ERNWACA NEWS No. 2 20 March 2003

1. National Activities – Benin

2. Regional Activities – HIV/AIDS Impact on Education Clearinghouse

3. Research and Reports – NGOs and education

4. Announcements – Advanced education training in Africa

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• Meeting of members of ERNWACA-Benin on March 1, 2003 in Porto-Novo, to review activities and discuss perspectives. M. SALAMI Naim Deen, National Coordinator, presided the meeting. Members noted the importance of good relations with long-time partners such as the National Institute for Training and Research in Education (INFRE), which houses ERNWACA, and the Association for Educational Sciences and Techniques for Development (ASTED), and more recently with the Beninois Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CBRST). It was agreed that the coordinating committee should prepare an annual work plan with one priority activity in each of four areas: 1/ capacity-building, 2/ research, 3/ communication, both internal and external, and 4/ institution-building. With a view to increasing the quality of education in Benin, priority research themes discussed included decentralized management and financing of education, integration of new information and communication technologies (ICTs), girls’ education, HIV/AIDS, non-formal or alternative education, and the use of national languages. The Regional Coordinator of ERNWACA participated actively in the meeting and visitors from the Southern African Development Community and Swedish SIDA joined the group for informal discussions.

• Beninois Center for Scientific and Technical Research (CBRST) – The national coordinator and the regional coordinator of ERNWACA visited CBRST http://www.cbrst.org in Cotonou to discuss with the Director reinforced collaboration between the two institutions. The meeting was also the occasion to discuss the participation of a CBRST researcher and ERNWACA member in the Bamako workshop on ICTs and education research at the end of March 2003. Note that three CBRST researchers received a 2002 ERNWACA Small Grant for Education Research to study ICTs and education in Benin. The findings of the study are being validated at the national level and will be released nationally and regionally by May 2003.

• Contact – ROCARE-Benin, INFRE, 40, Rue du Boulevard Lagunaire, BP 470, Porto Novo, Bénin,

tel : (229) 21 39 81, fax : (229) 21 31 64, émail: benin@rocare.org.

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• HIV/AIDS impact on education Clearinghouse

On January 27-29, ERNWACA and the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP/UNESCO, Paris) hosted a workshop in Accra, Ghana, opened by the Deputy General Director of Ghana Education Service, Mr. Awuah. The workshop was held to launch a partnership involving the exchange of information among five ERNWACA member countries -- Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal -- and the "HIV/AIDS Impact on Education Clearinghouse." In a context in which HIV/AIDS has complicated educational planning and management, the Clearinghouse supports the implementation of effective strategies against HIV/AIDS in the education sector by providing information to ministries, research institutes, NGOs and development agencies. It is an interactive Web site where members can download studies and reports on impact and response, link to other related Web resources and participate in discussions. Visit the Web site and register to use the Clearinghouse at http://www.unesco.org/iiep. Consult the full workshop communiqué at http://www.rocare.org and HIV/AIDS statistics in ERNWACA member countries at http://www.rocare.org.

• Education sector analysis seminar in Benin

The Working Group on education sector analysis (WGESA) of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) http://www.adeanet.org organized a seminar on sector analysis processes in Cotonou, Benin from February 24-26, 2003. Forty persons from West and southern Africa and from Europe participated, including personnel from ministries of education, civil service, planning, and finance from Benin, Niger and Togo. Countries exchanged experiences on system diagnosis, policy and sector strategy development, and reform implementation and evaluation. Processes considered key to sector analysis include wide participation, learning through doing, and public dialogue. It was agreed that sector-wide approaches to education should be reinforced, despite the difficulties inherent in the process, as preferable to the ad hoc nature of the project approach of the past. ERNWACA was represented by Mr. Naim Salami of ERNWACA-Benin, Ms. Mariama Ali of ERNWACA-Niger, and Ms. Hélène Kpeglo-Womas of ERNWACA-Togo. See report by Ali and Womas (in French) at http://www.rocare.org/communique_03022003.htm. Other ERNWACA member countries that desire to organize similar capacity-building seminars may send an inquiry letter to rocare@datatech.toolnet.org or to the WG Coordinator at a.draxler@iiep.unesco.org.

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 • Role of NGOs in basic education in Mali, Brehima Tounkara, ERNWACA, December 2001, 35p.

