Using the Minimum Standards

Using the Minimum Standards Attitudes, experiences and application

Introduction • The long running conflict in Burma has impacted on millions of children’s education Source: KHRG

Coping strategiesForest Trading Source: KHRG

Coping strategiesEducation Source: KHRG

Education in camps • Traditional school design Source: KHRG

Education in the camps Source: ZOA

Education under attack – impact on identity Source: KHRG

Education and culture Camps have enabled refugees to maintain a sense of cultural identity Source: ZOA

Maintaining identity A consequence of the situation has been to view external ideas with suspicion

Sample quotes • “The INEE does not fit with the situation here”– Education Manager (NGO) • “Reaching these standards is just unrealistic…”- Educator working on TT in Burma • “Our situation is different”– CBO senior staff member

How to move forwards? A process of providing information and demonstration of practice to support a shift in attitudes

Changing attitudes - NGOs • Review of the understanding of what the standards and tools are seen to be representing, listening to any/the concerns – list them • Reflection of concerns and identification of standards that could be applied - ways to still use INEE • Workshops with staff to get them to think about their own standards for each category

Changing attitudes - CBOs • Involvement in workshops • Providing information on the standards and what they are – common understanding • Using the standards as a reflection tool to show how they closely match up with the refugee education • Working together with the standards

Ways the standards have been applied/used • tool for monitoring • tool for internal reflection • challenge – you only know what you know (putting an objective value on the status of an activity against an indicator)

Application of tools • Exercise – making your own standards in the categories – understanding how they match • Understanding one’s role in education – “After this workshop I understand much more about the scope of responsibilities in my job” (Ed. Co ML) • Mapping of roles and responsibilities in education

Other applications • Mapping of strengths and areas for improvement in educational service delivery CCSDPT - Reflection for Teaching and Learning just carried out • Assessment framework for highlighting training needs and areas for improvement in education – Removal of the names INEE, MSEE and expat delivery to CBO…acceptance

Other applications • Project design research checklist – for primary education support in rural / isolated communities in Thailand (non-emergency) • Tools from handbook used to prepare project overview – feeding checklist and other tools in original edition used to shape assessment of donor support in Lao PDR schools (non-emergency)

Latest application • Project design – using the categories as project results and making a logical framework for implementing in line with the standards and categories, thereby opening up the opportunity to use tools and manuals from INEE • Development done alongside CBO partner with their input at all stages. Full acceptance of the project design

Other experiences in ZOA • Used to support development of Education Policy Paper (HQ –NL) • Introduced to Uganda programme, staff are now INEE members • INEE standards used by Ugandan Education Cluster and Ministry of Education (Own standards dev. already)

Ideal application??? • System for all education stakeholders to plan and advocate for a standard of services

Reflection • Consider how people view the standards • Consider how the name/title and circumstances can lead to misunderstandings and mitigate as per context • Let people identify with and work with standards in a process of learning and discovery – imposition can lead to rejection • Understand how the minimum level of education the standards represents can impact on the current situation and use it to set up a development plan for education

Thanks for listening about our situation… Source: ZOA

Using the Minimum Standards