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ADEA Briefs...ADEA Briefs...ADEA Briefs...ADEA Briefs...ADEA Briefs... |
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| ADEA Activities |
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Results
of the electronic
forum of the WG on
Non Formal Education
• Formative research is focus of
WGESA meeting in Niamey
• The WGES
hosts three countries for training on EMIS and databases
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Africa Education Journalism Award jury designates 2005
winners
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WGTP takes an interest in multi-grade teaching
and the challenge
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Workshop on qualitative
research on HIV/AIDS and education
• In
Brazzaville, WGCOMED reviews the radio program “School
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Ad hoc Working Group on Post-Primary Education
outlines |
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ADEA Participation in External Meetings |
• Dakar: EFA
+ 5 Forum
• 3rd FAPE Congress • Sixth meeting of the Working Group on EFA
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Launching of the LIFE initiative
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| Just Published |
• ADEA newsletter on working groups
and program activities
• Newsletter of the WG on
Statistics |
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Upcoming...
Upcoming... |
ADEA MEETINGS
August 3-5, 2005 Windhoek, Namibia • Regional conference on bilingual education and the useof local languages August 3-5, 2005 Cotonou, Benin
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Regional
WGTP workshop on professional development tools August 22-26, 2005 Dakar, Senegal • Workshop for teacher training colleges and departments of education August 28 - September 9, 2005 Harare, Zimbabwe • WGES workshop on database development September 1-2, 2005 Kampala, Uganda • WGFE Steering Committee and conference September 7-8, 2005 Johannesburg, South Africa • WGBLM Steering Committee September 7-9, 2005 Addis Abeba, Ethiopia • Ministerial seminar on education for rural development September 12-13, 2005 Nairobi, Kenya • WGCOMED Steering Committee meeting September 28-30, 2005 Paris, France • ADEA Steering Committee October 1-2, 2005 Paris, France • Ad hoc WG on Policy Dialogue workshop External Meetings
September 14-16 , 2005 New York, United States of America • United Nations Millennium Summit + 5 UN headquarters October 7-8, 2005 Paris, France
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First
Ministerial Roundtable on EFA during the UNESCO General UNESCO headquarters October 3-21, 2005 Paris, France • 33rd session of the General Conference of UNESCO UNESCO headquarters October 24-25, 2005 Santiago, Chile • World Forum on Education 2005 OECD November 7-10, 2005 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Extraordinary
meeting of the Ministers of Education of the African Union African Union November 28-30, 2005 Beijing, China • Fifth Meeting of the High-Level Group on EFA Working Group on EFA |
| ADEA Activities |
WG on Non Formal Education summarizes results of electronic forum The ADEA Working Group on Non-formal Education ran an electronic discussion forum between October 2004 and March 2005 to review its role and priorities. There were 128 participants: 77 from Africa, 39 from Europe and North America, and 12 from other regions of the world. The forum idea arose from the desire to achieve a wider international consensus on the significance of NFE for basic education and development, and on the priorities that should guide the WG’s efforts in this area. It was hoped that recognition of the great diversity of beneficiary groups and their needs, and of NFE approaches and purposes, could be balanced with the promotion of a holistic view of basic education and development for children, youth and adults. The end results should be a closer collaboration among the many organizations working with NFE. It was also considered important that the WG have a mandate enabling it to respond to the needs and priorities expressed by countries, as well as to provide effective guidance through the sharing of its extensive knowledge and experience base. The electronic forum offered people in touch with a wide range of NFE realities in Africa the opportunity to express their opinions and observations. The commentaries pointed out that:
Ø For further details see Summary Report
Ø
