Zimbabwe Education Development Fund Phase II 2012 - 2019

The Education Development Fund (EDF) is a UNICEF managed pooled fund to which the UK and Germany, through its Development Bank, are the main contributors.  Its purpose is to improve equitable access to quality primary and secondary education for all children in Zimbabwe. The fund, which is in its second phase, continues to support the recovery of the sector from the near collapse in delivery experienced during the economic crisis that reached a peak in 2008-9. The work of the EDF benefits all three million primary school pupils and one million secondary school pupils nationwide. There is a specific focus on providing support for the poorest, including those with disabilities. DFID has provided £8 million annually to the EDF since its launch in 2012.  Key gender related outputs of EDF are: (1) The transition rate of children moving from primary to the first year of secondary now stands at 78.8% in 2017 and is slightly higher (79.4%) for girls than boys (77.9%). This is high within sub Saharan Africa and (2) the Gender Parity Index for Primary and Secondary Gross Enrolment stands at 0.98 for primary and 1.03 for secondary for 2017. Under output 1 the EDF had a goal of strengthening access for the most marginalised especially children with disabilities, the poorest, girls at secondary level, and children who are out of school.