEP membership capacities for education context analysis and advocacy engagement for the full implementation of the NESP 2011-2030 and SDG 4. 

CSEP has already been active in monitoring and policy advocacy influencing for better education programme implementation in Timor-Leste. through its access to various platforms CSEP will continue to support the civic space, speak up on behalf of marginalised and vulnerable communities for them to realise their rights and access good quality education, as well as increase education financing. 

CSEP will convene a series of consultations with its members and close partners to develop a strong sustainability plan, both organisationally and financially. Further, it will ensure that all members during the project phase, will have developed their respective capacities and be self-reliant to sustain their organising and advocacy work even with minimal assistance from the coalition. CSEP will ensure that it advances its advocacy work at different levels to create sufficient momentum to sustain the progress and breakthroughs it will achieve during the project phase. 

With the active and strong CSEP membership and enhanced capacities, the coalition will be able to effectively influence the policy development and implementation to ensure equitable, inclusive, gender responsive education with provision of quality digital technology and capacities with sufficient education financing, for the full implementation of the SDG4 education agenda. 

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.