The Malian educational system has one of the lowest gross enrollment rates in the world, despite spectacular progress in the last ten years – 23% in 1989, 46% in 1996, 57% in 2001 (and 63% in 2002). Progress is the result of national education policy that has guided the development of strategies and programs, in which non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been quite active and effective, particularly in resource mobilization, the multiplication of community schools managed by the communities themselves, and in some instances improved quality of education. Community schools developed in a context where the State could not, alone, respond to all education needs; NGO involvement in the "movement" was legitimized by the decentralization policies of the new 10-year education reform (PRODEC). This study analyzes the perceptions that NGOs active in the education sector have of government and vice versa and relations between NGOs and agencies. It does not explore relations and perceptions between NGOs and communities but does note that NGO effectiveness is due in part to their proximity to and understanding of local needs. The study recommends a policy of tolerance to permit NGOs to develop their own capacities, which can lead to experimentation and innovation for the benefit of the national education system. NGOs should promote dialogue and involvement of government in their work to ensure greater sustainability for their interventions; they should also hire education specialists with appropriate backgrounds in pedagogy and training and have them take part in government-sponsored training activities. A legal framework is needed to structure NGO involvement, not leaving their program implementation entirely to funders and international NGOs. Mechanisms for conflict resolution are also needed, for example to handle the tensions that erupted in Mali between NGOs and the National Union for Education and Culture, and the National Federation of student parents’ association (FENAPEM). In Mali, the government has encouraged the organization of NGOs into national coordinations and collectives, which has contributed to greater capacity building among NGOs and increased solidarity and effectiveness for advocacy work. The study, funded by USAID, provides insight to government, NGO, and agency staff for improved working relations within the education sector and can be consulted (in French) at http://www.rocare.org/ong_education.pdf.

• Evolving partnership: the role of NGOs in basic education in Africa, Yolande Miller-Grandvaux et al., Academy for Educational Development (AED), July 2002, 80p. 

In the last decade, increasing amounts of development resources have been channeled through NGOs in all sectors, leading to an explosive growth in local NGOs in many countries. In the education sector, donors use international and local NGOs more and more for delivery of both formal and non-formal education. Recent Education for All (EFA) meetings in Johannesburg and Dakar recognized the vital role of NGOs in promoting universal and equitable quality of education. The fundamental question is no longer whether NGOs should play a role in education but how to help all partners live up to expectations for increased quality and equality. Ministries of education, NGOs, donors and civil society representatives tell stories of friction and frustration as well as tremendous successes. Often, however, each party’s interpretation of each other’s intentions and interventions radically differ. Dynamic interactions have taken place over the years and lessons can now be learned on the various roles and interpretations. This comparative analysis across four countries, Ethiopia, Guinea, Malawi, and Mali, looks at the 1/ relationship between NGOs and government, 2/ role of NGOs in education policy, 3/ relationship between NGOs and donors, and 4/ influence of NGOs on civil society. Consult the study at http://www.aed.org/sara/publications or send an email to sara@aed.org for a copy.

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• Centre d’Expertise des Systemes Educatifs Africains (CESEA): The Expertise Center for African educational systems based at "Ecole Normale Superieure" of Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal was honored when the Center’s UNESCO Chair in Education Sciences received an award of excellence at the World Forum for UNESCO Chairs, November 2002 in Paris. Among 500 UNESCO Chairs in the world, 15 received such awards. Center students and teachers emanate from several countries in West and Central Africa. For information on advanced study opportunities, contact the Director at ndwaly@ucad.sn.

• Other opportunities for advanced study in education policy: The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Centers of Excellence for advanced study in education policy, planning and management begin their second intake of new students at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa (on June 30), University of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania (July 7), and Universidade Pedagogica in Mozambique (July 14). For information on admission requirements and fees: 256 404344/4949815 (phone), 268 4046407 (fax), arnotta@sadchrd.org.sz.

• UN Decade for Literacy: The United Nations Decade for Literacy was launched on February 13, 2003 in New York (USA) by UNESCO with the theme of "literacy equals liberty" and the understanding that literacy is a strategy for attaining Education for All (EFA). For additional information: http://www.un.org

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Education Research Network for West And Central Africa /

ERNWACA / ROCARE, BP E 1854 – Bamako – Mali

Tel: (223) 221 16 12 / 674 83 84 - Fax: (223) 221 21 15

http://www.ernwaca.org / http://www.rocare.org

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Ghana • Guinée• Mali • Niger • Nigeria • Sénégal • Sierra Leon • Togo