Problem addressed and inputs provided

Papua and West Papua lag considerably behind the rest of Indonesia in terms of education. According to GOI data, 91% of children in Papua and 86% of children in West Papua attend primary school compared with the net national average of 96%. At junior secondary level, only 60% in Papua and 57% in West Papua are enrolled, compared to the gross national average of 91%. Girls comprise 44% of primary level enrollment. 

Indonesia is at risk of not achieving Millenium Development Goal 2 for primary education and its own goals for Education for All by 2015. This is largely due to provinces such as Papua and West Papua. Governance issues loom large, and are critical to effectively addressing the complex issues and challenges of improving education there.

STEP project seeks to complement activities in education management and governance supported by UNICEF and AUSAID. Working in four districts in Papua and West Papua, UNICEF will support local government capacity in Papua and West Papua to better manage and govern education services to better address disparities in basic education in line with national and provincial policies. 

Activities will focus is on: 
improved education planning and budgeting at provincial and district level using data and participatory monitoring and evaluation systems. 
strengthened leadership and management skills of school principals, monitoring capacity of school supervisor, and participatory role of school committees, parents and community at large in monitoring school planning and budgeting. 
mproved participation of civil society organizations in policy making, participatory planning and education service delivery.