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| ADEA Activities |
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ADEA meets with officials of the
Namibian Ministry of Education
• Windhoek
hosts regional conference on bilingual education and
• WG on the Teaching Profession organizes regional workshop
• WG on Finance and
Education tests new training manual at seminar
• WGES
hosts workshop on web site management and database
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WG on Finance holds Steering Committee
meeting in Kampala
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Ethiopian journalists and information
officers learn about
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READ Educational Trust welcomes WG
on Books Steering Committee
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ADEA and African Union explore avenues of
cooperation
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In Addis Ababa,
Ministers from 11 countries agree on communiqué
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COMED Steering Committee meets in Nairobi to consider
work plan
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ADEA reflects on
its
future priorities and strategies
• Ad hoc WG on
Policy Dialogue meets for the first time and launches |
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ADEA Participation in External Meetings |
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Fifth International Conference on the Capability Approach
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SACHES Annual
Conference
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UN agencies
audit on
mainstreaming of gender |
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• New president for ADEA's Bureau of Ministers • New coordinator for the WG on Books and Learning Materials |
| Just Published |
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Newsletter of the country WG on non-formal education of Senegal
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An Approach in Improving Quality in Mauritania
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Practicing Critical Reflection in Teacher Education in Namibia
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Reaching
Out, Reaching All – Sustaining Effective Policy and Practice |
| Upcoming... |
ADEA MEETINGS
October 19-20, 2005
Paris,
France November 14-17, 2005 Dakar, Senegal • Meeting to review literacy studies for the Biennale December 12-15, 2005 Cotonou, Benin • Seminar on adapting curricula December 12-17, 2005 Dakar, Senegal
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First annual seminar - workshop for sharing of ideas and strengthening March 27-31, 2006 Libreville Gabon • ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting External Meetings
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 24 October - 24 December 2005
• Internet
Discussion Forum on Open Course Content for November 21-24, 2005 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Extraordinary
Meeting of the Ministers of Education of the African AU November 28-30, 2005 Beijing, China • Fifth Meeting of the High-Level Group on EFA Working Group on EFA |
| ADEA Activities |
ADEA meets with officials of the Namibian Ministry of Education ADEA visited the Namibian Ministry of Education in Windhoek, August 2, 2005. The Executive Secretary of ADEA, Mr. Mamadou Ndoye, met with the Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr. Simataa, and several directors: the Directors of the National Institute for Education Development (NIED), the National Library and Archive Service (NLAS), adult education, higher education and vocational training and their deputy directors as well as the Deputy Directors of personnel administration and of planning and development. Mr. Ndoye was accompanied by Alfred Opubor, Coordinator of the ADEA Working Group on Communication for Education and Development (WGCOMED) and Amina Osman, Coordinator of the ADEA Working Group on Non Formal Education (WGNFE). The Executive Secretary presented the structure and functioning of ADEA as well as its programs. He also explained how the themes for the Biennial Meetings are chosen. The meeting was also an opportunity for the coordinators to present the activities of their WGs. Windhoek hosts regional conference on bilingual education and the use of local languages in African education systems An experts' conference on bilingual education and the use of local languages was held in Windhoek, Namibia, August 3-5, 2005, to present the first findings of a currently ongoing stock-taking research. The meeting put forth bilingual education – use of the mother tongue as the language of instruction as long as possible combined to the learning of the official language that will be used as a second language of instruction – as a model which African countries should strive to achieve. At the end of the conference, the countries participating in the inter-country quality node on bilingual education and the use of local languages met to assess the meeting, plan next steps and discuss what contributions could be made to ADEA's 2006 Biennial Meeting. Next steps: The stock-taking review will be finalized in time for the Biennale and the African Union and NEPAD will be contacted with the view of organizing in 2006 a major ministerial conference on the issue of African languages and their use in education systems. The meeting was jointly organized by ADEA, GTZ and UIE in partnership with the Ministry of Education of Namibia and the Agence intergouvernementale de la francophonie (AIF). Ø Press clippings PANA PRESS, MUTATIONS-CAMEROUN Ø Press releases 27-07-2005 and 05-08-2005 Ø For more information, contact: Joris van Bommel, Program Specialist, ADEA Secretariat, j.vanbommel@iiep.unesco.org WG on the Teaching Profession organizes regional workshop in Cotonou August 3-5, 2005 a regional workshop on professional development tools for teachers was held in Cotonou (Benin). It was organized by the ADEA WG on the Teaching Profession (WGTP) in collaboration with the Benin Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. The workshop brought together WGTP focal points and teacher educators from six West African French -and English-speaking countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, Senegal and Togo. The twin objective was to put together countries of the former WG Francophone and Anglophone sections, following their merger, to seek a common understanding of the WGTP new governance structures and vision; and to reflect on what tools would be useful for expanding teachers’ professional skills. Panels and