For more information, please contact: Amina Osman, WGESA Steering Committee meeting and seminar held in Niamey The Steering Committee of the Working Group on Education Sector Analysis (WGESA) met in Niamey, Niger from 13 to 16 June. One day was devoted to Steering Committee business, followed by the 3-day seminar on formative research. Five items were discussed: Peer review, formative research, anchorage of the coordination in Africa, management issues, and the development of a mid-term plan for the group’s activities. For each of these the Steering Committee prepared recommendations. The Steering Committee will begin to reflect on strategies for handling the political expectations that arise with Peer Review exercise in Mauritius and Gabon. Other follow-up concerns the need to expand and update the WGESA website The seminar focused on the concept of formative research (FR) and its distinctiveness compared to similar approaches implemented in Africa, and drew lessons from the experiences of Norway, Nepal and Ghana. It highlighted the elements needed in order to institutionalize formative research in Africa, and to pilot it in one or two countries. The possibility of holding a similar seminar in English-speaking Africa was discussed. Other items discussed included the need to reactivate the WGESA website and to continue the fund-raising effort to support the program. The seminar was attended by country representatives from Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Benin, Swaziland and Namibia, as well as international partners from Norway, Sweden Nepal and IIEP. The African networks CONFEMEN and ERNWACA also attended. Ø Information on WGESA's Formative Research program
Ø
For more information, please
contact:
Ibrahima Bah-Lalya, The WGES hosts three countries for training on EMIS and database development The Working Group on Education Statistics (WGES) organized a workshop on development and integration of databases into websites, from 18 to 22 June, in Harare (Zimbabwe). Three countries – Gambia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe – had requested special assistance from the WGES to develop a better knowledge of problems arising from the use of statistical information systems. Zimbabwe is about to install a new education management information system (EMIS) that will then be extended to other countries, including Gambia. Swaziland, which is currently transferring it data collection activities to the Ministry of Education’s Central Statistical Office (CSO), is developing its own data tools and planning its own EMIS. The workshop covered a variety of subjects: introduction to education management information systems; development of web sites using open-source technologies; conception and methods of developing websites; structure and technical features; interactive databases, reports and OLAP cubes; approaches to integrating data management and the web; statistical profile of education in Africa. A similar workshop will be organized by the WGES in August for other Anglophone countries.
Ø For
more information, please contact:
Tegegn Wako,
Africa Education Journalism Award jury designates 2005 winners The winners of the Akintola Fatoyinbo Africa Education Journalism Award for 2005 were announced on 30 June, 2005 in Accra, Ghana. For the first time, there was a jury for Portuguese language articles. The first prize winners in the different language categories are Rosalina Mateta from Angola (Portuguese), Rose Akakpo from Benin (French) and Bukola Olatunji from Nigeria (English). The second prize winners are Jose Mario Correia, from Cape Verde, Moussa Sadio, from Senegal and Joe Ombuor, from Kenya. Now in its fourth year, the Akintola Fatoyinbo Africa Education Journalism Award encourages African journalists to write high quality, relevant and reliable articles on education. Ø Winning articles: 1st prize in English ; 1st prize in French ; 1st prize in Portuguese ; 2nd prize in English ; 2nd prize in French ; 2nd prize in Portuguese Ø Website of the Africa Education Journalism Award Ø For more information, please contact: Professor Opubor, Coordinator, WGCOMED, comed@wanad.org or Marc Pandi, WGCOMED, comed@wanad.org WGTP takes an interest in multigrade teaching and the challenge of how to incorporate it This workshop, organized by the Working Group on the Teaching Profession (WGTP), was designed to make participants more aware of the potential that multi-grade classes offer to governments that are struggling to achieve universal primary education under difficult conditions and often without enough teachers. The workshop, held in Bagamayo (Tanzania) from 4 to 8 July, was the occasion for the delegations of eleven African countries to appeal for strengthening education strategies and actions to support universal primary education. Representatives of IICBA/UNESCO, the UNESCO office in Dar-es-Salaam and Tango (a Tanzanian NGO network) participated. During the workshop participants were able to expand their exchanges on the difficulties involved in adopting a multi-grade strategy. By the end of the presentations by Ethiopia, Namibia, Tanzania and Zambia on their experiences with multigrade education, the participants arrived at the conclusions that: "every pedagogical action consists of multigrade teaching. Even in single grade classrooms, the diversity of interests, aptitudes, needs and degrees of student maturity remain considerable". Another lesson learned: it is a fact that multigrade education is already a reality in many countries, obliged as they are to adopt it in order to cope with crisis situations linked to the increasing enrollments despite a penury of teachers. Nonetheless, there remains a serious problem in terms of pre-service and continuing education, which has not yet incoroporated the idea of multigrade classes. Several kinds of challenges were highlighted:
