Schools for Children of Cambodia participated in a mid-term review of the government's progress toward implementation of its Education Strategic Plan (ESP) and Education Sector Support Program (ESSP) this week. In the review, SCC staff highlighted what's gone well and what improvements are yet to be made with respect to the Ministry of Education's program priorities for 2006-2010. On-time provision of new first grade textbooks in 2007 and increases in teacher salary levels were among the highlights, while shortcomings ranged from inefficient deployment of teachers to slow disbursement of school funding. SCC's report was submitted to the Siem Reap Provincial Office of Education as well as the Ministry's Department of Planning for discussion in an April forum.

All members of NGO Education Partnership, a membership organisation of education-related NGOs that acts as a channel for dialogue and advocacy with the Ministry of Education, were invited to participate in the review. Schools for Children of Cambodia sees great value in providing input to the government, as it is a means for shaping policy, improving implementation, and influencing sustainable change.