January 14, 2008 -- As a member of the International Partnership in Education Education for All Fast Track Initiative (EFA-FTI), the World Bank from Dec. 3-6, 2007 in Tunis, Tunisia hosted the Second Africa Region Education Capacity Development Workshop. The workshop was titled Country Leadership and Implementation for Results in the EFA-FTI Partnership.
The workshop brought together over 90 participants from the Ministries of Education and Finance of eight African countries -- Benin, Chad, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mali and Mauritania. It included local donors, members of the EFA-FTI Secretariat, and representatives from the African Development Bank, the Tunisian Ministry of Education and Training, and the World Bank. Local and international experts in education policy and planning also attended. The purpose was to strengthen the partnership between governments and partners and encourage governments to take charge.
Two main themes resonated in the workshop proceedings: country leadership and implementation of results.
Jee-Peng Tan, World Bank Education Advisor in the Africa Region Human Development Department.
“The [workshop] organizers have chosen these words to capture two important ideas,” said Jee-Peng Tan, World Bank Education Advisor in the Africa Region Human Development Department. “The first idea, on country leadership, simply recognizes that it is right and proper for countries to define their own goals in education...The second idea, on implementation for results, is equally compelling. The driver-owner is in the car to get somewhere… the destination is to universalize completion of primary schooling of a reasonable quality.”
For four intensive days, participants had the opportunity to (i) interact with their counterparts and develop cross country learning; (ii) strengthen partnerships and establish networks among education professionals working on the design and implementation of education sector plans in Africa; and (iii) explore concrete ways in which the design and implementation of EFA sector plans could move forward within their specific country contexts.
Inaugurated by His Excellency Dr. Sadok Korbi, Minister of Education and Training for Tunisia, the workshop also enabled participants to learn from the experience of the host country. Presentations on the Tunisian education system, focusing on issues of provision and quality, as well as visits to three local sites, were offered to participants. The sites included a regional teacher training institute, the national textbook production agency, and the national center for the training of trainers. The Tunisian presentations and field visits generated important discussions on issues of choice, impact of reform and country leadership.
Participants in Second Africa Region Education Capacity Development Workshop, titled Country Leadership and Implementation for Results in the EFA-FTI Partnership.
This December workshop was the second in a series organized by the World Bank’s Africa Region Human Development Department, which responds to the capacity development needs of countries that are in the EFA-FTI partnership. The workshops use a variety of methods, including panel discussions, presentations by resource experts on themes and country experiences, elective sessions and work in country teams on identifying capacity building needs.
“FTI’s role is to turn the fine words of the Paris Declaration into practice,” said Desmond Bermingham, head of the EFA-FTI Secretariat.
That practice involves developing processes of harmonization, coordination and alignment, highlighting concrete difficulties encountered by both government officials and donors in the processes, and presenting possible solutions.
During the workshop, country teams developed proposals for future activities aimed at continuing a network of knowledge sharing and expertise development. Their carefully crafted proposals represent a testimony to the workshop’s success.
Satomi Kamei, JICA advisor to Ghana’s Ministry of Education praised the workshop for its influence on his country’s delegates.
“The workshop was a great exercise for the local team.”
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