At the end of the workshop the representatives of ministries of education committed themselves to taking national action. The WGTP, for its part, will cooperate with other organizations, including NGOs, to render service in strengthening capacity, training and design of basic teaching support tools. Ø For more information, please contact: Virgilio Juvane, Coordinator, WGTP, v.juvane@commonwealth.int Workshop on qualitative research on HIV/AIDS and education organized at ERNWACA In the face of the AIDS crisis and its threat to educational systems and development IIEP, ADEA and ERNWACA are seeking to empower policymakers and stakeholders within government and civil society by producing research on the relationship between HIV/AIDS and education in West and Central Africa. However, the field of HIV/AIDS and education is relatively new and calls for specific approaches. Furthermore, the availability and interpretation of data is problematic, partly owing to the highly sensitive and complex nature of the epidemic. It was therefore to address these issues that IIEP, ADEA and ERNWACA decided to organize a workshop on qualitative research methodology, held in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) from 4 to 8 July, 2005. The meeting brought together participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali and Senegal. The main aim of the workshop was to provide participants with practical tools/methods to collect and analyse data in the context of HIV/AIDS and education. Sessions were designed to be highly participatory (use of role play, group work, debate etc.) and to capitalise on participants’ existing experience and expertise. One particularly interesting session examined the use of essay writing in qualitative data collection. This method was used successfully in a recent IIEP study on the impacts of HIV/AIDS on education in Burkina Faso. Participants were also initiated in the use of a data analysis software package (MAX QDA) that allows texts to be retrieved, edited, coded and subsequently analysed. Other sessions included elaborating a field guide and questionnaire, exploring the pros and cons of different sampling techniques, strengthening interviewing techniques, and exploring different approaches to interpreting results. A training manual is being prepared and should be finalised for autumn. It is also hoped that another workshop can be organized for the English-speaking members of ERNWACA. Ø For more information, please contact: Lucy Teasdale, IIEP, l.teasdale@iiep.unesco.org or Hamidou Boukary, Senior Program Specialist, ADEA Secretariat, h.boukary@iiep.unesco.org In Brazzaville, WGCOMED reviews the radio program “School for Parents” The Third Congress of the Federation of African Associations of Parents and Students (FAPE) took place in Brazzaville from 5 to 8 July. It provided the occasion for the Working Group on Communication for Education and Development (WGCOMED) to review activities associated with the radio project “School for Parents”. Initiated by FAPE, and now being tested in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Senegal, the project establishes radio information campaigns to sensitise families to the importance of school and thus influence social pressure. The project is being implemented with technical support from WGCOMED, and funded by the Norwegian Fiduciary Fund for Education and the World Bank. The WGCOMED reviews follows a mid-term assessment of the project in Senegal, Guinea and Burkina Faso. The evaluation took place in January and June of 2005, and recognized not only the work being done by the national federations of parents – which are executing the project – but also the impact of the listening clubs among the beneficiaries. With the exception of Burkina Faso, where the broadcasts have not yet begun, the School for Parents, known by the name “Parents talk to Parents” is invigorating education in Guinee and Senegal. The target populations wish the project to continue and to extend to other regions in their countries. Ø For more information, please contact: Alfred Opubor, Coordinator, WGCOMED, comed@wanad.orgg Ad hoc Working Group on Post-Primary Education outlines its work program Following the Edinburgh expert meeting (April 2005) that defined the mission/approach, objectives, strategies and a tentative work plan of the newly set-up ad hoc WG on Post-Primary, the ADEA Secretariat convened on July 18, 2005 a brief consultative meeting in view to developing a more focused work plan. Two key partners were represented at the meeting: the World Bank and UNESCO. The World Bank was represented by consultant Mr. Adriaan Verspoor, and UNESCO by Mrs. Sonia BAHRI, Chief of the Section for General Secondary Education. Also