There is no standardized and generic medium term expenditure framework (MTEF), and hence no single standardized terminology. Still, MTEF is an integral part of both public sector finance management and sector planning: two areas for which a range of international standardized classifications of notions, definitions and terms exist.

These classifications, however, were not developed in a coordinated way and not at the same time for the two areas: finance and planning in the public sector in general and education in particular. As a result, the assumption that the two areas share the same or similar terminology is not necessarily accurate.

This renders professional planning dialogue difficult between the education ministry and the finance and planning ministries. Lack of a common terminology complicates education MTEF and can give rise to considerable confusion.

The Portal provides glossaries of core terms closely related to MTEF, both its planning dimension and its budget dimension. Experience that will be exchanged through the present web-forum will be used to attempt to generate an education-MTEF specific glossary.