eNews | 10 December 2014 | Visit our website at www.ansa-eap.net
E-CAMP: Social Accountability for Better Education Services
E-Camp: Social Accountability for Better Education Services which aims to amplify the importance of citizen-government engagement in the discussion, implementation and monitoring of the education MDG. was held last December 3-5, 2014 at the Development Academy of the Philippines in Tagaytay City, Philippines. The event was attended by over a hundred participants from 10 countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Mongolia, Japan, Vietnam, USA, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India.
E-camp gathered education advocates, supporters and stakeholders from civil society, government and international development partners to, share knowledge on citizen-led initiatives to monitor school services and opportunities for constructive engagement with government; harness a community of education monitors and advocates in the region; and draft an action agenda to strengthen citizen engagement as an approach to achieving the education development goal.
The event used the unconference approach that results in an open space, self-organizing, participant led experience.
#EDTech levels up social accountability work in education
Ms. Rhiza Nery’s “ProduktiBibo: Leadership, Preparedness, Resiliency” and Ms. Celina Agaton’s “Cross Sector Mapping for Resiliency” placed 1st and 2nd at the #EDTech, an idea competition that promotes transparency and accountability in the education sector through the use of technology by ANSA-EAP and Making All Voices Count (MAVC).
The competition has two themes, namely “Tech for increased accountability and improved governance in the educational sector” and “Education for resilience and response to humanitarian crisis.”
Seventy-seven year old Erlinda Go only heard about Citizen Participatory Audit on the morning of the workshop in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, when the president of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers – Palawan chapter asked her to attend it on his behalf.
Before the morning ended, she was completely sold. “Napakaganda ng programa (the program is very worthy),” she said. “I have very high expectations.”
Because of this, Mrs. Go will do more than report back to her president what went on in that initial meeting on November 20. Instead, she will try to be part of one of the audit teams, composed of auditors from the Commission on Audit and of representatives of civil society, which would look into whether farm-to-market roads in Palawan towns had been constructed according to specification.
O’Chrey primary school is a school in Ochrey Village, Baraing Thleak commune, Phnom Prik district, Battambang province in northwest Cambodia. It was established in 2006 by villagers themselves who decided they must act if they wanted their children to have some formal education. The school was recognized by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport six years later, or in 2012.
The structure used to be a storage house for corn, measuring only 6 meters by 5 meters. Its rooms were made of wood and its roof, of Zinc. It stood under a tree, near a farm. It did not have walls. There were two classrooms standing on the community-owned land.
Enrollment continued to increase despite these conditions. For the academic year 2013-2014, there were 175 students. For 2014-2015 , the number could increase to 219. But school principal Mr. Pot Saroeun said there were only three teachers, two of whom are contracted. Worse, one of these two will resign because of the low salary that could not support her living condition.
Expanding Social Accountability in the Private Sector: The Toshiba Learning Event
The Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA-EAP) has ventured into a partnership with the private sector in the hope that the latter, as a sector, will become a more active player in social accountability work.
ANSA-EAP conducted a seminar workshop titled “Power, Ethics, and Accountability” to 26 managers at the Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines), Inc. (TIP) located at the Special Export Processing Zone, Laguna Technopark, Biñan City. The learning event was made possible through the invitation of the Human Resource Department of the company.
Redempto S. Parafina, ANSA-EAP executive director, and Adelfo V. Briones, ANSA-EAP learning manager, facilitated and served as resource persons
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