Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS)

  • P Project/Program

A Active

Key Information

GESS is an inclusive programme that is transforming the lives of a generation of children in South Sudan – especially girls and those in the margins of society– through education.The second phase of the Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) programme is running between May 2019 –and March 2024.

The GESS results chain is as follows:

The impact of the Programme: to continue (building on success of the first phase GESS) to transform the life chances of a generation of South Sudanese children, particularly but not exclusively, girls, through education, while stabilising priority areas of the education sector and concurrently seeking to deliver improved quality education. The impact may therefore be permanent, although a long-term impact on the sustainability of the education sector requires positive changes in the context and the political will of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan.

The outcomes of the Programme: an improvement in girl’s educational attainment from that already achieved in the first phase of the Programme; building further gains on school enrolment, reducing barriers to education and promoting equity in access for all children.

The outputs of the Programme will be:

  • Output 1: Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) to garner support and change attitudes in favour of education for all.
  • Output 2: Cash Transfers (CTs) to individual girls to supplement household income to cater for direct and indirect costs of education.
  • Output 3: Capitation Grants (CGs) to schools to supplement school revenues to help them provide a conducive learning environment.
  • Output 4: Quality Education (QE) including Learning Groups, Accelerated Learning and Livelihoods for adolescents previously without access to education to improve learning outcomes through support to education managers, teachers, school management committees and mentoring of learners.
  • Output 5: Knowledge, Evidence, Research and Learning (KERL) to build a knowledge base for support to girls’ education, including use of the Schools’ Attendance Monitoring System (SAMS); reporting on teacher and learner attendance; and academic research into the barriers and solutions to education for both girls and learners with disabilities in South Sudan.

The Ministry of General Education and Instruction (MoGEI) oversees the GESS programme, supported by Consortium Partners which provide technical advice.


Lead Implementing Government(s)

South Sudan

Location(s)

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Government Affiliation

Government-affiliated program

Years

2019 - 2024

Ministry Affiliation

Ministry of General Education and Instruction of South Sudan (MoGEI)

COVID-19 Response

Adapted

Geographic Scope

National

Meets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES  

Unknown

Areas of Work Back to Top

Education areas

Attainment

  • Primary enrollment
  • Secondary Enrollment

Quality

  • School quality

Cross-cutting areas

  • COVID-19 Response
  • Gender equality
  • Social and gender norms and beliefs

Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Girls in school, Girls out of school

Age

Not applicable or unknown

School Enrolment Status

Some in school

School Level

  • Lower primary
  • Upper primary
  • Lower secondary
  • Upper secondary

Other populations reached

Not applicable or unknown

Participants include

  • People with disabilities

Program Approaches Back to Top

Community engagement/advocacy/sensitization

  • Community mobilization

Increased availability of learning materials

  • Educational Radio or Television Programs

Other

  • Coordinated Action

Reducing economic barriers

  • Addressing cost of school supplies
  • Conditional cash transfers (including non-cash goods) to individuals/households
  • Conditional cash transfers to schools
  • Scholarships/stipends for school fees
  • Unconditional cash transfers (including non-cash goods) to individuals/households

School-related gender-based violence

  • Training of school personnel (including teachers)

Social/gender norms change

  • Group activities with students or school-age children/adolescents
  • Work with community leaders

Teaching

  • In-service teacher training – gender-responsive pedagogy
  • Teaching materials (e.g. lesson plans, curricula)

Women's empowerment programs

  • Advocacy/action

Program Goals Back to Top

Education goals

  • Gender parity and non-discrimination are promoted at all subjects/education levels
  • Improved academic skills (literacy and numeracy)
  • Increased literacy
  • Increased school enrolment (general)
  • Teachers and learners have the knowledge and skills to promote gender equality

Cross-cutting goals

  • Changed social norms
  • More equitable gender attitudes and norms
  • Reduced poverty/increase household well-being