CGI: Education

Globally, 75 million children are still left out of school. The vast majority are poor. 50% of these children live in areas affected by conflict; 55% are girls; and 33% have a disability. In fact, an estimated 90% of all disabled children in Africa are not attending school.

Child labour makes children 10-30% less likely to attend school and often means they enter at a late age. Children affected by HIV, who are from minority language and pastoralist groups also lose out. Almost half of all children are not in school in sub-Saharan Africa.

In sub-Saharan Africa, only 62% of children complete primary school. Children drop out because of late entry to school, early marriages, domestic work for girls and other out-of-school problems. They also drop out because of the poor quality of primary education.

Worldwide, there are 18 million too few teachers and too little training and motivation for existing ones. The school environment is often poor and basic resources such as textbooks are scarce. Children still emerge from primary school without basic levels of literacy and numeracy. Girls are further affected by teacher attitudes, poor facilities and violence against them.

Aim of the programme

Our goal is to enable left out and marginalised children and young people to get into, stay in and attain good quality, relevant basic education. Also where appropriate, we want to help communities improve the uptake and quality of education in their local area, thereby empowering the community and strengthening children’s learning

Target group

The overall aim is support those who have missed out on, or are marginalised from, accessing any form of education, especially disabled children and young people; children and young people affected by HIV/AIDS; and girls.

Applications for projects focusing on those from minority language groups, pastoralists, and those living in rural areas are also welcome.

Geographical focus

The CGI education programme will focus on any country or region in sub-Saharan Africa.

Outcomes

Your work will need to deliver one or more of the following outcomes:

• An increase in children’s access, retention, and attainment in primary and/or secondary education, targeting girls, disabled children and children affected by HIV or other marginalised groups.
• Measureable improvements in the quality of basic education, particularly in terms of teaching practice, teaching resources, children’s involvement, curriculum development and the school environment.
• Greater community involvement in improving the uptake and quality of basic education – this would involve the community tackling cultural and other barriers to children’s education, participating in effective school management committees and, where appropriate, improving adult literacy.
• Changes in education policy, policy implementation and financing (including budget tracking), whether at the local or national level that contribute to better education outcomes for children.

Type of grants

Project grants – these may be up to £1 million over five years. However, the mean grant for most small organisations is under £200,000 over three years. Organisations are strongly advised to submit applications that are proportionate to their size and capacity, the size and capacity of their local partners, and their track record to date.

Research, Consultation and Planning grants – these may be for up to £25,000 and for up to 12 months’ duration. They will enable partners to carry out action research, a needs analysis, a pilot study and related work that enables applicant organisations to develop a well thought through proposal.

Download the full Common Ground Initiative Education programme strategy document