AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FUND SADC Language: English Original: English

APPRAISAL REPORT

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL)

SADC

EDUCATION DIVISION ONSD SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT MARCH 2006 NORTH - EAST - SOUTH REGION

TABLE OF CONTENTS PROJECT INFORMATION SHEET, CURRENCY AND MEASURES LIST OF TABLES, LIST OF ANNEXES, LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, PROJECT MATRIX...................................................... iii-x

1. ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE PROJECT........................................................1 1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................1

2. THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC)...........1 2.1 Social and economic development status .........................................................1 2.2 SADC institutional and organisational structure ..............................................3 2.3 Policy Frameworks ...........................................................................................4

3. EDUCATION IN THE SADC REGION .................................................................6 3.1 Overview...........................................................................................................6 3.2 Primary education .............................................................................................6 3.3 Secondary education .........................................................................................7 3.4 Adult and youth illiteracy .................................................................................7 3.5 Technical vocational education ........................................................................7 3.6 Tertiary education .............................................................................................8 3.7 Teacher education .............................................................................................8 3.8 Private sector engagement ................................................................................9 3.9 Gender equity....................................................................................................9 3.10 Education financing ........................................................................................10 3.11 Development partner support..........................................................................11 3.12 Educational challenges ...................................................................................12

4. OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING IN THE SADC REGION ........................13 4.1 The status of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) .........................................13 4.2 The role of ODL in increasing access and quality of tertiary education ........14 4.3 The role of ODL in increasing the supply and quality of teachers .................15 4.4 The role of ODL in expanding quality secondary education..........................16 4.5 The role of ODL in Technical and Vocational Education and Training ........17 4.6 Development Partner support to ODL............................................................17 4.7 Implications for scaling up the use of ODL....................................................18

5. THE PROJECT.......................................................................................................20 5.1 Project concept and rationale..........................................................................20 5.2 Project area and beneficiaries .........................................................................22 5.3 Strategic context .............................................................................................22 5.4 Project Objective.............................................................................................22 5.5 Project Description .........................................................................................23 5.6 Environmental impact.....................................................................................29 5.7 Project Costs ...................................................................................................29 5.8 Sources of Financing and Expenditure Schedule ...........................................30

6. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION...........................................................................31 6.1 Executing Agency...........................................................................................31 6.2 Institutional Arrangements .............................................................................32 6.3 Supervision and Implementation Schedules ...................................................33 6.4 Procurement arrangements .............................................................................33 6.5 Disbursement arrangements............................................................................36 6.6 Project Accounting and Auditing ...................................................................36 6.7 Monitoring and Evaluation .............................................................................37 6.8 Aid Coordination ............................................................................................37

7. PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY AND RISKS........................................................38 7.1 Recurrent costs implications...........................................................................38 7.2 Project sustainability.......................................................................................38 7.3 Project assumptions, risks and mitigating measures.......................................39

8. PROJECT BENEFITS............................................................................................39 8.1 Economic impact ............................................................................................39 8.2 Social impact and poverty reduction ..............................................................40 8.3 Technical impact.............................................................................................40

9. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................41 9.1 Conclusions.....................................................................................................41 9.2 Recommendations...........................................................................................41

This report was prepared by Ms. Caroline Pontefract and Mr. Moses Ayiemba, Senior Architect with the assistance of an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) consultant following a field mission to the SADC Secretariat in March 2006. Enquiries should be addressed to Ms. Alice Hamer, Director ONSD (Extension 2046), or Mr. Andre Gervais Komenan, Manager ONSD.1 (Extension 2150).

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African Development Bank Group May 2006

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FUND

01 BP 323, 1002 Tunis Belvedere, Tunisia Tel: +216 71 335 511: Fax: +216 71 334 335

PROJECT INFORMATION SHEET

Date: May 2006: The information given hereunder is intended to provide some guidance to prospective suppliers, contractors, and all persons interested in the procurement of goods and services for projects approved by the Boards of Directors of the Bank Group. More detailed information and guidance should be obtained from the Executing Agency and the Beneficiary.

