WGEMPS Archived Publications

Archives 2013


​Policy Briefs

ADEA WGEMPS carries out a research study

  • Addressing Livelihood Challenges of Rural Zimbabwe through Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development
    The research commissioned by the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development (MS­MECD) in Zimbabwe investigated livelihood creation for youth and women in rural districts - Insiza, Lupane, Mberengwa and Umzingwane - in the western region of Zimbabwe in 2012. The overall objective of the initiative is to implement a capacity development programme in some deprived rural districts.
  • Conference Report on Youth Skills for Employment, Entrepreneurship and Industry Growth
    This report highlights the deliberations of the National Conference which took place in Harare in June 2013. The conference was organized by the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment and the Zimbabwe Youth Council, then funded by the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), African Development Bank (ADB), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Restless Development. 

Higher Education Policy Briefs

EMIS Norms and Standards Peer Review Reports 

  • EMIS Norms and Standards Peer Review Reports: Botswana and Swaziland
    SADC with the assistance of ADEA’s Working Group on Education Management and Policy Support (WGEMPS) and SADC’s EMIS Technical Committee elaborated an assessment framework to benchmark member states’ performance against the agreed 17 EMIS Norms and Standards by SADC member states Ministers of Education in 2010. The reports focused on benchmarking countries capabilities in being able to produce relevant, accurate, timely and comprehensive education statistics and information. 

Archives 2012


  • Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional EMIS Capacity Building Strategy document developed for strengthening EMIS in the region
    Based on research on the challenges faced by EMIS Units within the ECOWAS region, an EMIS capacity building strategy has been developed by Member States with ADEA WGEMPS to establish effective mechanisms and strategies to promote EMIS development over a five year period.
  • Higher Education Financing Case Studies: Nigeria and Senegal
    Invest in Science and Technology or Perish: The challenges facing African Colleges of Science and Technology Cases of six institutions of higher learning in Nigeria and Senegal
  • Qur’anic Schooling and Education for Sustainable Development in Africa: The case of Kenya
    The study explored the role of Qur’anic schooling, as an alternative approach to conventional education, in enabling Kenya to attain the goals of Education for All (EFA). Using desk study and field work in selected regions, the research reviewed the extent to which this type of schooling addressed the educational and socio-economic needs of the disadvantaged children. In 2012, case studies on investing in science and technology were undertaken under the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) 2012 Triennale theme of Promoting critical knowledge, skills and qualifications for sustainable development in Africa: how to design and implement an effective response by education and training systems? The study investigated how the inadequate funding of the scientific and technological institutions of higher education (faculties of science and technology, schools of engineering and polytechnics) constitutes a major impediment to the production of scientific knowledge and technological skills by these institutions.
  • Case Study Reports on Tertiary Record keeping Systems Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe
    The Ministries of Higher Education in both countries in collaboration with ADEA WGEMPS embarked on an assessment exercise of record keeping systems among tertiary institutions, as measures of improving the quality of national statistics.  

Archives Before 2012


Policy development & Peer reviews

  • Initiating and Conducting an Experimental Peer Review Exercise in Education in Africa: Mauritius - Gabon - Nigeria
    The Peer Review exercise on educational reform, assesses the implementation of initiatives undertaken in the fields of access, relevance and achievement. Founded on the existence of common educational values, the Peer Review Exercise in education in Africa was initiated in 2004 by the ministers of education in African countries, with the support of ADEA. The goal was to improve the conception, planning and implementation of initiatives taken in the education sector in Africa. Teams of experts conducted by both national and international teams conducted the research and made recommendations. Three independent reports from Mauritius, Gabon and Nigeria were completed and are available on CD Rom.
  • Mauritius: 2000-2005 Educational reform
    Edited by I. Bah-Lalya, UNESCO/IIEP, August 2006
    Mauritius is one of the top African countries in term of educational achievement. Despite these commendable results, the country still struggles with a high rate of failure of children from poor families as well as unequal distribution of opportunities. The end of the process, national and international peers were assembled by ADEA and the concerned country to conduct a review aiming at measuring the extent to which the policies were appropriate and their implementation conducive to addressing the identified challenges. The areas of Access and Relevance were particularly scrutinized. This exercise led to useful recommendations that are presented in the present report.
  • Gabon: For a quality education accessible to all
    Edited by I. Bah-Lalya and A. Yénikoye UNESCO/IIEP/ADEA. December 2007
    The Gabonese educational system is a real paradox. On the one hand it appears to be one of the most efficient system in Central Africa. On the other hand, several studies have indicated that there is a too high concentration of students within the two main cities which leads to class overloads. There are also unusual high rate repeat cases and dropouts in the primary. Classrooms are overpopulated both in primary and secondary schools. There is also difficult transition from one level to the other. This transition issue is particularly acute between secondary and tertiary education. Two teams of ADEA and Gabonese peers have been assigned to work on this paradoxical situation. After a thorough diagnosis of the situation, these peers have assessed the efficiency and effectiveness of the Gabonese educational system. From the findings of the review they have recommended a few policy options to explore in order to face the identified challenges. The present report gives an account of the process they went through and the conclusion reached.
  • Nigeria: Reaching out to the disadvantaged: Nomads, adults and children in difficult circumstances
    Edited by I. Bah-Lalya, E. Sutherland-Addy, April 2009
    Education needs in Nigeria are huge. According to Federal Census, over 55.7 million Nigerians are functionally illiterate, most of them youth and adults. In order to address these challenges, Federal, State and local Governments have set up literacy and non-formal education structures, developed comprehensive policies and allocated billions of Naira to support the implementation processes. Despites these measures, many of the challenges are still unmet. A peer review was initiated under the aegis of the ADEA and the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education to examine the effects of these measures on the Nigerian Literacy and Non-Formal Education sub-sector. 
  • Definitions and Properties of African Union Indicators for Monitoring the Plan of Action for Education in the Second Decade
    A key strategy in modern education management is measurement, and a key feature of measurement is using quantitative indicators as both early warning measures of system dysfunction and benchmarks against which progress is assessed. This indicator handbook is designed as a resource for better understanding of how to use indicators to measure, monitor and track education delivery within ministries of education. It is intended for the statisticians, planners, researchers and education managers who track their ministries’ performance in achieving the goals of the African Union’s Plan of Action for the Second Decade of Education for Africa (2006-2015).
  • Baseline Study on the Status of Human Capital Development and Training Institutions in Zimbabwe
    Over the last decade, the education sector in Zimbabwe has faced a myriad of challenges due to the prevailing economic situation. The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, supported by ADEA WGEMPS and the UNESCO Harare office, carried out a baseline study on institutions of higher education and training in the country. This study was conducted to investigate the current status of the sector and provide a situational analysis. The findings, compiled by WGEMPS, were presented by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education at a stakeholders meeting in 2010.
  • AU Outlook on Education Report for the Southern African Development Community 2009
    Africa’s education ministers established the African Union’s (AU) Observatory at the Pan-African Institute of Education for Development (IPED) to provide a platform for monitoring and research on educational developments in Africa and to evaluate implementation of the continent’s Plan of Action for the Second Decade of Education. The AU Observatory has identified key indicators for this purpose. This AU Outlook on Education report for the SADC region is the first in a series of reports in which the Observatory analyzes and evaluates the progress SADC countries have made in implementing the priorities of the Plan of Action.