Guide to Developing Education Cluster Strategies

The Guide to Developing Education Cluster Country Strategies is an initiative of the Global Education Cluster (GEC). It is an accompaniment to and provides a theoretical foundation for the Strategy Package within the GEC’s broader Education Cluster Toolkit. A five-page Summary Guide to Developing Education Cluster Strategies is also available in the Package for quick access and easy reference. An Education Cluster Strategy is a consultatively developed document that outlines the Cluster’s approach and operational plan for responding to an emergency.

All Education Clusters should have a Strategy in place that guides partners in their implementation of an effective, timely, and quality emergency response. Having an Education Cluster Strategy allows us to better communicate the needs of crisis-affected children, beyond a summary in an inter-sectoral plan. The Education Cluster Strategy document will serve as a basis for quick decision-making that all partners have contributed to, understand and are committed to; helping ensure predictability and mutual understanding during emergency response. An Education Cluster Strategy is also a tool for resource mobilization and advocacy, and helps ensure alignment and continuity of education across the humanitarian-development continuum.

The purpose of this Guide and accompanying Strategy Package is to provide practical, relevant guidance and resources to education in emergencies (EiE) coordination staff on how to develop and update an Education Cluster Strategy.

The process outlined in this Guide can be expanded or compressed depending on your circumstance: you may be working in a rapid onset emergency and have only a few weeks (or even days) to produce a Cluster Strategy, or you may be working in a protracted crisis where you are developing a multi-year strategy over a number of months. This Guide provides a lot of detail and practical guidance because in acute emergencies and complex coordination contexts it can be useful to have reminders and tips even for familiar processes, but you do not need to read it all – be selective and use the parts that are most relevant for you.