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This course provides an overview of capacity development for education officers, focusing on identifying and addressing capacity issues in education systems. Topics covered include assessing capacity, types of capacity issues, ways to assess capacity, and building capacity through various approaches.
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Capacity Development:Measure it, Do it USAID Education Overview Course for Education Officers Bethesda, Maryland, May 14-25, 2007 Further questions, comments? Write lcrouch@rti.org or for materials visit www.eddataglobal.org
Capacity issues coming up yesterday • lack of host country capacity and development of long term plan • Management systems • shortage of budget and capacity • staff turnover in ministry and schools • top down and bottom up
Q&A first • Presentation with more Q&A Notes • Try to secure electronic version of this presentation – Lots of additional literature and checklists in clickable icons throughout. • All files included here are also included in the EdData II web site, www.eddataglobal.org (may need to register to access materials). • Kenya used throughout as “case study.” Presentation style
Leading questions • Do we need to be concerned about it? • Capacity for what? • How to assess it? • What to do about it?
Leading questions • Do we need to be concerned about it? • Capacity for what? • How to assess it? • What to do about it?
Do we need to be concerned about capacity? • In 7 first FTI countries, 3 policies per country were studied: 21 policies, approx. • Only some 40% had been accomplished, mostly for lack of capacity • Most countries’ plans for FTI did not do a formal capacity analysis • Most bilateral donors (USAID incl) do not formally assess capacity before starting projects • FTI / EFA recognition that money alone won’t solve problem: four gaps: financial, capacity, policy, and data
Do we need to be concerned about capacity? • Decentralization, happening for both political and educational reasons, complicates the capacity issue • FTI has launched a capacity-building plan • Thus, issue of capacity-building is being taken more seriously and is likely to receive much more funding • Capacity building not an academic issue
Leading questions • Do we need to be concerned about it? • Capacity for what? • How to assess it? • What to do about it?
Leading questions • Do we need to be concerned about it? • Capacity for what? • How to assess it? • What to do about it?
Types of capacity issues • Broad capacity issues • Policy-making • Technical • Consensus–reaching • Donor handling • Planning • Execution • Actual educational implementation
Types of capacity issues (cont’d) • Actual educational implementation • (List of main areas below, not exhaustive. For exhaustive list see clickable icon.) • Access • Low-cost construction • Site selection • Teacher numbers • Quality (see below)
Types of capacity issues (cont’d) • Quality • Failure to specify clear standards but achievable standards (current: abstract yet over-ambitious) • Failure to train teachers to standard • Failure to supervise and monitor teacher attendance and teaching • Problems coordinating and providing high quality pre-service and in-service training (esp. the latter) • Decentralization can help but also complicates
Leading questions • Do we need to be concerned about it? • Capacity for what? • How to assess it? • What to do about it?
Leading questions • Do we need to be concerned about it? • Capacity for what? • How to assess it? • What to do about it?
Ways to assess capacity • Against what research shows is effective/needed • Against national plans/ambitions • What does it take to implement nation’s ambitions? • Assess national plans, example Kenya • Against norms and regulations, if accountability exists • Self-report in plenary sessions of, say, district officers: polling
Ways to assess capacity • Assess locally below district level (schools, circuits, etc.) • Assessment: self report vs. measured capacity • Measured capacity vs. actual delivery • Example: Kenya district capacity assessment • All levels: • National, region, province, district, zone, division, and school • Census, not sample • Not self-report of leaders only • Assess direct performance benchmarks (reported by actors on each other)
Ways to assess capacity • Census or sample: what are issues? • Sample: assumes everyone has same problems or that they vary quite systemically • Census: tailor-fit • (But why bother if cannot tailor-fit.)
Leading questions • Do we need to be concerned about it? • Capacity for what? • How to assess it? • What to do about it?
Leading questions • Do we need to be concerned about it? • Capacity for what? • How to assess it? • What to do about it?
Basic choices in building capacity • Your own effort via projects, or the country’s? • Do it yourself or influence how the country does it? • Model and replicate? • Centrally funded? Locally (district, or province) funded via an ear-mark or ring-fence? Or locally funded out of general funds? • If the latter, how to assure it does take place? • If centrally funded, does it need to be centrally provided?
Basic choices in building capacity • How to determine which type of capacity? • Everyone gets exactly the same support? • Everyone gets different support based on a centrally-driven needs assessment? • Everyone just gets to choose what they need? • Who provides? • The Ministry itself? • Ministry appoints providers and sends them down? • Ministry certifies universities and/or NGOs or consulting firms to provide, but then districts choose? • Ministry does not do any prior certification but establishes a “consumer satisfaction” system • Donors’ role: provide fund, choose providers?
Other general tips, suggestions • On “company time?” • That’s the way we do it • Improver? Illegal? • Don’t withdraw from job, but pay? • Back to issue of “how vocational vs. how general/professional?” How tied to job description, to policy, to accountabilities? • How certified? • Tied to job progression?
Summary • What three points to remember? • Local capacity matters more than money • Capacity is more than training but includes training • Training works only if linked to real accountability to use the knowledge
Relation to other talks in this course • Sector assessment • Assess capacity • Policy reform • Capacity building tied to policies, “job descriptions” created by new policies • Decentralization • Some capacities naturally fostered by decentralization, others not: focus on latter
Group exercise – if time allows • Suppose we end up with a design whereby: • Each district or province is told the areas where it is weakest, against a nationally-standardized list • Each district or province is given money it must spend on improving those areas • But they are allowed to choose the providers
Group exercise – if time allows • Please discuss • Should the central government certify the providers? • What would be the basis for certifying the providers? • How important is it that the functions themselves be normed before certification can proceed? (For example, that there be norms for financial management before financial management training is offered.) • And, what can you do if the norms are not ready? • Would you actually test the providers? • What role would a “consumer feedback” system play?
