Civil society organisations: greater role needed in education policy dialogue

To improve inclusivity and equity in the educational system, civic society organisations (CSOs) are increasingly seen as key enablers. This is in part due to the strong presence of CSOs at the grass-roots level, particularly from engaging with and understanding the needs of young people and the vulnerable, as well as knowing what is needed for better human capital development (HCD).

As an EU agency, the ETF helps transitioning and developing countries harness the potential of their human capital through the reform of education, training and labour market systems.

Since 2015, the ETF has been working with CSOs in neighbouring EU countries to improve their role in HCD and inclusivity. Yet despite CSOs critical role in education and training, civil society is often not as engaged as it could be in the policy dialogue and policy making process. This needs to change, said Margareta Nikolovska, a Senior Human Capital Development Expert at the ETF.

CSOs: An expanding role

“CSOs have always played a role, but the current thinking is that their role will be further increased in the near future. Why? Governments and public authorities cannot cope alone with all the challenges they face,” she said.

The importance of CSOs in the educational field was highly evident during the Covid-19 pandemic when schools and centres of learning were closed, and civil society played a supplementary role to that of public education.

“The epidemic was a challenge but also presented opportunities for CSOs, such as new ways of operating. And they were quick to adapt to certain target groups and educational approaches, like how to develop the curriculum and support youth through basic activities,” said Nikolovska. “CSOs by their nature are involved in social inclusion as they are focused on the local level, and the needs of vulnerable groups.”

There has been growing recognition by governments of what CSOs can achieve. “They are discovering new opportunities that can be further strengthened through cooperation with CSOs to do part of the work traditionally done by governments. It can be a win-win situation, but the critical question is not what needs to be done, but rather, how can it be done through different collaborative actions, and what type of dialogue and follow up is necessary to support trust building and enabling environments to be developed,” she said.

“The distance between the policy level and what is needed at the local level is huge. We have to be careful and pragmatic. It is up to us to think about how to bring these worlds closer together to meet the realities of vulnerable groups,” added Nikolovska.

CSOs’ role in HCD

The ETF has been actively working to achieve such a win-win situation, hosting several events to develop knowledge on how CSOs involved in HCD can think about and be better engaged in policy dialogue. There is certainly appetite from CSOs to do so, as reflected in a recent  ETF study on

CSOs' role in HCD in six countries: Albania, Jordan, Serbia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

The ETF study found that CSOs focused their activities on education, awareness-raising and advocacy for the promotion of human rights, democracy, and volunteering; and on skills promotion as their activities related to skills development.

CSOs: Drivers of change

The study showed that there are many different types of CSOs' engagement in functional relationships in HCD and policy implementation, and that they often play a key role in advocacy and as drivers of social change.

“The tools and instruments they use to impact education and employment services are diverse and range from advocacy campaigns to capacity building of their beneficiaries and target groups. They significantly contribute by bringing their experience, ideas, and diverse perspectives on the challenges and possible ways forward,” noted Nikolovska.

In Albania and Jordan, a limited number of surveyed CSOs reported being regularly involved in policy dialogue regarding non-formal learning, informal learning, and employment, “but most of them express their willingness to contribute to policy dialogue,” she said.

“There was quite a complementary and collaborative role defined by CSOs to play, particularly regarding support to education and training providers, including support in reaching the objectives defined with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

CSOs are active in contributing to SDGs, with the ETF study showing the extent to which they are focused on the goals, particularly SDG 4 – quality education for all; SDG 8 – good jobs and economic growth; and SDG 1 – no poverty.

“Engagement with youth and social inclusion are some of the most important activities implemented by CSOs, and they contribute to the SDGs,” she said.

For CSOs to play a greater role in the policy dialogue and policy making process, Nikolovska said there is a need to understand the process is specific to each country.

“We should look for frameworks that can be useful, and tailored very specifically to the country. This needs to be focused on the specificities of countries – institutionally, how policy making is done, and what type of governance is practiced and carried out. These three items are critical,” she said.

Currently, the ETF is preparing a report based on extensive research into how CSOs can be better engaged in the policy process, and how governance can be better supported in the HCD process. At an upcoming event on the role of CSOs in skills development and life-long learning the ETF along with partners will engage in discussions to better understand CSOs and “what we can do to improve policy dialogue and support CSOs to be more engaged in reaching out to beneficiaries that is in line with policy objectives,” said Nikolovska.

This article was originally published in the ETF's Learning Connects No.10 newsletter. Sign up here to receive newsletter Mailing list | ETF (europa.eu)