Washington, DC -- (FTI Secretariat) -- 03/08/10 -- To maintain long-term viability of educational reforms in FTI partner countries a more predictable and long term financial support is needed. The report "Learning for All. An Educational Case for Financial Replenishment of EFA FTI" that was released today provides a review and analysis of these efforts towards more sustainable funding and the educational reasons that underpin such commitments. The report makes a case for the need to reach the estimated 72 million out-of-school children worldwide and while drawing attention to quality of education outcomes such as student attendance, cohort appropriate cognitive skills and completion rates. A regular financial replenishment of the EFA FTI trust funds, the report argues, would not only contribute to greater access to education but also supply more innovative assistance and, ultimately, provide the foundation for better learning outcomes as well as program results. For more information, please contact Carlos Ruano at cruano@educationfasttrack.org. [browse online version] [download PDF]

Washington, DC -- (FTI Secretariat) -- 03/04/10 -- As part of the FTI reform process, we will be taking actions to further strengthen the leadership of FTI partner governments in FTI processes.  In that context, we are now inviting government representatives to join coordinating agencies and supervising entities in presenting a country's Catalytic Fund application at Catalytic Fund Committee meetings.I know that a number of Local Education Groups have already requested that country governments present their country case for a CF allocation at the CFC meeting on 6 May.  I am pleased that this is now possible.  Please contact the FTI Secretariat for more information. We are considering other changes and will advise as the reform process proceeds.

London, UK, March 3, 2010 -- DFID announced today a £100 million allocation for the Fast-Track Initiative. This new allocation is part of the UK’s new education strategy to secure a better schooling for the millions of children across the world who do not have access to quality education. Over the years, UK has become a major supporter of FTI and has helped the partnership achieve important results in primary school enrollment, gender parity and primary school completion. This allocation reaffirms UK's commitment to transform FTI into a more effective and results-oriented aid organization. To date, UK's total contribution to the EFA FTI amounts US$386 million.  “This new strategy,” UK’s International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander observed, “goes far beyond just getting children into school. It sets out how we will help provide a good, well-rounded education to millions of children and young people, securing their future employment and helping them to be better off than their parents.” DFID’s support will help an additional 1.6 million children go to school over a year, build new classrooms and train new teachers. Read the full press release and the new education strategy on DFID’s Web site.

Washington, DC, February 23, 2010 – Launched in 2002, the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (EFA FTI) has grown steadily to become a dynamic global education partnership that has endorsed the education sector plans of 40 low-income countries around the world, including 23 in Sub-Saharan Africa.The EFA FTI 2009 Annual Report released today, states that significant progress was made in FTI partner countries. Read more

Washington, DC -- (FTI Secretariat) -- 02/17/10 -- A major objective of the FTI partnership is to maintain up to date information on FTI processes in partner countries so that the right technical and financial support is available when needed.The EFA FTI Partnership is committed to improving the level of support it offers FTI partner countries. This means ensuring that FTI Secretariat staff can plan for and handle the volume of technical support required by partner countries, and that the FTI Partnership can map out what financial support will be requested. Getting this right - matching available resources with actual demand – will mean countries will have a better chance of getting what they need, when they need it. Read more

February 2010 - The latest issue of the newsletter of the Education for All - Fast Track Initiative (EFA - FTI) has been released. Our intention is to keep our partners and friends informed about FTI programs and activities on a bi-monthly basis. If you would like to submit a text item for the upcoming newsletter, please send an email by mid-April to the EFA - FTI Secretariat, email: ydoignon@educationfasttrack.org

Washington, DC -- 01/15/2010 -- As you know, the people of Haiti are suffering terribly after the earthquake in Port-au-Prince last Tuesday.  Haiti is an FTI partner country, and we are trying to mobilize our resources to help as best as we can. Concerning the situation on the ground in Haiti for the education sector:  The Ministry of Education buildings were destroyed as were many schools.  The Ministry of Education does not currently have operational capacity, and many government officials working in the education sector are unaccounted for at this point.  There have been many casualties.  NGOs such as Catholic Relief Services and many others are functioning, though often with many staff unaccounted for. Read more

Washington, DC -- 01/07/10 -- Bob Prouty, who has been Acting Head of the FTI Secretariat since November 2008, was selected by the EFA FTI Board of Directors as the Head of the FTI Secretariat. In this capacity, Bob will be responsible for the management of the FTI Secretariat. He will also work with the Board of Directors and Board Chair Carol Bellamy to operationalize a new results-based framework and other reforms for the FTI Partnership in order to make FTI a more effective multilateral mechanism for global education. Bob holds a Ph.D. in Educational Administration with an emphasis on African Studies and specializes in classroom issues and learning outcomes and also has extensive development experience in education. Bob's appointment is effective January 2010.