Summer School - Innovative Financing for Education: Arguments, Options and Implications, 25

Traditionally, there have been four sources of funding for education. Governments have used taxation to pay for public education, the private sector has mostly relied on tuition fees that are charged to the student and his/her parent/guardian, religious organizations have contributed financial, human and infrastructure resources, and in many developing countries aid flows have funded a significant proportion of educational expenditures. The proportion of each has tended to vary across countries yet the most important source of funding for education, in most countries, is and continues to be the state, by relying on various forms of taxation. Private schooling has expanded rapidly in numerous countries in the last two decades and tuition fees, charged to students/parents, has gained importance as a source of financing for education. Aid flows have remained a relatively small, though not unimportant, source of funding.

Over the last few decades, mostly as a result of direct or indirect effects of the Washington Consensus and World Bank/IMF positions on how economic governance should be structured, governments, especially across the developing world, have instituted structural adjustment programs focusing on privatization, liberalization, decentralization and ‘right-sizing’ of the government. This has, in general, resulted in reduced public commitments to education, lower fund availability from the state, and an increased role of the private sector in education. In many countries the state has, effectively, pulled back from taking responsibility of ensuring access to quality education for all.

This has created a problematic dynamic. On the one hand there is the realization of the need to educate all children, and national and international commitments push in that direction. On the other hand traditional sources of funding, such as state funding raised through taxes and international aid, are either decreasing or not increasing rapidly enough to address the financial need and challenge. Tuition fees, as well as unregulated informal payments, have become more significant as a source of funding but, in the main, only work for children/parents who can afford to pay for an education. Additionally, given the need to educate all children at a certain level of quality, tuition fees do not present a policy solution to the fiscal problem of education financing, which leaves out the bottom 40-50 percent of the population of most developing countries and ushers in problematic governance and social justice implications. These complexities do not mean there should be no pressure on governments to increase funding for education, clearly that has to continue, but in addition other and non-traditional sources of funding are desperately needed.

The summer school on Innovative Financing for Education will introduce participants to the complex political economy of financing for education. With the funding gap for achieving global targets for education estimated at $26 billion per year, the dynamic between commitment to education for all and reduced financial space from traditional sources needs to be appreciated before moving to any discussion of financing issues specifically. After a detailed look at the traditional sources of funding and the dynamics determining their current limits and future prospects, the course will move to introducing broad ideas for possible and non-traditional sources of finance for education.

It will then examine in detail some specific instruments and approaches that have been or are being developed and how they have been, or can be, deployed, including those that ESP has been at the forefront of supporting and developing; Diaspora Bonds for Education, Education Venture Fund, Equity-focused Impact Investing, and Debt Swaps for Education.

At the end of the course the participants will have a much deeper appreciation of the political economy in which education finance issues are embedded, the current dynamics regarding traditional sources of finance, current and under-development possibilities from non-traditional sources and future directions in which this work can develop.

The early part of the course, on political economy and traditional sources, will rely on published sources and case studies from countries ESP works in while the latter part of the course, on specific non-traditional instruments, will be built on the work that ESP has been doing and/or funding in the area.

The summer school remains a unique opportunity to bring world-class thinkers, advanced graduate students and development professionals in education financing together with state-of-the-art instruments for a five-day course, which is unprecedented in the field of education and development.

THE FACULTY LIST WILL BE PUBLISHED SOON.

Target group

The course invites global applications from educational researchers, policy analysts, education finance specialists, government officials, advanced graduate students and faculty members. Preference will be given to applicants with academic and professional experience with these issues.

Pre-requisites

Applications are invited from academics and practitioners in education, particularly those with experience designing and implementing education programs and managing initiatives related to education budgeting and financing. Between 20 and 25 participants are expected.

Language requirement

The language of instruction is English, thus all applicants have to demonstrate a strong command of spoken and written English to be able to participate actively in discussions at seminars and workshops. Some of the shortlisted applicants may be contacted for a telephone interview.

