The effective financing of education systems and institutions was identified as a priority area for CAEP activities during the Second Meeting of Ministers for Education in Astana in 2017. Due to the intense on-going reforms in the education sector in all Central Asian countries, efficient and effective financing mechanisms need to be in place in both in Higher Education (HE) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) in order to be able to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” (Sustainable Development Goal 4).

Consequently, CAEP is organising a webinar on “Effective financing of education systems and education institutions in HE and VET” as part of regional policy dialogue on education. The webinar aims at improving policy makers’ overall awareness and capacity to understand and evaluate various means and approaches to the financing of both state and privately-run educational institutions in HE and VET, while fostering cooperation at the Central Asia regional level as well as EU-CA cooperation.

Up 15 participants from each CA country will attend, representing Ministries of Education and Labour, state agencies; HEI and VET institutions; business associations, chambers, companies; education practitioners; international and donor organisations.

In preparation, a team of CAEP experts have produced a “Review report on Financing Education (HE and VET) in the EU and Central Asia” to assess the current situation in the field.

The webinar will:

• Raise awareness of different models of financing education both in the EU and CA to implement reforms in the education sector, such as autonomy of HE institutions (as in Kazakhstan) or the opening of international branches of EU based universities (in Uzbekistan)
• Discuss the main aspects and challenges of efficient and effective financing mechanisms in education, such as overall expenditure for education, state and private funding, role of actors in financing etc.
• Share good practice for sustainable financing to provide quality and inclusive education to all learners in the EU and CA countries
• Disseminate the preliminary results and findings of the EU funded “Review Report on Financing Education”.

Presentations and case studies will be put forward during the webinar by education experts from CA countries and EU member states.

The webinar will last approximately two and a half hours and will conclude with a summary of preliminary recommendations from the participants for future policy development.