Publications
Summary of publication
In March 2022, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) commissioned an evaluation of Australia’s funding support to the Education Emergency Response and Recovery Plan (EERRP). The evaluation assessed the overall effectiveness of the EERRP in supporting the National Department of Education (NDoE) to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation provided recommendations relevant to the ongoing implementation of the EERRP, as well as efforts to strengthen the resilience of the education system more broadly. The evaluation covered the implementation period of May 2020 to October 2022.
The EERRP was not a traditional emergency response, which tends to focus on immediate needs and time-critical outputs. Instead, the EERRP was primarily a comprehensive, socio-economic response that maintained a longer-term “line of sight” that sought not only to respond to immediate needs but to build and strengthen approaches that could be utilised in the future. The evaluation found that the EERRP was highly relevant and appropriate for mapping, planning, and developing a context-specific approach to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the education sector.
The design of the EERRP was locally led, promoted strong engagement and dialogue, and was comprehensive in responding to current and emerging needs and priorities. The EERRP was aligned with existing NDoE and Government of PNG policies and priorities.
The evaluation highlights the successes as well as the challenges in planning and implementing the emergency response plan. DFAT welcomes the review findings and provides a response to the recommendations for the remaining period of implementation.
Full publication
- Education Emergency Response and Recovery Plan independent evaluation [PDF 2.5 MB]
- Education Emergency Response and Recovery Plan independent evaluation [Word 8.8 MB]