COUNTRY/REGION Southern African Development Community (SADC)

NAME OF PROJECT SADC: Support to Capacity Building for Open and Distance Learning (ODL)

GRANT BENEFICIARY SADC ADF Member States (Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe)

LOCATION SADC Member States

EXECUTING AGENCY SADC Secretariat/DSHDSP/Bag 0095, Gaborone, Botswana

IMPLEMENTING AGENCY SADC, Tel: (267) 395 1863: Fax: (267) 397 2848

PROJECT DESCRIPTION The project will comprise the following components (i) ODL Regional Policy Development and Strategic Planning and (ii) Regional Capacity Building for Open and Distance Learning.

TOTAL COSTS UA 16.67 million

Foreign UA 4.44 million

Local UA 12.23 million

ADF FINANCING (Grant) UA 15.00 million

OTHER SOURCES OF FINANCE: UA 1.67 million (SADC)

DATE OF APPROVAL July 2006

ESTIMATED STARTING January 2007

DATE AND DURATION 60 months

PROCUREMENT In accordance with the Bank’s Rules of Procedure for Procurement of Goods, Works and Services. ICB, International and National Shopping (IS) and Shortlist to be used where appropriate

CONSULTANCY SERVICES Short listing: consultants in project management, policy development, educational analysis, ODL technical skills & training/workshops facilitation

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CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS

1 UA = US$ 1.44580 (As at March 2006)

THE SADC SECRETARIAT’S FISCAL YEAR

1st April – 31 March LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1: Basic Social Indicators for the SADC Region............................................. 3 Table 3.1: SADC Education Access and Performance ................................................. 6 Table 3.2: Gender equity in primary and secondary education - 2002....................... 10 Table 3.3: Education Cost and Expenditure (2002/3)................................................. 11 Table 3.4: Aid to Education in the SADC 1999-2003 ................................................ 12 Table 4.1: ODL Donor Interventions.......................................................................... 18 Table 5.1: Summary of Project Cost Estimates by Component.................................. 29 Table 5.2: Summary of Project Cost Estimates by Category of Expenditure............. 30 Table 5.3: Sources of Finance (UA Million) .............................................................. 30 Table 5.4: Expenditure Schedule by component and category of expenditure (UA

Million) ...................................................................................................... 31 Table 5.5: Expenditure Schedule by Source of Finance (UA Million)....................... 31 Table 6.1: Summary of Implementation Schedule ..................................................... 33 Table 6.2: Summary of Procurement Arrangements .................................................. 34 Table 6.3: Other modes of Procurement ..................................................................... 34 Table 7.1: Project risks, assumptions and mitigating measures.................................. 39

LIST OF ANNEXES Annexe 1 - Map of SADC Region.................................................................................... 1 Annexe 2 - Structural overview of SADC ........................................................................ 2 Annexe 3 - Project Support Staff ...................................................................................... 3 Annexe 4 - SADC ODL Project Implementation Document (PID): Table of Contents... 4 Annexe 5 - Internal Review Process................................................................................. 5 Annexe 6 - Summarised list of Goods and Services (UA Millions)................................. 6 Annexe 7 - Operations and Indicative Pipeline of Projects, 2000 –2006 ......................... 7 Annexe 8 - Project Implementation Schedule ...............................................................viii