in attendance was Mr. Hans KrÖnner, consultant to ADEA. The Secretariat was represented by Mamadou Ndoye, Executive Secretary of ADEA, and Hamidou Boukary, Senior Program Specialist. The Working Group’s new plan will comprise three priority areas: (i) development of an indicative framework that will consist of lessons learned from promising experiences; (ii) identification of good practices and reforms in post-primary education and secondary education, including skills development; and (iii) the identification of cost-effective policy options for the development of post-primary education that will enable Africa to face the socio-economic and other challenges of development in the 21st century. Ø For more information, please contact: Hamidou Boukary, Senior Program Specialist, ADEA Secretariat, h.boukary@iiep.unesco.org |
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ADEA Participation in External Meetings |
Dakar + 5: EFA forum measures progress made since 2000 The UNESCO regional office for education in Africa (BREDA) organized an Education for All (EFA) Forum in Senegal from 13 to 15 June 2005. Coming five years after the original EFA event, its main purpose was to take stock of implementation since then, to analyze the constraints for action, and to suggest guidelines for action. Some 200 participants attended, including national EFA coordinators, representatives of international institutions and organizations of civil society: they exchanged observations, ideas and recommendations based on an excellent report prepared by BREDA/the Dakar Node. The following elements were considered essential for success:
The presence of these elements surely explains the accelerated rate of progress noted in terms of access to primary education: 9 African children out of 10 get to school, and 9 girls are enrolled for every 10 boys who attend. Nevertheless, huge challenges remain: there is a low completion rate for primary schooling (6 out of 10 children), mediocre quality of learning, great scarcity of teachers (some 25% more are needed), the HIV/AIDs pandemic, and civil conflicts. Among the recommendation made were:
The ADEA study on quality of education was presented by Adriaan Verspoor, and the Executive Secretary opened the conference with a few lessons on EFA learned from inter-African exchanges. Ø BREDA website: http://www.dakar.unesco.org/en_index.shtml Ø ADEA Newsletter on the quality of education, Vol 16, Number 1. Ø Executive summary of the ADEA study on the quality of eduation: The Challenge of Learning: Improving the Quality of Basic Education in sub-Saharan Africa Congo hosts 3rd Congress of the African Federation of Parent Associations (FAPE) From 5 to 8 July 2005, some 305 representatives of 15 countries met in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, for the 3rd Congress of the African Federation of Parent Associations. Numerous international organizations, including UNESCO, UNICEF, and CONFEMEN also attended. The Congress was opened in the name of Congo’s President by the Minister of technical and vocational education, and ADEA’s executive Secretary gave the keynote address. Discussions focused on the theme of The African Parent’s Movement, Actor and Essential Partner in Education for All, and highlighted the various kinds of support – material, financial, social and cultural – that parents can provide to schools, as well as their potential for future contributions. Four workshops allowed certain themes to be developed:
After adoption of the different resolutions and motions, the congress elected a new board of directors and new Bureau, with Martin Itoua as its president. Ø
For more information, consult the FAPE website : Sixth meeting of the Working Group on EFA The Working Group on Education for All held its sixth meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, from 19 to 21 July, 2005. It normally meets with its main partners every three years. The meeting was organized in preparation for the High-Level Group on EFA that will be convening in Beijing in November, 2005. The agenda took account of other important events in connection with Education for All: the UN Millennium Summit + 5, which occurs in September; the first ministerial roundtable on EFA that will take place during the UNESCO General Conference in October; and the Summit of the African Union on education and culture, scheduled for January 2006. Various sessions explored the following topics implementation of the Declaration of Paris on the effectiveness of aid; literacy for skills-building; education of rural populations in order to achieve EFA and meet the Millennium Development Goals; accelerating the mobilization of resources and improving the effectiveness of assistance for EFA. The meeting also discussed the development of a global action plan for implementing EFA by 2015 and proceeded with planning for the meeting of the High-Level Group in Beijing. The Executive Secretary of ADEA moderated a session on education of rural populations and also reported on the