ADEA Working Group on Education Sector Analysis (WGESA)

The Peer Review Exercice

What is it all about ?
Beginning in 2004, the ADEA Working Group on Education Sector Analysis WGESA- was mandated to implement a peer review exercise in education in Africa. The purpose of this exercise was two fold:

For ADEA, it was an appropriate strategy for fostering political dialogue around education reform initiatives, facilitating public debates on key policy reforms and creating opportunities for constructive dialogue with peer experts from other African countries on common experiences and innovative solutions.

For WGESA, the peer review was used as a means to shift from a traditional, donor-driven and overly technical approach to sector analysis that is country driven with a more formative approach. Such approach would also support countries education reform initiatives as it would encourage learning from peers originating from both Africa and outside Africa.

Considering both advantages above and the nature of the approach utilized, 15 countries found the exercise interesting for their educational systems and applied to ADEA for a peer review. A subcommittee was created to select the pilot countries. It comprised representatives from IIEP the lead agency, ADEA Steering Committee and Secretariat, ADEA Forum of Ministers. OECD participated. The Committee designated three countries to start with: Mauritius, Gabon and Nigeria. The following criteria was used: regional location, language employed for teaching learning, size of country and complexity of sociopolitical setting.

The peer review approach used by the ADEA/ WGESA maintains the following original features:
-Using mainly an African Peer Team of Experts with sound experience in policy formulation and implementation;
-Collegiality with the country experts and national full participation at all stages;
-Sector wide sampling that include stakeholders other than policy makers; and
-Public debates for both the process of the review and its findings;
-Every review exercise is to be technically sound and programmatically credible.

Where are we ?

Mauritius

WGESA, in cooperation with the concerned countries will deliver to the ADEA African Forum Ministers a presentation on the preliminary findings of the Peer Review Exercise in Mauritius, Gabon and most likely Nigeria. This forum, which will be held in March 2006 in Libreville, Gabon is an ideal platform to allow WGESA to present to African country representatives the early lessons learned from the Peer Review Exercise. A 100 page first draft has been prepared by the National team and the International Examiners to account for the first findings of the Peer Review. The document is in circulation between the stakeholders for consultation, eventual amendment and approval. Step IV (Validation of the Recommendation) will be envisaged at a later stage.

Gabon

The Ministry of National Education of Gabon has signed the Framework for Cooperation and will soon conduct its internal self-evaluation (step II of the Peer Review Exercise). The country has nominated its focal point, Pr. OBONE Mba Jacqueline, an advisor to the Minister of Higher education from Gabon Superior Normal School. The Ministry of National Education together with its partners is preparing for the launching of the national self-evaluation, whose findings will serve for the country's address at the Biennial. WGESA will contribute to this undertaking in the form of a financial support and other means as advised.

Nigeria

A WGESA team coming from the Coordination Unit (Guinea), Sweden and Niger visited Nigeria to discuss the concrete steps for the implementation of the Peer Review Exercise in this country. The team met with several Programs and Institutions including the Minister of Education, NATCOM/Nigeria, UBE, The Mass Education Commission, The Nomadic Education Commission, AIDE ACTION,, The Abuja federal Authority, and a few learning centers located in Karshi and Karu districts; Outcomes of the mission included the following (i) A consensus is reached by both parties on a Framework For Cooperation draft to submit to the duly representatives of the Ministry and ADEA;(ii Nigeria confirms the expert Team Leader, Mrs. Esi Southerland and two alternates; (iii) The High Level National Committee is restructured to have more representation from civil society; (iv) Aims and objectives of the non formal review are clarified and some of the critical challenges of Nigerian non-formal education are identified and discussed to facilitate the self-evaluation process, (v) A consensus is reached regarding the way forward.

ADEA WORKING GROUP ON

EDUCATION SECTOR ANALYSIS (WGESA)