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ACDE African Council for Distance Education AIDS Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome ART Anti-Retroviral Therapy AU African Union AVU African Virtual University BOCODOL Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning CBO Community-based Organisation CIFFAD Consortium of International Francophone de formation a distance COL Commonwealth of Learning COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa DEASA Distance Education Association for Southern Africa DFID Department for International Development DRC Democratic Republic of Congo ECCE Early Childhood Care and Education EU European Union EFA Education For All EDI Education Development Index FE Foreign Exchange GDP Gross Domestic Product GER Gross Enrolment Ratio GNI Gross National Income HDI Human Development Index HIV Human Immunity Virus ICP International Cooperating Partner ICT Information Communication Technologies ICM Council of Ministers IAE Institute Adult Education IEC Information, Education, Communication ILO International Labor Organization IMR Infant Mortality Rate JFTCA Joint Financing & Technical Cooperation Arrangements JTF Joint Task Force LC Local Cost MDGs Millennium Development Goals MOU Memorandum of Understanding NAMCOL Namibia College of Open Learning NEPAD New Partnership for African Development NER Net Enrolment Ratio ODL Open and Distance Learning ODeL Open Distance and e Learning OED Operations Evaluation Department PIU Project Implementation Unit PID Project Implementation Document RASP Regional Assistance Strategy Paper RISDP Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan SADC Southern Africa Development Community SEDE Secondary Education through Distance Education SHSDP Directorate of Social and Human Development and Special Programs SIPO Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ SNC SADC National Committee SWaP Sector Wide Approach TA Technical Assistance TCDE Technical Committee on Distance Education TCDOL Technical Committee of Distance Open Learning TVET Technical Vocational Education and Training UA Unit of Account UPE Universal Primary Education

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. PROJECT BACKGROUND Over the last 20 years the SADC Region has faced major development challenges as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI). Of the 18 countries identified by the 2005 UNDP Human Development Report with a declining HDI, nine are SADC Member States. This decline in SADC development is a result of a complex set of internal and external factors that interact to constrain the potential of the Region and its people, to sustain and improve their lives. The diversity of the SADC Region presents additional challenges, particularly in relation to regional integration, for example Mauritius is ranged 65th in the HDI, whereas nine of the remaining 14 SADC Member States are ranked between 140th and 167th (Table 2.1). There are also serious challenges at all levels of education and the Region is struggling to achieve its Education for All (EFA) targets. Only 68% of primary aged children have access to the final primary grade and only about 20% of children complete secondary education across the SADC. At the higher education level less than 5% of the eligible age group go on to tertiary education. A quarter of the adult population remain illiterate and there are serious shortages of trained teachers at all levels. This project is aimed at facilitating the Region’s education systems and institutions to work together more effectively and efficiently through better co-ordinated networks and institutional practices, both within and across the Member States in order for them to become more open, more innovative, more flexible and more deeply integrated. This project is consequently fundamentally concerned with supporting capacity building in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) towards its more effective deployment across the Region. In the context of this project, ODL is defined as a set of teaching and learning strategies (or education methods) that can be used to overcome spatial and temporal separation between educators and learners. Open learning is about improving educational accessibility and quality through the application of appropriate policies, structures, methods, programmes and Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to support learning – such as video, audio and the newer computer technologies. The project will lay the foundations for new practices and new ways of providing education in order to improve its accessibility, equity, relevance and quality. It will generate a SADC Regional Policy and Strategic Plan for ODL which will help to re-vitalise education structures in the Region. It will support capacity building in both the strategic and technical management of Open and Distance Learning programmes for SADC citizens. 2. PURPOSE OF THE GRANT The ADF Grant of UA 15 million (90% of the total cost) will be used to finance 100% of foreign cost (UA 4.44 million) and 86.4% (UA 10.56) million in local costs, representing 63.3% of total project costs in all categories of expenditure. The grant will finance technical assistance, equipment, office furniture, consultancies, training and operating costs, as well as the cost of producing various project related documents. 3. PROJECT OBJECTIVE The project objective is to contribute to regional integration through the development and deployment of effective, harmonised open and distance learning (ODL) in the SADC Region.

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4. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT The project has two components:

