The FCE finances, among other projects, the digitalization of universities. (Archive photo) A new milestone has been reached in strengthening the Common Education Fund (FCE). A Technical Assistance Mechanism (DAT) was launched yesterday within the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training, in the presence of concerned sectoral ministries, technical and financial partners, and key stakeholders in the education sector. "It consists of a team of 17 people, including 10 technical assistants covering all regions and 7 others operating at the central level. The former support regional directorates, universities and regional centers for pedagogical training and research. The latter specialize in procurement, planning and programming, supervision and intersectoral coordination. The objective is to support institutions in implementing reforms and consolidating the achievements of the FCE," explained Arnaud Chalvin, head of the DAT mission, during the official launch yesterday. Regarding the FCE, "it is an innovative financing mechanism that allows aligning resources from different partners with the priorities of national education policy. These include France through the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union, the Global Partnership for Education and UNICEF. The challenge is to unite these technical and financial partners around priorities defined by the Malagasy State, while aligning with public finance management procedures. This new mechanism thus aims to support the four institutions involved in the governance of the Common Education Fund in implementing the program affecting the education sector, representing financing of approximately 18 billion Ar," said Florian Mugnier, deputy director of the AFD. The institutions concerned are the Ministry of National Education, the Ministry of Technical Education and Vocational Training, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance. For his part, the secretary general of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Harilala Andriamaniraka, highlighted the importance of this new Technical Assistance Mechanism in strengthening the capacity of public institutions in using the Common Education Fund. "In our sector, among other things, this fund will finance projects on improving the education system, training teachers and doctoral students, and digitalization of public universities," he noted. Through this mechanism, the government and its partners reaffirm their shared commitment to making education an engine for Madagascar's development, ensuring that every resource mobilized contributes to sustainably improving learning opportunities, youth employability and the development of the country's human capital.