Important dates and deadlines

Important Dates and Deadlines

Application deadlines:

February 14, 2016

ADR-International Business Negotiation
ADR-Mediation
International Business Negotiation
Cities and Science
Geospatial Technologies and Remote Sensing for Monitoring SDGS
Innovations in Disaster Risk Reduction
Innovative Financing for Education
In the Labyrinth of National Identity
Matter, Mind and Consciousness
International Business Negotiation
Political Psychology
Screened Memories
Strategic Human Rights Litigation
Summer Institute on Program Evaluation - Policy Evaluation
Understanding Communication
What Makes Us Human

February 20, 2016

Green Industry

February 29, 2016

Constitution-building in Africa

March 1, 2016

Precautionary Principle

March 15, 2016

Summer Institute on Program Evaluation - Using Logic Models to Evaluate Social Programs - Early Bird enrolment
Topics in Violent Online Political Extremism

March 31, 2016

Low Dimensional Topology

April 15, 2016

Summer Institute on Program Evaluation - Using Logic Models to Evaluate Social Programs

General dates

Email notification about the decision: mid-April - mid-May
Participants confirm acceptance and housing needs: in two weeks after receipt of the acceptance notification
Activation of the course-specific e-learning sites with readings and course outlines: end of April - end of May
Early-bird deadline of tuition payment for fee-paying participants: April 30th
Tuition payment deadline for fee-paying participants: May 28th
Participants needing a visa reserve tickets, confirm exact travel dates to SUN; SUN Office sends out original invitation letter and room reservation for visa application: 6 weeks prior to arrival
Participants submit visa applications: 30 days prior to arrival
Participant arrivals, hotel check-in, and registration: one day before the course starts
Orientation session at CEU: on the first day of the course

Course-specific dates

The "Course-specific dates" of the following courses are different from the general SUN dates. Click on the course names to see their specific deadlines.

Green Industry

How To Apply

Please read the following directions carefully.

Below is the list of the documents you need to prepare or arrange for submission:

Completed online SUN Application Form
Full curriculum vitae or resume, includingteaching and research projects, list of publications, if any, and two references with contact emails
Motivation Letter (max 1 page) - your reasons for taking part in this summer school
One Writing Sample in English (max. 20 pages)

Optional attachments:

Presentation of the project you are currently working on and would like to present at the summer school
Letters of recommendation

A cover letter (max. 1 page) to support application for financial aid (mandatory for those who wish to receive financial aid)

Online Application Form

SUN's Online Application Form, delivered by Embark, enables the online submission of the application form itself as well as all other relevant documentation, including CV's and resumes, letter of recommendation, statements of purpose and application essays (such as research proposal, case study, paper proposal, writing samples, academic records, etc.), eliminating all paper mailing to the SUN Office.

In addition, applicants will be able to use this system to track their progress and learn the outcome of their admissions evaluation online. Admissions decisions will be available to applicants as soon as they are entered into the system.

Please note that you can only apply to one course.

The application form is password-protected.

a) In case you have started an application for our program in previous years, you can use your old login and password and can log in as a "Returning Embark User" (right-hand side of the page). In case you cannot remember your old password, click on the "Forget your password?" link.
b) In case you have not started an application before, please register first in the "New User?" section (left-hand side of the page). For registration please click on "Create an Account" and provide the requested information. Embark will send you your password by email and then you can log in and start your application, this time already as a returning user.

Further user's instructions for the online application are included in the form itself.

Should you have questions regarding the application form, check the relevant Frequently Asked Questions.

Full curriculum vitae or resume, including teaching and research projects, list of publications, if any, and two references with contact emails

Please upload your Curriculum Vitae or resume, including teaching and research projects, list of publications, if any, and two references with contact emails.

Motivation Letter (max 1 page)

In the Motivation Letter please describe your reasons for taking part in this summer school.

One Writing Sample in English (max. 20 pages)

Please upload an English-language document related to thecourse theme. This could be a published piece (e.g. an article) or an unpublished work in progress.