group work highlighted teachers’ guides and manuals, school projects, and school self-evaluation techniques as professional development tools. The participating countries shared their experiences in using these tools and came up with action plans on ways and means to improve their use. The Ghanaian delegates were eager to know more about Togo and Niger’s teacher manuals projects and four French-speaking countries out of five attending the workshop planned to undertake a study visit to Ghana and gather more information on the Ghanaian practice of school self-evaluation. Ø Download the complete report of the workshop Ø For more information, contact: Virgilio Juvane, WGTP Coordinator, v.juvane@commonwealth.int WG on Finance and Education tests new training manual at seminar in Windhoek WGFE organized a seminar in Windhoek, Namibia, August 4 to 13, 2005, to test out its new training manual. The operation took place in two phases: a training period for four new English-speaking trainers (two from Western Africa, and one each from Eastern and Southern Africa) in how to use the manual (August 4-5); and a national training seminar for mid-level managers from the ministries of education, finance and local government, which covered matters of costing, planning, financing and budgeting education (August 8-12). Altogether, some 30 employees attended the training sessions. The seminar was opened by the Namibian Ministry of Education, Hon. Mr. Nangolo Mbumba. In his speech, Mr. Mbumaba highlighted the importance and relevance of such seminars which aim to strengthen the competence and technical skills of Ministry personnel, so as to improve management and make optimal use of the meagre resources allocated to education. The coordinator of WGFE, Mr. Mohamed Cherif Diarra, also stressed the need to train more officials in modern management techniques in such fields as the planning, budgeting and financing of education. Ø For more information, contact: Mohamed Cherif Diarra, WGFE Coordinator, mohamed.diarra@codesria.sn WGES hosts workshop on web site management and database development in Harare The ADEA Working Group on Education Statistics held a workshop for English-speaking African countries on Database development, Development of Dynamic Web Sites and Security through Content Management Systems (CMS) August 29 – September 3, 2005 in Harare (Zimbabwe), in the modern WGES Training Lab. The workshop objectives were:
The target audience comprised database operation personnel, data analysts and personnel responsible for the development, content update and maintenance of their division’s or ministry’s web site. Some 10 participants attended the workshop, coming from Eritrea, Sudan, Liberia and Zimbabwe. Ø For more information, contact: Tegegn Nuresu Wako, WGES Interim Coordinator, t.nuresu-wako@unesco.org WGFE holds Steering Committee meeting in Kampala The WG on Finance
and Education (WGFE) held a conference and its Steering Committee Meeting back
to back in Kampala, Uganda, September 1-2, 2005. The conference theme
was : Financing Education in Eastern Africa – from Government
Intervention to Community Involvement. The conference served as a forum
to bring together all the actors involved in the financing and managing
of schools, and covered all levels and kinds of education. In attendance
were participants from government, research and teaching institutions, labor unions and civil society. There were ten speeches on noteworthy
aspects of educational finance as viewed through the experiences of
Uganda and Kenya, and to a lesser extent Cameroon, Niger and
Senegal. The whole question of how to finance education sector
development plans received much attention. Ø For more information, contact: Mohamed Cherif Diarra, WGFE Coordinator, mohamed.diarra@codesria.sn Ethiopian journalists and information officers learn about communication for education and development Journalists and information officers from the Ethiopian Ministry of Education participated recently in a national training workshop on communication for education and development, organized by the ADEA Working Group on Communication for Education and Development (WGCOMED). The course was held in Addis Ababa, September 2-3, 2005. It took place just before the ministerial seminar on education for rural populations in Africa, also in Addis (September 7 to 9, 2005), and was intended as part of a professional capacity-building effort to improve and sharpen the skills of those charged with disseminating information and reporting on developments related to education. Ø For more information, contact: Professor Alfred Opubor, WGCOMED Coordinator, comed@wanad.org READ Educational Trust welcomes WG on Books Steering Committee in JohannesburgADEA's WG on Books
and Learning Materials (WGBLM) Steering Committee met for the first time
at the READ Educational Trust in Johannesburg, September 7-8, 2005. In addition to new representatives from Niger, Guinea, Tanzania, South Africa and Congo-Brazzaville, Carew Treffgarne welcomed Cynthia Hugo from READ and Beulah Thumbadoo, who, together, are responsible for coordinating the implementation of WGBLM’s new work plan. Ø For more information, contact: Bheulah Thumbadoo, WGBLM Coordinator, thumper@icon.co.za
ADEA and the African Union explore avenues
In their discussion of possible areas of common interest and collaboration, the following were identified: higher education; teacher training; distance learning; women’s participation; language issues; and, mathematics and science. The African Union invited ADEA to participate in two meetings: an experts' meeting on the revitalization of higher education that will take place in Midrand, South Africa, October 27-28; a meeting that will discuss the African Union's new decade of education activities to be held in Addis in October. The Executive Secretary invited the African Union to organize with ADEA the meeting of the Caucus of Ministers that will take place in Libreville on March 27, on the eve of the Biennale. He also mentioned that ADEA was producing, in collaboration with UIE, a stock-taking review on bilingual education and the use of local languages. The results of the study could be disseminated at the African Union's next Summit on education and culture. In Addis Ababa, Ministers from 11 countries agree on communiqué supporting education for rural people
ADEA,
the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO) and the UNESCO International Institute for
Educational Planning (IIEP)
organized a ministerial seminar on education for rural people (ERP)
in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), September 7-9, 2005.
