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Description
Poor involvement of educational NGOs in the implementation of education policy at municipal level results in ineffective education services in the regions that do not respond to the needs of the population. In most municipalities the involvement of NGOs is weak and fragmented. Also, not all educational data is still open, which makes it difficult to evaluate the information published by institutions that often manipulate with the data results. Therefore, the project aims to increase the participation of non-governmental organizations in the education system by:
1. Strengthening the capacity of educational NGOs, promoting dialogue between local government and NGOs, providing advocacy on the inclusion of NGOs among the providers of educational services in Vilnius, Kaunas, Kazlu Ruda, Alytus city and district municipalities in order to include educational NGOs consultative local bodies and take into account proposals made by organization in the preparation of municipal strategy papers and their implementation plans / programs;
2. Active participation in the design of general curricular, especially in the field of citizenship education, and the practical 4K model in general education, submission of proposals as well as advocacy and monitoring of their implementation, thus opening up opportunities for effective NGO involvement in civic education.
3. Analysing currently open education data and its use in decision-making and submitting proposals for its improvement; advocacy and monitoring would make preconditions for greater transparency and accountability of public education authorities.
Target groups:
1) regional educational organizations of Vilnius City, Kaunas City and District, Kazlu Ruda, Alytus City and District;
2) representatives of the listed municipal councils and administrations;
3) members of the National Education NGO Network;
4) staff from the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and the National Education Agency;
5) education community.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the problem of poor involvement of education NGOs in the development and implementation of education policy at municipal level which results in ineffective education services in the regions that do not respond to the needs of the population. At the national level, the isolation of NGOs from the general education policy and education system limits the ability of the system to increase the diversity and quality of education. Not all educational data is still open, which makes it difficult to evaluate the information published by institutions that often manipulate with the data results.
Proposals on the inclusion of local education NGOs in advisory structures and recommendations on the promotion of partnership with NGOs in education were submitted to the administrations and councils of six municipalities (Utena and Trakai regions, Kaunas city and region, Kazlu Ruda and Vilnius city).
● Round table discussions were held with representatives of NGOs, municipal councils, administrations and subordinate bodies in the above six municipalities on cooperation between local NGOs and municipalities as well as the involvement of NGOs into education system.
● Advocacy activities were carried out to implement the proposals and recommendations made and to involve NGOs into the education system.
● 2 documents with proposals and recommendations on general education curricula, with a special focus on interdisciplinary and citizenship programmes, were prepared and submitted to the responsible institutions.
● A discussion on the proposals was held with representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, the National Education Agency and other institutions and organisations.
● An analysis of education data and recommendations on the implementation of the principle of open data in education.
● More than 250 participants (representatives of NGOs, state and municipal institutions) gained knowledge on different models of education of citizenship competences and the possibilities of their integration into formal and non-formal education through training.
● 58 participants from 15 NGOs strengthened their capacities to participate in decision-making at national and local levels and developed advocacy plans on specific issues relevant to their organisations.
The project has helped to strengthen the capacity and advocacy of organisations, especially regional ones, in the field of education and to create an enabling environment and instruments for their participation in education policy and decision-making, to monitor national and local authorities more systematically, and to strengthen NGOs'' cooperation with local policy makers and national authorities. The project has enforced the role of NGOs as partners rather than competitors.
Target groups of the project: representatives of municipal councils and administrations of Kaunas city and region, Vilnius city, Trakai region, Utena region and Kazlu Ruda, educational organisations, members of the National Network of Education NGO, employees of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania as well as National Education Agency.
Summary of bilateral results
The partners implemented the activities foreseen in the project according to their respective fields of activity and territory, as well as their different experiences in decision-making processes and advocacy. The partnership has enabled the partners to develop their understanding of the challenges in different educational fields and territories, to learn from each other, to provide substantive and administrative support to each other, and to strengthen the capacity of the members of the National Network of Education NGOs to participate in advocacy activities. The European Vergeland Centre (Norway) participating in the project made a significant contribution to the organisation and implementation of the citizenship activities, the partners'' study visit to Oslo and the final conference. The partner provided very valuable expert assistance in analysing relevant documents and drafting proposals, and ensured the participation of experts and practitioners from Norway and Ukraine. The partner''s field knowledge and know-how, as well as its extensive international network of experts, contributed significantly to improved results as well as to the strengthening of bilateral relations.