Optional attachments:

Presentation of the project you are currently working on and would like to present at the summer school
Letters of recommendation
A cover letter (max. 1 page) to support application for financial aid (mandatory for those who wish to receive financial aid)

Applicants who wish to apply for financial aid are expected to upload a cover letter in which they specify their reasons.

All application materials must be submitted electronically with the online application form. CEU does not accept application documents by e-mail or fax. Candidates who may experience difficulties with the online submission of their documents should contact the SUN Office.

CEU does not return application documents, or copies thereof under any circumstances. Applications submitted after the deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Inquiries

If you need help or more information during the application process, please feel free to contact the SUN staff:

E-mail for inquiry and correspondence: summeru@ceu.edu
Tel: (36-1) 327-3811
Fax: (36-1) 327-3124
Skype (free Internet telephone): ceu-sun

Notification

The SUN Office will notify applicants about the selection results around the end of April. Please check the 'Important course dates' section on the relevant course web sites for earlier or later planned notification deadlines. The final decision is not open to appeal.

Financial Aid

As the number of scholarships available is limited,funding offered by institutions or individuals is welcome so that we can invite more well qualified applicants. When choosing the financial aid package, please consider if you or your institution can contribute to the program expenses. Faculty and Ph.D. students are advised to approach their home departments for travel grants; researchers may have research grants available which can cover their participation; professionals may turn to their employers to fund their training at SUN. You can also consult some non-CEU funding opportunities listed in our FAQ section. While selection of applicants will be based on the academic merit of the applications, those willing to bear the participation costs fully or partially will be preferred in case of equally strong applications.

Financial aid is available in the following categories:

tuition waiver
accommodation grant
travel grant (full or partial)
Participants from Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and Mongolia, as well as those coming from emerging countries worldwide can apply for financial aid in all categories listed above.

Participants from developed countries are expected to pay tuition fee. However, there are a limited number of tuition waivers available on a competitive basis. Those who wish to apply for a tuition waiver should send a separate cover letter specifying their reasons.
Participants are NOT eligible to receive financial aid if they attended two CEU funded Summer University courses within a four-year period.
In case an applicant is accepted to two courses, which is only possible if the two courses are run consecutively, financial aid is only available for attending one course.

SUN Packages

All packages will include the following:

a minimum of 24 tuition hours per week
a certificate of attendance
access to course E-learning page (with readings, assignments, etc.)
access to CEU facilities (Library, IT services, sports centre including the use of the indoor swimming pool, tennis courts)
some social and cultural events depending on the course schedules (e.g. welcome and farewell reception / outings /fieldtrips / film screenings, etc.)

Fee-Paying Package

Financial aid: N/A
Participant's own contribution: tuition, travel, accommodation, health insurance and living expenses

Payment deadlines

April 30(Early Bird fee)
May 28 (Full tuition fee)

Cancellation Policy

In the event of cancellation, CEU will refund the tuition fee as follows:

Before May 28 - CEU will fully refund the tuition fee.
Between May 28th and 14 days prior to the course starting - 80% of the tuition fee will be refunded.
Within 14 days of the course starting - no refund for tuition fees will be given.

Financial Aid packages

Tuition Waiver
Financial aid: tuition fee waived
Participant's own contribution: health insurance, travel, accommodation and living expense.
Partial SUN Scholarship
Financial aid: tuition fee waived and free accommodation in a double room
Participant's own contribution:health insurance, travel and living expenses
Full SUN Scholarship
Financial aid:tuition fee waived; free accommodation in a double room and a full or partial travel grant
Participant’s own contribution: health insurance and living expenses.

The Full SUN Scholarship includes a full or partial travel grant which can be applied for on a competitive basis and will be available in a limited number. Visa costs and short domestic trips are not reimbursed. The citizens of the following countries are not eligible to apply for a travel grant: Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the western part of Ukraine and qualify therefore for a Partial SUN Scholarship.

This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:

http://www.summer.ceu.hu/innovfinancing-2016

Summer School - Innovative Financing for Education: Arguments, Options and Implications, 25 - 29 July 2016, Hungary