1 Pretending to Progress? Education Reforms in Tanzania Rakesh Rajani HakiElimu 30 April, 2007.
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Transcript of 1 Pretending to Progress? Education Reforms in Tanzania Rakesh Rajani HakiElimu 30 April, 2007.
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Pretending to Progress?Education Reforms in
Tanzania
Rakesh Rajani
HakiElimu
30 April, 2007
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Outline of presentation
1. The Official Story
2. The Official Story, Modified by a Little Reality
3. Core analysis and What will it take?
4. Conclusion
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1.1 The Official Story: Attention spans
Very low levels of education participation inherited at independence (1961)
Massive enrolment increases in the 1970s (UPE) Decline through the 1980s and 90s (enrolment,
funding, political/program focus) reaching crisis point and consensus that education was priority one (HIPC/PRSP)
Civil society pressure (in Tanzania/internationally) Coming together 1999-2001, led by WB, leading to
the Primary Education Development Plan (PEDP)
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1.2 The Official Story: PEDP (2002-06)
PEDP: ‘The Great MDG success story’ Abolished user fees and mandatory contributions,
increasing enrolment by 2 million Recruited 50% more teachers in 5 years Built over 40,000 new classrooms Introduced annual capitation grant of $10/pupil
sent to the school level Emphasized governance, esp. at school level, in
the ‘spirit of decentralization by devolution’ CSO participation explicitly recognized, sector
dialogue emphasized
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1.3 The Official Story: Sector dialogue
Elaborate machinery in place for both sector and overall development dialogue (ESDP/PRS)
Numerous reviews to monitor progress and take responsive actions (8 in 5 years)
Linked to other reforms (local govt, public financial mgmt, civil service reform, etc), recently dominated by general budget support (GBS) modalities and the push for the ‘big picture’
Place at the table for donors and ‘domestic stakeholders’/CSOs, with increasing emphasis on CSOs following Paris declaration/new aid architecture
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1.4 The Official Story:CSOs in reforms
Seat at the table (various committees), largely at insistence of donors
Meant to represent the voices of the people (NGOs close to the people romance maintained)
This ‘participation’ is serves different needs: Big picture donors see this as strengthening accountability
… traditional donors see it as pilots and innovations Govt as gap filling and doing what govt cant CSOs see it as opportunity to determine policy and get
funding, and a chance to rub shoulders
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1.5 The Official Story: Conclusion then? Two million more children in school! Education reform in Tanzania is a great example of
how to achieve MDGs Everybody is involved; there is basic accountability The reforms and aid are working, Tanzania is a
shining star of development … True, quality of education is a problem, but you
cant do everything at once And of course there are challenges, but overall
things are moving well, and certainly much better than in other countries
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2.1 Assessing ReformsDiverse Voices?
Key people in Government often absent Tendency for donor domination in framing issues Few CSOs invited grudgingly, last minute, as an
after thought (lots of invitations getting ‘lost’ in the mail); key constituencies such as teachers’ union often marginalized
Intolerance for critical voices/dissent (explicit exclusion of groups who dare to challenge)
Little actual debate and discussion, more Q and A from donors to government
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2.2 Assessing Progress:Strategic Focus?
Meetings address details and miss the big picture Endless amounts on formats and clarifying
expectations when these better handled elsewhere Even where issues identified (e.g. through reviews)
inadequate follow-up; govt does what it wants anyway regardless because the machinery is parallel to govt structure
Lost sight of main purpose which is an education that allows students to think, learn, thrive.
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2.3 Assessing Progress:Adequate resources?
More money going into education, but: There is still a large resource gap that means
objectives cannot be reached, but no prioritization, leading to funds spent on less important items
Opportunities to make the case for/access greater resources not seized
Opportunities for better targeting (getting value for money) not adequately explored e.g. audits scope narrow aimed at minimizing risk
No predictability of funding Move to GBS convenient ‘checkout’ from the
difficulties of sector for donors
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2.4 Assessing Progress:Accountability to Citizens?
Better reporting than in past (in Parliament, sporadic fund releases in newspapers), but:
Most reports still not made public (e.g. audit reports, reviews, PETS, PER studies)
Information at local level often missing, late or not meaningful to ordinary citizens
Guidance to school committees often overbearing, micro-managing and contrary to PEDP/LGRP principles
Independent information (from citizens, CSOs, studies) not invited, used
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2.5 What does this mean for CSOs?