(i) ODL Regional Policy Development and Strategic Planning

(ii) Capacity Building for Open and Distance Learning

In order to achieve its objective, the project will generate four main outputs: (i) Regional SADC ODL policy and strategy developed and agreed; (ii) Regional and national Capacity to deploy and implement ODL strengthened; (iii) Two Regional Centres of Specialisation established; (iv) Project activities effectively coordinated and implemented. 5. PROJECT COSTS The total project cost, net of taxes and duties, is estimated at UA 16.67 million out of which UA 4.44 million (26.6%) of total project costs will be in foreign exchange and UA 12.23 million (73.4%) in local costs. 6. SOURCES OF FINANCE The project will be financed by ADF and SADC. The ADF grant of UA 15 million (90% of the total cost) will finance 100% (UA 4.44 million) of the foreign cost and 86.4% (UA 10.56 million) of local costs representing 63.3% of total costs. SADC financing (all local costs) amounts to UA 1.67 million or 10% of total costs. 7. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION The project will be implemented over 60 months (5 years). The executing agency will be the SADC Secretariat. 8. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION The SADC Region faces major education and development challenges. Over 20 million children have inadequate secondary education and there is need to increase the supply of relevant technical and vocational training. Less than 5% of the eligible group are able to access higher education. The Region needs at least 1 million additional teachers. This project will strengthen the capacity of selected SADC education institutions and structures to appropriately use open and distance learning methods and technologies more effectively to improve access, quality and efficiency of education service delivery. It will do this through Regional policy and strategic plan development, carefully targeted capacity building, to support systemic, institutional and individual development, and enhanced regional networking and information sharing. These actions will contribute to human resource development and poverty reduction in the SADC through improved access to quality education for the SADC people. It is recommended that an ADF grant not exceeding UA 15 million be extended to SADC Secretariat on behalf of Member States, for the purposes of implementing the project as described in this report, subject to the conditions described in this report and specified in the Grant Agreement.

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PROJECT MATRIX – LOGFRAME SADC - Capacity Building in Open and Distance Learning (ODL)

Hierarchy of Objectives Expected Results Target Population Objectively Verifiable indicators Indicators and Time Frame Important assumptions and risks

SECTOR GOAL To increase access to quality education and training in the SADC Region.

Longer Term Outcomes • Economic growth and

social development in SADC Region

• SADC Member States and its citizens

• Completion rate of primary schools

• Enrolment rate secondary education

• Percentage of students at tertiary level

• Enrolment to TVET programmes Sources EFA Monitoring Report SADC Statistics Member States sector reviews Project Completion Report

• EFA achieved by 2015 • 5% increase in TVET enrolment across

the Region by 2011 • 5% increase in percentage of students in

Tertiary education across the Region by 2011

PROJECT OBJECTIVE

To contribute to the development and deployment of effective, harmonised open and distance learning (ODL) and promote regional integration.

Medium Term Outcomes Capacity and motivation of SADC in designing and implementing strategic regional ODL interventions is enhanced.

• SADC Member States and its citizens

• SADC Regional ODL Policy, Strategic Plan and Operational Frameworks addressing Teacher, Tertiary, Secondary and TVET education developed.

• Capacity of SADC Region in the design and development of effective harmonised ODL educational programmes built.

Sources SADC Project reports

• Regional policy for ODL in four educational sub-sectors developed by mid 2007

• Regional Strategic Plans and Operational frameworks developed by end of 2008

• Technical skill workshops in 9 key ODL skills and 2 generic areas implemented by end of 2011

• ODL informant sharing systems in place and utilised by SADC Member States by 2011.

Commitment by SADC and ICPs to International Development Goals. Governments and other stakeholders are committed to regional educational integration and cross border ODL initiatives.

ACTIVITIES/INPUTS

Component 1 – ODL Regional Policy Development and Strategic Planning

Greater and more strategic deployment of distance learning within and across the SADC.

• Educational planners, decision and policy makers from SADC Member State

• IEC Strategy developed and implemented

• Number and focus of ODL SADC Studies.

• IEC Strategy developed by March 2007 and implemented throughout the project period.

• 4 ODL Studies for Tertiary, Teacher,

Policy and strategic plan development has lasting impact at institutional and structural levels

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Hierarchy of Objectives Expected Results Target Population Objectively Verifiable indicators Indicators and Time Frame Important assumptions and risks

governments. • Number of ODL Policy Development Forum and level of participation.

• Number of ODL Strategic Planning and Operational Framework Forum and level of participation.

