1. Eritrea: regional geography & population

1. Aid & Education in Eritrea: Teacher Education and Education Sector Reform 2007- 2011

2. 1. Eritrea: regional geography & population Population: 5,291,370 (2008 Census) Main Languages: Tigrinya, Arabic, English, Italian Ethnic groups: 9, inc. Tigrinya, Tigre, Saho, Afar, Kunama. GDP per capita: $397

3. 2. Eritrea: history & politics Ancient history:C.25th BC: Land of Punt; C. 8th – 5th BC: Kingdom of D’mt;C. 1st BC – 940 AD: Aksumite EmpireMiddle history:C. 10th – C.18th: Trading links with and partial colonisation by Egypt; Yemen; Portuguese Goa; Ottoman Empire; British EmpireModern history:1890 – 1941:Italian colony (following Italian invasion in 1870s)1941 – 1951:British administration1951: Federated with Ethiopia, under US-led UN resolution 1961 – 1991: Insurgency against Ethiopian Government1993: UN recognition of Eritrean independence1998: Eritrean-Ethiopian WarPresent: On-going border dispute with Ethiopia; A one-party state governed by People’s Front for Democracy & Justice;President: Isaisas Aferwerki

4. 3. Eritrea: national geography & population

5. 4. Eritrea: basic education system Primary Education (Grades 1 – 5) Enrolments: 286,111 (approx. 52% of primary-age population) Completion Rate: 51% School Teachers: 7,507 (83% qualified Cert level) Pupil > Teacher Ratio: 45:1 Middle and Secondary Education (Grades 6 – 12) Enrolments: 247,431 (approx. 23% of middle/secondary-age population) Completion Rate: 51% School Teachers: 6,326 (92% qualified Dip. level) Pupil > Teacher Ratio: 52:1

6. 5. Eritrea: basic education system

7. 6. Eritrea: tertiary and teacher education University of Asmara: College of Marine Biology (Masawa) College of Agriculture (Debub) College of Arts and Social Sciences (Keren) College of Business and Economics (Mendefara) College of Nursing and Health Technology (Asmara) The Eritrean Institute of Technology (EIT), Asmara College of Education: MA, BA and Diploma of Education (for middle + secondary teachers) Asmara Teacher Education Institute (ATEI), Asmara Certificate of Education (for primary teachers) Ministry of Education: HRD dept & Zoba Education Offices In-service training of teachers

8. 7. The Eritrean Education Sector Development Programme 2007 - 2011 EU-funded: Eu52million Operated alongside projects from World Bank and UNICEF Main strands of activity: Capacity building to implement ODL for teacher education; Policies and strategies for TVET; Revise national curriculum; Design of materials for English; Develop educational monitoring and QA system; Develop comprehensive accreditation and evaluation system; In addition: a significant school-building programme.

9. 8. ESDP: Teacher Education inputs Outputs: EIT’s ODL Middle School Teacher Upgrading Programme (MSTUP) ATEI’s Self-study Elementary Teacher Upgrading Programme Inputs A: capacity-building activities: ODL management and admin training for MoE, Zoba and EIT/ATEI staff ODL materials design training for EIT / ATEI staff training of tutors, sub-Zoba support staff etc. Inputs B: programme design activities: Financial management; Admin and delivery systems; Institutional roles Content and materials design Assessment systems etc.

10. 9. ESDP: Teacher Education ODL programmes EIT’s ODL Middle School Teacher Upgrading Programme (MSTUP) ATEI’s Self-study Elementary Teacher Upgrading Programme Basic design model: 2 years in-service study Blended learning: self-study materials plus local tutorial sessions & residential summer school Assessment : written assignments; classroom observation; end-of-year exams Basic delivery model: EIT / ATEI: materials design & distribution; examinations; awards Zoba Offices: tutor recruitment; learner support; sub-Zoba co-ordination; assignment collection MoE Dept of HRD: finances; monitoring; liaison

11. 10. ESDP: Teacher Education ODL programmes Design issues: Skepticism about ODL Emphasis on academic rather than practitioner content (esp. EIT) Preference for high face-to-face contact Delivery issues: EIT / ATEI: low institutional capacity for undertaking field activities Zoba Offices: low institutional capacity for sub-Zoba activities Unclear lines of communication and authority between stakeholders Low levels of training and support for sub-Zoba staff (tutors; schools) Schedule delays not always passed to learners and tutors Irregular monitoring and follow-up by stakeholders Regional disparity in terms of access to resources, travel time & costs

12. 11. ESDP: ODL programme outcomes Successes: Good final pass rates (85% on both programmes) High levels of student satisfaction with materials and content Establishment of basic national frameworks for ODL delivery in education Enhanced understanding and capacity in ODL practice across all national stakeholders Necessary improvements: Low levels of student satisfaction with learner support and communications Improve communications between central stakeholders Address resourcing issues for stakeholders undertaking field activities Improve programme engagement at sub-Zoba level Identify potential for de-centralised initiatives to address local needs

13. chris.joynes@lidc.bloomsbury.ac.uk