Working Group on Education Statistics What is the Working Group on Education Statistics ? WGES was created in 1989 in response to the growing awareness that well-managed and responsive statistical information services are essential to policy formulation and efficient investments in education. WGES is based on cooperation at both international and national levels between African countries, technical and funding agencies. The lead agency is the Swedish International Development Cooperation Authority (Sida). Other key members supporting or cooperating with WGES are DfID (U.K.), the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NORAD (Norway), the Rockefeller Foundation, UNESCO, UNICEF, USAID, the World Bank and, last but not least, African countries hosting pilot programs. The WGES Secretariat is located at the UNESCO Harare Office. A team located at the UNESCO offices in Harare and Dakar manages all program activities. What does the Working Group do? The Working Group's main objective is to help develop effective and sustainable education statistical information services in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, WGES seeks to ensure that statistical information systems include basic indicators for monitoring primary education. WGES' main component is the National Education Statistical Information Systems (NESIS) program. WGES also serves as forum to promote contacts between different initiatives relating to education statistics and as a clearing-house for cooperation, coordination and networking among agencies and other partners. The NESIS Program The NESIS program is a capacity building program which aims at developing the methods and tools that will enable countries to provide the reliable facts and figures necessary for effective policy formulation and education management. The regional coordination center and the sub-regional office for East and Southern Africa were transferred from Paris to Harare in May 1998. In October 1999, a sub-regional NESIS Office for West and Central Africa was opened in Dakar. The opening of offices in Africa are important steps towards establishing a NESIS professional network in Africa and enhancing cooperation with the countries in the region. The main activities of the 2000-2001 program include: Organization of a network of African institutions and specialists; Development of technical modules for systems development in collaboration with African experts; Development of training programs in partnership with African institutions; Technical assistance for the implementation of national systems in collaboration with agencies; Promotion of educational indicators for the continuous monitoring of EFA goals; Assistance to ministries of education in publishing statistics and indicators on the Internet. The NESIS program is currently focused on the development of regional training programs, in collaboration with African institutions and NESIS experts in the region. Materials developed and tested in country pilot projects are now in the process of being converted and elaborated into courseware and training programs. Major Achievements Through its principles of African involvement, ownership, and regional cooperation, NESIS has launched innovative modes of development cooperation. In order to improve information gathering, processing and utilization, NESIS has published six technical modules covering the following areas: systems diagnosis, school records management, data collection, database development, education indicators, and finance statistics. The modules are based on pilot experiences in participating African countries. The WGES/NESIS network played a leading role in the EFA 2000 assessment. It helped governments collect statistical information, assisted in the drafting of the regional synthesis report based on the national assessments and contributed to the organization of the EFA Sub-Saharan Conference in December 1999. Web Site: http://www.unesco.org/nesis/ The NESIS Web-Site provides up-to-date information on program activities and materials. The site is also an effective working tool promoting collaboration between NESIS partners all over the world, allowing them to cooperate and exchange experiences and knowledge. Previous Article | Contents | Next Article

About ADEA | Working Groups | Programs | Publications | Newsletter | Databases | Calendar | Site Map | En français Association for the Development of Education in Africa 7-9 rue Eugène-Delacroix 75116 Paris, France Tel: + 33/ (0) 145.03.77.57 Fax: + 33/ (0) 145.03.39.65 adea@iiep.unesco.org Last modified: October 8, 2000