• Number of and attendance at ODL SADC Regional conferences

Sources • Quarterly progress reports (QPPR) • SADC reports

Secondary and TVET education produced by end of March 2007

• 4 Studies for sub-sectors produced and form basis of policy development by end of June 2007

• 4 ODL Policy Development Forum with (8 representatives from each country and TCDOL) carried out by December 2007

• 4 Strategic Plan and Operational Frameworks Forum (8 representatives from each country and TCDOL) carried out by end of 2008

• 3 Regional ODL conferences of 250 key SADC stakeholders held by September 2007, December 2008 and December 2010

Component 2 - Regional Capacity Building for Open and Distance Learning

Capacity of SADC Region in the effective design and implementation of ODL programmes is strengthened.

• ODL practitioners and managers from institutions and Ministries in Member States.

• Number of Centres of Specialisation established

• Frequency of technical skill workshops at Centres of Specialisation and attendance rate.

• Attendance at technical skill workshops at the Centres of Specialisation over period of time

• ODL data base established and utilised

• Information and resource sharing networks in place and utilised.

• Number of Certificates, Diplomas and Masters Degrees in ODL attained by when.

• Attendance of number of people at key regional and continental ODL events over a period of time.

Sources • Workshop reports • Monitoring and evaluation reports • QPPR

• Two Centres of Specialisation established by end of 2008

• Four technical ODL skill workshops in the identified areas held at each Centre of Specialisation from 2009 – 2011 (11 in total) for 54 x 4 participants.

• Attendance of 90% of target audience at the 11 technical skill workshops

• The web-site/knowledge base on ODL fully established and widely accessed by all SADC Member States by 2010

• Information and resource sharing networks in place by June 2009 and utilised by all SADC Member States

• 80% of 54 candidates undertaking designated accredited courses successfully complete by 2011

• Attendance by 45 ADF representatives at 5 key regional and continental ODL events from 2007-2011.

Centres of specialisation are effective and develop effective strategies for post-project sustainability

d risks

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Hierarchy of Objectives Expected Results Target Population Objectively Verifiable indicators Indicators and Time Frame Important assumptions an

Activities 1. Procurement of

equipment & furniture

2. Technical Assistance 3. Consultancy for studies 4. Audit 5. Policy/strategic plan

development workshops

6. Regional capacity Building workshops

7. Technical Skills Training

8. Project management & supervision

• Project successfully implemented and attains objectives.

• All recipients and target audiences of the project.

• ADF Grant of UA 15.00 million and SADC contribution of UA 1.67 million

• Budget: Amount Furniture UA 0.068 Equipment UA 2.767 Technical assistance UA 2.133 Consultancies UA 4.197 Training workshops UA 4.915 Audit UA 0.099 Online hosting UA 0.392 Scholarships UA 0.207 Operating costs UA 1.891 Total cost Total UA 16.670

1. ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE PROJECT

1.1 Introduction 1.1.1 With a total population of 234 million, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), established in 1992, consists of 14 Member States: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The main purpose of SADC is to improve economic growth and development, alleviate poverty, enhance the quality of life of the people of the Region, support its socially disadvantageous areas through deeper regional integration and enhance the quality of life of the peoples of the Region.

1.1.2 One of the ways of enhancing the quality of life of the peoples of SADC is to ensure that all population groups have adequate access to basic social services, of which education is central. However, several factors limit access to quality education in the Region: absenteeism and drop out due to loss of opportunity costs; limited coverage of school catchment areas; the costliness of conventional education systems, particularly at secondary level; limited school infrastructure and consequently overcrowded classrooms; inadequately trained and qualified teachers and irrelevant curricular. One of the ways in which SADC has identified as addressing these challenges is to deploy Open and Distance Learning.

1.1.3 Drawing on proposals developed by the SADC Technical Committee on Distance Education (TCDE) in 2002, the Secretariat of the SADC Human Resource Development Sector submitted a request to the African Development Bank (ADB) for support to help develop capacity in Open and Distance Learning (ODL). The request to provide resources to assist the SADC to develop and apply Open and Distance Learning (ODL) methods across the SADC reflects the wider regional co-operation and integration processes which underpin and drive the achievement of the SADC vision, mission and purpose. An ODL capacity building project will contribute towards the SADC goal of economic integration and development, as well as assisting with the achievement of its sector goal of attaining basic education for all citizens in line with its Education For All (EFA) commitment by 2015.