Just after the conference, countries interested in the issue of education for rural people and brought together by ADEA in "inter-country quality nodes " met to share experiences, assess needs and agree on a work program which includes preparing contributions for the ADEA Biennale.
Ø Press
clippings
PANA PRESS,
SUNDAY NATION WGCOMED Steering Committee meets in Nairobi to consider work plan for 2006-2008 At its annual meeting September 12 and 13 in Nairobi, Kenya, the WGCOMED Steering Committee considered several questions related to the activities of the Working Group for the 2004/2005 period, and proposals for the medium-term plan, 2006-2008. It was suggested that in the Work Plan and Budget for 2006, WGCOMED should already signal a priority shift, for the medium term. The new thrust will emphasise strengthening of capacities for education ministries, to enable them to communicate more effectively. Therefore attention is to be given to the institutional and corporate communication challenges facing education ministries and how to assist them in adopting more strategic and results-oriented communication approaches that will provide support to on-going and proposed education reforms. It was also agreed that a concerted advocacy effort should be directed towards the leadership of education ministries to persuade them to give communication higher visibility, and to use more effective communication strategies in educational policy development and management. Ø For more information, contact: Professor Alfred Opubor, WGCOMED Coordinator, comed@wanad.org ADEA reflects on its future priorities and strategies ADEA Steering Committee members met in Paris, at UNESCO headquarters, September 28 - 30, 2005 to attend two meetings: a seminar and an administrative meeting. During the seminar, the results and recommendations of an external evaluation conducted this year were presented. In light of the results – globally very positive in terms of relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of ADEA – Steering Committee members and working groups reflected on future priorities and strategies. One of the recommendations of the seminar was that ADEA put together a strategic plan which will be prepared as soon as 2006. The main objectives of the administrative meeting were to approve the 2005 activities report and the program and budget for 2006. Steering Committee members were also updated on preparations for the Biennial Meeting that will take place in Libreville (Gabon), March 27 - 31, 2006. The Biennale will focus on the characteristics, conditions and factors underlying effective learning in schools and in other places, delivering literacy and early childhood development programs. Members of the Ministers’ Bureau attending the meetings also elected their interim president, the Honorable Mrs. Rosalie Kama Niamayoua, Minister of Education for the Congo. She replaces the Honorable Mr. Louis Steven Obeegadoo, former Minister of Education of Mauritius. Hon. Niamayoua will hold the presidency until the next Biennial Meeting, at which time the Ministers will meet to elect a new president. Ø For more information, contact: Thanh-Hoa Desruelles, Communications and Publications Officer, ADEA Secretariat, th.desruelles@iiep.unesco.org Ad Hoc Working Group on Policy Dialogue meets for first time and launches program
The ad hoc Working Group on Policy Dialogue (WGPD), which is co-led by
ADEA and UNESCO's International Bureau of Education (IBE), met for the
first time on October 1 and 2 in Paris. The meeting took stock of
activities carried out by ADEA and IBE in 2004 and 2005 and, based on
this review, launched the production of a toolkit for training in policy
dialogue. The workshop reviewed in depth four key modules: introduction
to the concepts and practices in policy dialogue; developing a vision;
policy options in EFA; negotiation techniques and communication
strategies. Ø For more information, contact: Thanh-Hoa Desruelles, th.desruelles@iiep.unesco.org |
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ADEA Participation in External Meetings |
