ADEA Databases: Knowledge and Information Sharing
ADEA's role as a forum for policy dialogue and partnership between
funding agencies, African ministries of education, NGO's and CSO's requires
adequate tools for knowledge and information exchange. Since its inception,
ADEA has developed and maintained several databases as part of its strategy
to enhance coordination and facilitate the actions of its major stakeholders.
The following four databases are currently available: PRISME 2005,
PROFILE 2003, CV EXPERTS and SPESSA 1999.
PRISME 2005 - Program and Project Information System on Education
The PRISME database is a source of information on education programs
and projects in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The design, maintenance
and dissemination of a descriptive database of foreign aid agencies'
educational programs and projects in sub-Saharan Africa are part of
the broader mission of coordination of the Association for the Development
of Education in Africa (ADEA). The idea for such a system dates back
to the founding of the Association in 1988 with the creation of Donor
Information System, DIS. DIS was intended to be a simple information
system of donor assistance to education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Its main
roles were restricted to enabling users to see WHO is working WHERE
and WHEN, on WHAT, HOW and WHY. Since the release of DIS, the Secretariat
has released three versions of PRISME (PRISME 97, PRISME 2000 and PRISME
2005).
A Windows CD-ROM version of PRISME 2005 is available at the Secretariat
or through direct download
from the ADEA Web site (21 MB).
The online version of PRISME 2005 will be available on the website in
the near future.
Click here to go to the
online version of PRISME 2000.
ADEA PROFILE
The Profile database was designed to strengthen the exchange of information
and knowledge among ADEA's constituencies. Since 2000, the ADEA Secretariat
has worked in close collaboration with the WG Leaders and Coordinators
to quantitatively and qualitatively consolidate the information contained
in Profile. ADEA Profile provides information on ADEA Working Groups
and programs, their activities and the people involved in 48 countries
of sub-Saharan Africa. It includes references to over 800 activities
carried out since the creation of ADEA in 1988, and more than 500 document
sources of which over 300 can be consulted in Portable document format
(PDF). It also contains the contact addresses of close to 1500 people
from over 500 institutions that participate directly or indirectly in
ADEA activities, such as development agencies, African ministries of
education, non-government organizations as well as civil society organizations
working in the field.
A Windows CD-ROM version of ADEA PROFILE is available at the Secretariat,
and online.
CV-EXPERTS
In 2005, in response to requests from ADEA's two main constituencies
(Ministries and agencies), the ADEA Secretariat developed an on-line
curriculum vitae information database. Called CV EXPERTS, it allows
a quick identification of African and Africanist education experts in
a specific thematic area. The CV EXPERTS database serves as a reference
for African/Africanist experts involved in the development of education
in sub-Saharan Africa; fosters synergies amongst ADEA's partners through
a dynamic information interface on African/Africanist education experts;
and promotes participation of both young and female African education
experts in the development of education in Africa. All African/Africanist
education specialists are encouraged to contribute to the database by
consulting and adding their names to CV Experts.
Click
here to submit your CV to the database.
SPESSA 1999 - Statistical Profiles of Education in sub-Saharan Africa
In 1998, the World Bank produced a comprehensive set of statistics on
African education in the 1980s. ADEA has improved and updated these
statistics (datasets available for 1990-1993 and 1993-1996) and, in
collaboration with USAID, has converted this information into a user-friendly
computer program (SPESSA 1999 -
Statistical Profiles of Education in sub-Saharan Africa).
SPESSA 1999 allows users to access and view information from a comprehensive
dataset of more than 80 indicators related to education. With SPESSA,
it is easy to create graphics comparing data across years and countries.
The complete Windows version of SPESSA 1999 is available on CD-ROM from
the ADEA Secretariat or through direct download
from the ADEA Web site (8.3 MB zip file).
Although SPESSA 1999 is still accessible as a database, it is no longer
being updated (latest data refers to 1998).
FUTURE DATABASES
ADEA strives to be at the forefront of data gathering and dissemination
on topical issues regarding African education. Therefore, future databases
are currently being created to enhance the accessibility to current
information on education in Africa. The two databases under development
are the Needs and Requests of African Ministries of Education
and an informational database on Regional and Sub-Regional Institutions
with activities relating to the development of education in Africa.
Needs and Requests of African Ministries of Education
In 2002, the ADEA Secretariat developed the Needs Assessment Questionnaire,
an electronic questionnaire to identify the needs and requests of African
Ministries of Education. The ADEA had been urged to reassess its programs
and make them more relevant to the needs of the African ministries of
education. The project was discussed at the meeting of the Bureau of
Ministers of ADEA in October 22, 2002. Although the Ministers approved
it, they suggested that the Framework Document on this project be circulated
within all African Ministries of Education for feedback. Feedback received
from African Ministries of Education was taken into account to improve
the questionnaire. The project was then discussed during the Working
Group of Leaders and Coordinators Meeting of April 1, 2003 in Maseru,
Lesotho and officially launched at the end of April.
Regional and Sub-Regional Institutions ADEA works collaboratively with
many regional and sub-regional institutions to foster exchanges and
partnerships amongst its many stakeholders relating to the development
of education in Africa. A database is being developed to facilitate
these exchanges. This database will be made available in the near future,
accessible through ADEA's website.
The questionnaire sought to do three main things:
1. Collect contact information of ministries' upper and middle-level
managers to facilitate the flow of information with in the ADEA network;
2. Identify current needs in relation to major initiatives such as Education
Development plans and EFA and country specific development plans;
3. Elicit specific requests for ADEA programs in the process of implementing
education development plans and other activities.
Twenty-four out of the 48 (50%) sub-Saharan countries targeted by this
campaign responded. In terms of the types of needs and requests that
emerged, the following areas, and by order of importance, came up: teacher
training and teacher development, educational planning, management and
monitoring, curriculum development, school inspection and management,
evaluation of learning achievements, and books and learning materials.
The questionnaires have been analysed and the needs and requests of
responding African Ministries of Education channelled accordingly to
ADEA's potential stakeholders.
The database comprising of information gathered will be made available
soon through the ADEA's website.
Regional and Sub-Regional Institutions
ADEA works collaboratively with many regional and sub-regional institutions
to foster exchanges and partnerships amongst its many stakeholders relating
to the development of education in Africa. A database is being developed
to facilitate these exchanges. This database will be made available
in the near future through the ADEA's website.
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