Lessons Learnt. The predecessor fund to the GPE Fund and the GPE Fund II, the Catalytic Fund (CF), has allocated more than USD 2,018.4 million to 37 countries (2003 – November 2010) whose national education sector plans have been endorsed by local donors through a GPE process but who have insufficient domestic or external aid resources to implement them. The GPE is not only about financing: it helps donors and developing country partners work together to ensure that education aid is better coordinated and more effective, based on countries’ own education strategies. However, financing from the GPE Fund and the GPE Fund II has become an increasingly important source of funds for implementing GPE-endorsed education sector plans. The external mid-term evaluation of the GPE (Oct 2008-Feb 2010) reconfirmed the founding principles of the GPE in terms of focusing on the education MDG and the Education for All goals and in terms of the four gaps — policy, data, capacity, financing — aid effectiveness and donor coordination. The GPE has helped to keep the issue of Universal Primary Completion/Education For All visible. It has championed the Paris Declaration principles of aid effectiveness in the education sector and has contributed to improving partner countries’ policies on education. However, the evaluation also concludes that the GPE has fallen short of its ambitious goals. The Board welcomed the evaluation and its recommendations and has, since June 2010, carried out a strategic reform process. Substantial progress on clarification, quality assurance and strengthening of country level processes is under way with the development of the new Process Guide.
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