Fifth International Conference on the Capability Approach The 5th international Conference on the capability approach was held at UNESCO's Paris headquarters September 11 - 14, 2005. The Human Development and Capability Association, which initiated this series of annual conferences, believes that "an approach based on capabilities provides the intellectual foundations needed for development with a human face". With participants coming from universities and research institutions, UNESCO and various international organizations, there were lively exchanges on the following topics :
Discussion of this last theme was led by Martha Nussbaum of the University of Chicago, Mary Joy Pigozzi of UNESCO, and Marie-France Lange of the French Institut de recherche pour le developpement (IRD). WGESA was invited to attend the 2005 Annual Conference of The Southern Africa Comparative and History of Education Society, SACHES, hosted by the University of Dar Es Salaam (UDSM) and the Open University of Tanzania (OUT). SACHES was created in 1991 as the African equivalent and an extension of the World Comparative Education Society. Its primary aim is to contribute to development education in Southern and Eastern Africa by facilitating collaboration and exchange of information amongst professors and researchers affiliated with the sub-region major university systems. SACHES held its first annual conferences in 1992 and has since met regularly. This year, the major theme was on Enhancing Education Quality and Efficiency. But the conference explored many other issues ranging from mother tongue language and indigenous knowledge in the curriculum. WGESA attended the 2005 Conference to gather basic information on SACHES achievements, to network with its members, and explore possible areas of cooperation with the Society. As a result of this visit, SACHES has expressed its willingness to participate in WGESA and make its network available to the working group for the Peer Review Exercise and for other undertakings. Ø For more information, contact: Ibrahima Bah-Lalya, WGESA Coordinator, i.bahlalya@iiep.unesco.org UN agencies audit on mainstreaming of gender The UNESCO Harare Cluster Office, which losts the WG on Education Statistics (WGES), is one of the UN agencies that underwent a gender audit during the period September 19-30, 2005. Members of the WGES staff took part in the various gender audit methodologies such as briefings, one-on-one interviews and participatory workshops, and were able to gain an appreciation of the importance of mainstreaming gender issues in their day-to-day work. Ø For more information, contact: Tegegn Wako, WGES Interim Coordinator, t.nuresu-wako@unesco.org |
| People on the move |
New president for the Ministers Bureau The ADEA Ministers Bureau has a new interim president: the Honorable Mrs. Rosalie Kama Niamayoua, Minister of Education for the Congo. Mrs. Niamayoua was chosen by the ministers present at ADEA's last Steering Committee meeting in Paris. She replaces the Honorable Mr. Louis Steven Obeegadoo, who has left the Mauritius Ministry of Education. Hon. Niamayoua will hold the presidency until the next Biennial Meeting of ADEA in March 2006, at which time the Ministers will meet to elect a new president. New coordinator for WG on Books and Learning Materials Beulah Thumbadoo has joined the Working Group on Books and Learning Materials (WGBLM). Along with READ Educational Trust, she will be responsible for coordinating WGBLM's activities. Ms. Thumbadoo was awarded a prestigious Ashoka fellowship in 2000 for her public entrepreneurship in getting the Department of Education to launch a national reading campaign, Masifunde Sonke.
Other initiatives undertaken by Ms. Thumbadoo include the ERA
(Easy Reading for Adults) African Languages Series, the ERA Book Box (ERA
library) and a reading supplement for newly literate adults in a
weekly newspaper. |
| Just Published |
Newsletter of country WG on Non-Formal Education of Senegal The most recent issue (June 2005) of the bulletin produced by Senegal's country WG on NFE highlights some of the CWG’s major activities. These aim at identifying good practices in literacy and at developing a framework for attracting resources for non-formal education. A first workshop focused on strengthening the capacity of literacy and non-formal education facilitators.