Constant battle to get a foot through the door When inside, struggling to get heard and be
respected, but still second class citizens, pressure to conform to be ‘in the in’
Enormous time spent trying to keep up with documents, meetings, preparing drafts
Challenge to know how to communicate with wider constituencies, (conceptual, volume, last minute and communication)
… all for a dysfunctional process that delivers little
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2.6 in the meantime…the state of education? Repetition and drop out increasing (28% of the
cohort) – Uganda its about 50% Attendance much lower than enrolment, but data not
compiled at national level Still no room for children with disabilities, etc More books in school, but often locked in cupboards
to protect them Pedagogy still rote learning (students copy notes),
teacher often not in the classroom Private tuition and cramming for examinations has
increased (deepening inequities) Violence and sexual harassment rife
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2.7 Assessing progress:Modified conclusion then?
Reform machinery does not work … but we all need to maintain an illusion that it does donors need it to hang contracts and disburse govt grudgingly to get the funds and CSOs because its our chance to be involved
Lots of schooling, but little learning Expectations of education not being met … primary
school leavers failing to cope … so now we transfer expectations up, that secondary education will do what primary could not
A big hollow hoax?
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3.1 Analysis: What are core problems? Inadequate grappling with how change happens –
throwing ‘dialogue’ and technical solutions at what are essential political and institutional problems
Govt lacks the strategic leadership and political incentives to get the house in order, and largely resent public accountability
Donors unable to deal with inherent conflict of interest in their role and reluctant to deal with the political significance of their role/actions
CSOs lack conceptual and historical analysis/clarity about our roles, as well as political and organizational clout to move matters when others not willing
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3.1 Analysis (cont.)What are core problems?
Collective failure of imagination about the purposes and meaning of education: we focus largely on inputs and quantities (enrolment,
classrooms, teacher:pupil ratios, book:pupil ratios) Tools for assessing progress measure the wrong things
(MDGs, national examinations) There is hardly any focus on what really matters – learning
and capabilities for all – what are pupils able to do?
Failure at all levels (global movement/national; govt, donors, CSOs, public)
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3.2 Moving forward: What is needed? Focused, open government leadership not afraid
to exercise vision, direction, embrace different voices, focus on results
A radical simplification of the ESDP/PRS/GBS consultation machinery to make it more simple, oriented to foster debate, results focused, and truly open to public
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3.2 Moving forward (cont.) What is needed? Donors able to get out of current funk and exercise
strategic support that is about results not modalities fosters national public debate (rather than endless
meetings in the club) funds independent work/CSOs in a way that fosters
strategic thinking and action CSOs who are able to scale up independent
monitoring, analysis, and public engagement
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3.3 Two HakiElimu examples: Media
Investigative journalism, targets vs. realities, official reports vs. rural realities
Weekly radio/TV programs that show situation on the ground, give space to historically marginalized voices e.g. Sauti ya Watu
1 minute advert spots that provoke, not preach
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3.4 Two HakiElimu examples: Friends of Education
Aim is to turn private concern to public action Any person can join, free, provide you care and
want to make a difference; currently 26,000 friends Get a card, quarterly packet of materials Opportunity to ask questions, referrals Tools to monitor, analyze and disseminate progress Connect you to media (letters to editor) Opportunity to join with others (address book) Document what ordinary people are doing to
change, share through popular pubs/media
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4.1 conclusion: education is politics Change isn’t driven by research evidence,
arguments, reviews, lobbying, pilot projects or dialogue … it happens: when people are aware, stretched to think, organizing,
taking action where there is public pressure that cannot be ignored when authorities see it is in their interest to pay attention to
the right questions People don’t know everything, and we’ve especially
lost the plot on the quality/purposes of education … so ‘ask the people they will tell you’ is not enough. That is why leaders can get away with it without a public outcry
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4.2 conclusion:it’s the imagination, stupid
We need to fire up the public imagination, ask questions that surface the contradictions, foster true debate that ratchets up learning and understanding
This is a very different business from what we are used to (its closer to political/social movements than programs, projects, logframes, SWAps) – it’s about how ideas come to be public
Governments don’t do this; whether donors can support initiatives that foster this is uncertain
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4.3 conclusion
The true test facing civil society today is whether we will be able to marshal the analysis, vision and public engagement to stimulate debate that turns schooling into
learning that creates public pressure (incentives) for
governments and donors to do the right things