session at the end of the meeting. Launching of the LIFE initiative The Literacy Initiative For Empowerment (LIFE) was launched at UNESCO Headquarters (Paris) from 21-22 July 2005. At the LIFE meeting, the ADEA Executive Secretary, Mamadou Ndoye, was invited to give an overview of the planned studies and research on the theme of literacy for the forthcoming ADEA Biennial Meeting (March 2006, Gabon). Under the coordination of the ADEA Working Group on Non Formal Education WGNFE), in collaboration with the UNESCO Institute of Education (UIE) and UNESCO’s Regional Office for Education in Africa (BREDA), these studies will focus on the “Analysis and Assessment of Effective Literacy Policies and Programs in Sub Saharan Africa for Socio Economic Development”. This will involve looking at issues such as literacy and globalization; capacity development and management; costs and financing, cultural and language policies, the learning process and pedagogical choices; equivalencies and certification, and decentralization. Presentations and discussions around the literacy theme at the ADEA Biennial Meeting will no doubt feed into the Literacy Initiative (LIFE), meant to be a partnership of action in support of increasing literacy learning opportunities within the framework of the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD). |
| Just Published |
ADEA Newsletter on working groups and program activities This special issue covering ADEA’s working groups and program activities is published every year. It reviews the year’s events, new publications and, for those who wish to know more, it provides contact information for the working groups and officers in charge of following up on programs. New items this year include: the setting up of two new working groups – the Working Group on Mathematics and Science Education (WGMSE) and the ad hoc Working Group on Post-Primary Education (WGPPE); development of a database on African experts in education; and the launching of a publications series on African success stories. Ø Newsletter, Vol 17, No.1, ADEA Secretariat Newsletter of the WG on Statistics The second issue of the NESIS newsletter from the Working Group on Education Statistics (WGES) is now available. Highlights include: the department of management information systems of the Seychelles; WGES training sessions on database development and their integration into web sites, which took place in Nairobi (Kenya) from May 26 to June 3 , 2005. Ø NESIS Newsletter, Vol I, Number 2 (available in English only) WGES |
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| Upcoming... |
ADEA Meetings
August 3-5, 2005
Regional conference on bilingual education and the use
This conference, which is jointly organized by ADEA and GTZ (Germany) in partnership with the UNESCO Institute of Education (UIE), will be hosted by the Government of Namibia and take place in Windhoek. It will bring together experts on bilingual education and the use of local languages, representatives of Ministries of Education as well as representatives of GTZ, ADEA, UIE and various other agencies. The conference will provide the opportunity to reflect on a subject that is crucial for the development of education in Africa as well as to create a knowledge-base of good practices with regard to bilingual education and use of local languages. Ø For more information, please contact: Joris van Bommel, Program Specialist, ADEA Secretariat, j.vanbommel@iiep.unesco.org August 3-5, 2005 Regional WGTP workshop on professional development tools for teachers This workshop, organized by the ADEA Working Group on the Teaching Profession (WGTP) and hosted by the Government of Benin, will take place in Cotonou from 3-5 August, 2005. It will bring together WGTP focal points and teacher educators from eight West African French and English speaking countries. The workshop will offer participants the opportunity to improve their understanding of WGTP’s new vision and governance structures, and to reflect on the working group’s core policy of Teacher Education, Management and Support (TEMS). Participating countries will share experiences in teacher development tools and skills and initiate action plans geared towards Teacher Education, Management and Support. Ø For more information, please contact: Virgilio Juvane, Coordinator, ADEA-WGTP, v.juvane@commonwealth.int or Jean Adoté-Bah Adotévi, ADEA-WGTP Regional Coordinator, jadotevi@yahoo.com August 22-26, 2005