More recently, a
national consultation looked at the role and place of non-formal education
in poverty reduction strategies (PRSPs) and the New Partnership for
African Development (NEPAD). Topics discussed included: strategies
to increase the visibility of non-formal education in NEPAD; the role of
PRSP in helping coordinate and link the different sectoral
programs; PRSP as an example of the participative process required
(grass-roots participation, synthesis and sharing with stakeholders) and
as reference for all sector policies; strategies for empowering
people to initiate development initiatives. Ø Click here to download the Newsletter
Ø For further
information, contact
Kassa
Diagne, Permanent An Approach to Improving Quality in Mauritania In 2000, Mauritania launched its National Program to Develop the Education Sector (PNDSE). It covered the period 2001-2010 and was aimed at improving the quality of education. This publication describes how Mauritania established a department responsible for implementing strategy, coordination and management of the different activities so as to ensure the universality and sustainability of the reform program. The study also suggests what it considers the keys to success: commitment by the authorities; mobilization of actors and resources; political validation of program content on time; and quality of leadership The program’s success is proof of the contractual nature of the agreement negotiated with all stakeholders to make common cause of both state and private resources in order to improve the performance of Mauritania’s education system. Ø Click here to download the publication, available in French only Practicing Critical Reflection in Teacher Education in Namibia This study looks at how critical reflection has been used in three teacher training programs in Namibia: the pre-service Basic Education Teaching Training Diploma (BETD); the in-service BETD program; and self-assessment of schools and teachers using critical reflection in schools in four regions of Northern Namibia. There is evidence that critical inquiry has influenced the classroom practices of BETD graduates and is providing them with skills that they apply in their teaching. In the SIP schools it has also been found that the scores awarded by teachers to themselves were very close to those attributed by the external observers. Ø Click here to download the publication Reaching Out, Reaching All – Sustaining Effective Policy and Practice for Education in Africa and Promising Educational Responses to HIV/AIDS How can the educational policies and practices that have proved effective be sustained and scaled up? This question, examined in depth by ADEA in 2000-2001, is reviewed in these pages, which bring together the major documents presented in Arusha (Tanzania) at the ADEA Biennale, in October 2001. Among the topics covered are: scaling up educational reforms; the role of communication for increasing participation by stakeholders; educational networks in Africa; monitoring education programs; the impact of HIV/AIDS on education; and, identifying the most promising approaches for overcoming HIV/AIDS through education. |
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| Upcoming... |
ADEA MEETINGS
October 19-20, 2005 WGESA Steering Committee The Steering Committee will discuss the activities report for 2005, its work program for 2006 and what direction it should take during the next three years. The Committee is made up of representatives from various bodies : the national departments charged with sector analysis; specialized training institutions like IIEP, the Ecole normale supérieure Cheick Anta Diop and the Ecole nationale supérieure de Guinée; African networks including ERNWACA, CONFEMEN and ERNESA; bilateral development agencies (Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, USAID); and the ADEA WG on Sector Analysis and other experts known for their work in the field. Ø For more information contact: Ibrahima Bah Lalya, Coordinator, WGESA, i.bahlalya@iiep.unesco.org November 14-17, 2005 Meeting to review literacy studies for the Biennale The purpose of this meeting, organized by the WG on Non-formal Education, the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE) and the UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Africa (BREDA), is to review the literacy studies prepared for the ADEA Biennial Meeting and to finalize the agenda for the Biennale sessions on this topic. Participants expected include : authors, resource persons and representatives of the UN Decade for Literacy (UNLD), the UIE, WGNFE and BREDA. Ø For more information, contact: Amina Osman, WGNFE, wgnfe@yahoo.co.uk December 12-15, 2005 Seminar on adapting curricula Organized in partnership with the Intergovernmental Agency for Francophonie (AIF) and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Africa (BREDA), this seminar aims to stimulate debate over how best to design curricula adapted to the African context and the major challenges confronted. Three main issues will be discussed in depth: the skills-based approach, introducing teaching in local languages and the gender dimension. Ø For more information, contact: Amina Yekhlef, ADEA Secretariat, a.yekhlef@iiep.unesco.org December 12-17, 2005 First annual seminar-workshop for sharing of ideas and strengthening the capacities of actors and teacher training colleges in French-speaking Africa This seminar-workshop is part of a program to create a network of teacher-training institutions. It is supported by the Paul-Gerin-Lajoie Interuniversity Centre (ICPGL) of the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), the ADEA WG on the Teaching Profession (WGTP), the International Institute for Capacity-Building in Africa (IICBA), the African Virtual University (AVU) and the World Bank. The theme of the workshop will be: Reforming the training of primary-school teachers within the framework of EFA. Ø For more information, contact: Virgilio Juvane, Coordinator, WGTP, v.juvane@commonwealth.org Mars 27-31, 2006 ADEA 2006 Biennial Meeting The ADEA Biennial Meeting is the most important regional get-together on education in Africa. The 2006 Biennale will be focusing on effective factors and conditions underlying effective schools and literacy and early childhood education programs. On March 27, on the eve of the Biennale, the Caucus of Ministers of Education from sub-Saharan Africa will discuss activities related to the African Union's new decade on education (2006 – 2015) as well as ADEA’s priorities and strategies for the future. Ø For more information, contact: Thanh-Hoa Desruelles, ADEA Secretariat, Communications and Publications Officer, 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/ | |
