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Education Perspectives on Governance and Equity : W rap-up Reflections on GEH Partners’ Conference

Education Perspectives on Governance and Equity : W rap-up Reflections on GEH Partners’ Conference. by Kathryn TOURE , Regional Coordinator, Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA) Governance, Equity and Health (GEH) Partners’ Conference:

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Education Perspectives on Governance and Equity : W rap-up Reflections on GEH Partners’ Conference

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  1. Education Perspectives on Governanceand Equity: Wrap-up Reflections onGEH Partners’ Conference by Kathryn TOURE, Regional Coordinator, Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA) Governance, Equity and Health (GEH) Partners’ Conference: Focus on “Governance” at the interplay of health, equity and financing 25-30 April 2005 Saly-Pordugal, Senegal

  2. GEH Conference participants (rough estimates) • 100 participants (about) • GEOGRAPHIC spread • 64% = Africa (francophones/anglophones) • 26% = North America and Europe (francophones/anglophones) • 10% = • several Latin American countries • Georgia • India • Australia • NOTE: 47% = from South Africa, Canada and Senegal • INSTITUTIONAL representation • 17% = IDRC • GENDER breakdown • men and women

  3. OUTLINE Education sector Conference learnings. So what next? Partnership evaluation working tool

  4. Why EDUCATION (research)? • Empowers individuals to make personal and social choices • Foundation for nation-building, regional integration and development of democratic institutions • Improves health • Can contribute to sustained economic growth • May have lessons for health sector (and vice versa)

  5. Education sector in Africa in relation to GEH themes • Governance(participatory policy development; implementation problems; parents, parent teacher associations, school management committees, and communities increasingly involved in school management; more public / private partnerships in response to state’s inability to respond to increased demand, mushrooming of community-run schools in rural areas) • Quality and efficiency(hiv/aids impacting negatively on access and quality of education; grade repetition rates are 4x higher than the world average; academic years “lost” due to student and teacher unrest in response to system dysfunctions and/or national conflict) • Human resources(significant teacher shortages; massive hiring of contractual teachers; vast teacher training needs) …

  6. Education sector in Africa (cont.) • Equity(in the 1990s, 38% increase in access to basic education in SSA though most countries in W/C Africa will not reach the 2015 goals for quality education for all; gender gap between boys and girls reduced though much progress needed to reach 2015 equity goals; growing inequity between rural/urban populations; richer get a bigger share of public expenditure on education; curriculum does not reflect the needs and aspirations of all groups within society) • Corruption (around textbooks, sexual harassment of students, etc.) • Power(in donor relations, negotiation capacity, etc.) • Plurality(marginalization of traditional/informal education; focus on basic education to detriment of other sub-sectors) • Financing(majority of state ed. budget goes toward teacher salaries; high level of dependency on donors for innovation, research and development; incapacity to absorb available finances; debates about whether primary education should be free or not)

  7. Some education research trends in Africa • Shift from focus on access to quality/pertinence/participation/equity issues • Girls’ education: from barriers to promising strategies • Teachers and teaching as “entry point” • Beyond basic education • Preventing hiv/aids and mitigating its impact on the education system • Learn-by-doing “praxis” approach to identify/build on promising approaches • Implementation matters

  8. Who does education research in Africa? • Ministries of education • Bilaterals, multilaterals • United Nations: UNICEF, UNESCO (including IIEP) • Regional/African institutions: University students/professors, ERNWACA, ERNESA, SACHES, SAQMEC, PASEC/CONFEMEN, ADEA Working Groups, FASAF, CODESRIA, SchoolNet Africa • Private firms • EPSI/SADC, UEMOA

  9. National-level actors • Students and parents • Teachers and school directors • Education administrators • Elected officials • Teacher unions, parent teacher associations, etc. • Learning institutions • Ministries of Education, Research, Planning, Public Service/HR, Finance, Youth, etc.

  10. Forums for dialogue / advocacy (beyond national) • ECOWAS and SADC • Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA), www.adea-net.org • African Union (and NEPAD?) • Forum for African Women Educators (FAWE) • Education International (teacher union) • Global Campaign for Education • Global Education Forum • UNICEF and UNGEI • Network for Policy Review and Advice on Education and Training (NORRAG), www.norrag.org

  11. Questions for the group • Would a health sector/research overview have enhanced the meeting? • What about co-organization with African institution? • Is GEH more than an IDRC program initiative?

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