Workshop for teacher training colleges and departments The workshop is part of a program to create a network of teacher training institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. The program is supported by the Paul-Gerin-Lajoie Interuniversity Center (CIPGL) of the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM) and a group of partners brought together by ADEA: the UNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), the African Virtual University (AVU), and the World Bank. The WG on the Teaching Profession is also part of the consortium. The workshop’s theme will be "Reforms in the training of primary school teachers in sub-Saharan Africa within the framework of EFA programs". Ø For more information, please contact: Virgilio Juvane, Coordinator, WGTP, v.juvane@commonwealth.int August 28 - September 9, 2005 WGES workshop on databases This workshop will be like the one already organized by WGES last 18 - 22 June (see above). It is intended for the Anglophone countries that have not yet been able to participate in a training session of this kind. The workshop will cover a variety of topics relevant to EMIS, in particular the development of databases and their integration into the website. Ø For more information, please contact: Hamidou Boukary, Senior Program Specialist, ADEA Secretariat, h.boukary@iiep.unesco.org September 1-2, 2005 WGFE Steering Committee meeting and conference The Working Group on Finance and Education will hold its next Steering Committee meeting in Kampala.. During the same period it will be organizing a conference on the financing and planning of education in East Africa, which will focus especially on government interventions and community involvement. Ø For more information, please contact: Mohamed Cherif Diarra, WGFE Coordinator, Mohamed.diarra@codesria.sn September 7-8, 2005 Steering Committee of the WGBLM READ Educational Trust, which has recemtly assumed responsibility for the coordination of activities of the Working Group on Books and Learning Materials (WGBLM), will host the meeting. The main agenda items will be: revision of the Working Group’s work plan for 2006 and preparations for the Biennale next year. The themes for the next Biennale include early childhood education, literacy and school effectiveness -- all of which have implications for the Books Working Group’s mission to improve the availability of teaching and learning materials. Ø For more information, please contact: Joris van Bommel, Program Specialist, ADEA Secretariat, j.vanbommel@iiep.unesco.org September 7-9, 2005 Ministerial seminar on education for rural development ADEA, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)and the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), in collaboration with the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia are organizing a seminar in Addis Ababa that will address planning and policy issues affecting education for rural development in Africa. This seminar, scheduled for June 14-16, 2005, will bring together Ministers of Education, Agriculture and Rural Development from various African countries as well as representatives of the World Bank, FAO, IIEP/UNESCO, ADEA and other agencies as part of a general effort to make education in rural areas a top priority in national policies and aid strategies. Ø For more information, please contact: Joris van Bommel, Program Specialist, ADEA Secretariat, j.vanbommel@iiep.unesco.org September 12-13 , 2005 WGCOMED Steering Commiittee The WG on Communication for Education and Development (WGCOMED) will hold its next Steering Committee meeting in Nairobi (Kenya), at the offices of the Forum of African Women Educationaists (FAWE). The main agenda items are: the 2004-2005 activities report of WGCOMED, the program and budget for 2006 and the medium term plan which concerns the working group's future. The question of how to mobilize resources will also be discussed. Ø For more information, please contact: Professor Opubor, WGCOMED Coordinator, comed@wanad.org September 28-30, 2005 ADEA Steering Commiittee The ADEA Steering Committee will meet in Paris at the end of September. The main agenda items are: review and approval of the 2004 activities report, the program and budget for 2005, and the Working Group work plans for 2006. In addition, there will be a two day seminar devoted to the results and recommendations of the ADEA assessment exercise. Ø For more information, please contact: Thanh-Hoa Desruelles, Publications and Communication Officer, ADEA Secretariat, th.desruelles@iiep.unesco.org October 1-2, 2005 Workshop of the Ad hoc WG on Policy Dialogue The first workshop of the ad hoc WG on Policy Dialogue will be reviewing the training workshops organized in 2003 and 2004. The aim is to examime the course structures and modules used in order to develop a training tool kit. Participants will also be asked to review the outline for a basic reference guide to policy dialogue. Ø For more information, please contact: Thanh-Hoa Desruelles, Publications and Communication Officer, ADEA Secretariat, th.desruelles@iiep.unesco.org |
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ADEA Briefs is a monthly information bulletin that is distributed electronically to ADEA members and partners in order to keep them abreast of the association's activities. The bulletin is produced by the ADEA Secretariat. For more information about the bulletin or to send in your comments, please contact the editor, Thanh-Hoa Desruelles, tel: +33(0) 145 03 77 69; fax: +33(0) 145 03 39 65; e-mail: th.desruelles@iiep.unesco.org; web site: http://www.adeanet.org/ | |
