Glossary Term

Systems strengthening

To strengthen an education system means to align its governance, management, financing, and performance incentive mechanisms to produce learning for all. It means, first of all, recognizing the many providers, consumers, and stakeholders in education and the roles that these participants have in the system. Accountability relationships among them should be clear, coordinated, and consistent with their assigned functions in support of national education goals. Performance and learning outcomes should be monitored and measured so that a robust feedback cycle linking policy, financing and results is established. Systems strengthening should be informed by an analysis of the political economy which considers the relationship between structures, institutions, and agents that influence education within a given context