The Working Group on Finance and Education previous page | next page The Working Group on Finance and Education (WGFE) was founded in 1994 to promote discussion on policy issues related to the financing, management and planning of education in sub-Saharan Africa. It provides a forum where African educational planners and economists and funding agencies can exchange information and develop appropriate tools and policies to improve the management of funds put towards education. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) acts as lead agency. The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), a pan-African institution based in Dakar, is responsible for the coordination of the working group's activities. The working group's members include planners and other specialists from Ministries of Education and Finance, development agencies, research institutions and NGOs sharing education finance concerns. Objectives The primary objective of WGFE is to improve educational planning, financing and management by helping to strengthen education and finance ministries' skills in those areas. The working group's more specific goals are numerous, and include: bringing education budget management in line with national financial planning; strengthening linkages between the two ministries; strengthening both ministries' capacities to formulate and implement effective (educational) budget and finance policies; contributing to improved allocation and optimal use of resources; revealing best practices in the field of education financing and financial management; provide a forum for gathering, exchange and ongoing analysis of information on education financing and management. The working group includes representatives from several countries and consequently many different financial contexts. The group's diverse makeup is an asset. It enables education and finance ministry personnel to be informed of different approaches and their impact on enrolment and the quality of education. Activities The principal activities and expected outputs of WGFE include: Extensive bibliographical research compiling information on all research carried out thus far on education financing and financial management. Case studies in six countries on education financing policies, practices and mechanisms. These will describe, in particular, the institutional arrangements between ministries of finance and education for budget planning and redeployment. A pan-African inventory of practices and results including practical experiences with financing policies and strategies for the financing, planning and management of education budgets; the inventory will highlight successes, failures and innovative approaches. A pan-African network of experienced researchers in the field of education financing. A compendium of training and information materials developed based on the findings of WGFE activities. Training programmes and regional seminars to promote and share WGFE outputs and activities. Achievements WGFE is one of the most recent ADEA working groups. In spite of this, it has succeeded inheightening the awareness of ministers of education and finance and funding agencies of the importance of education finance within a global strategy to improve the quality of education for all. Among WGFE's achievements in 1997 are: the joint organization with IIEP of a pan-African seminar on the financing and financial management of education. (See article: Report on the Pan-African Seminar on the Financing and Financial Management of Education); the formation of national working groups: research teams have been established in six pilot countries; a literature review on education finance experiences in Africa; the organization of information seminars in the pilot countries gathering decision-makers (ministers of education, ministers of finance, Prime ministers or their representatives), NGOs, teacher unions and parents' associations. How to Contact the Working Group: Working Group Leader: Diana Chaplin Pan-African Program (BFT) Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) 200 Promenade du Portage Hull, Quebec K1A 0G4 Tel: (1) (819) 994-4267 Fax: (1) (819) 953-9453 Email: diana_chaplin@acdi-cida.gc.ca Working Group Coordinator: Rémi Coffi Noumon CODESRIA B.P. 3304 Dakar, Sénégal Tel: (221) 825-9822 or (221) 825-7214 (direct line)

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: March 14, 2001