1.1.4 Between 2003 and 2006 the ADB conducted a series of missions to identify, prepare and appraise an ODL capacity building project consistent with SADC Protocol on Education and Training (2000) and the SADC Regional Integrated Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2004. The project was developed by ADB and SADC during the Identification, Preparation and Appraisal missions which took place in July, and November 2005 and in March 2006 respectively.

2. THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC)

2.1 Social and economic development status 2.1.1 The levels and rates of human development as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI) - which incorporates life expectancy, combined gross enrolment ratios at all levels of education, adult literacy and real per capita income – vary and fluctuate among SADC Member States. A key issue for SADC is life expectancy and the quality of that life. Across the Region, life expectancy at birth ranges from 33 years in Zimbabwe and Zambia to 72 years in Mauritius. Apart from Mauritius, no country in the SADC registers a life

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expectancy level above the continental average of 51 years. HIV/AIDS is the main cause of low life expectancy. In six countries, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe over 20% of the population aged 15-49 years are infected with HIV. Four Member States, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe have more than 25% of women attending antenatal clinics who are HIV positive. UNAIDS has estimated that over one million people died of AIDS in the SADC Region in 2001 and cumulatively, the total number of deaths since the start of the epidemic is now running at over 20 million.

2.1.2 The HIV/AIDS pandemic is having a very serious effect on SADC as many of the people dying of AIDS are from the economically productive age group. Many HIV and AIDS sufferers are educated, skilled, and enterprising, and have undergone long periods of training and skill acquisition. There is a serious threat that the epidemic will further undermine socio-economic development efforts and the integration process in the Region. The impact of HIV and AIDS is also reflected in an increase in the number of orphans, street children, and child-headed households. Over four million children are estimated to have been orphaned because of HIV and AIDS by 2001. In recent years, the under-five mortality rates of the countries in the SADC Region have also increased by 20–40%, due to HIV/AIDS.

2.1.3 There are significant inter-regional differences in the economic productiveness of the SADC countries with Gross Domestic Product per capita ranging from 2,979 US$ and 3,747 US$ respectively in Botswana and Mauritius, while the figure is less than 200 US$ per capita in DRC, Malawi and Mozambique. These countries, which the Bank deems eligible to the African Development Fund (ADF), also often suffer low (1% or less) or negative levels of economic growth. As a share of GDP, SADC’s debt burden ranges between 2.8% in Namibia, to 207% in the DRC. Over 60% of the entire SADC Region’s population was estimated to be living on less than 2 US$ a day in 2001. Urbanisation in the sub-region is relatively low, estimated at 36.9 per cent in 2002, though again there is significant variation, ranging from 25 per cent in Malawi to 53.7 per cent in Botswana.

2.1.4 Political stability is another key factor which influences development progress in the Region. Two of the member countries of the Community: Angola and the DRC, are recently emerging from domestic warfare. Most of the others were significantly affected by the struggle against apartheid. There are also considerable environmental challenges facing regional integration. These include chronic problems of drought, flooding and cyclones which affect several countries across the Region. The economies of the Region are particularly susceptible to environmental changes because of their high dependence on rain-fed agriculture and the strong links between agriculture and the rest of the economy. A number of countries in the Region now suffer from chronic food shortage. Table 2.1 below gives an overview of the SADC development situation.

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Table 2.1: Basic Social Indicators for the SADC Region Country ADF

GDP per capita US$

Population (000) (2003)

Life Expectancy at birth

HIV Adults prevalence rate 15-49 (2003)

U5 Mortality Rate/ Rank

% Pop Living on less than $2 a day 1990-2002

HDI 2003

HDI Rank N= 175

HDI Gain or Loss 1990-03 +/-

Angola 853 13,625 40 3.9 260/3 - 0.381 - N/A DRC 111 52,771 42 4.2 205/9 - 0.385 167 -

Lesotho 397 1,802 35 28.9 84/57 56.1 0.497 149 - Madagascar 260 17,404 54 1.7 126/33 83.3 0.499 146 +

Malawi 160 12,105 38 14.2 178/19 76.1 0.404 165 + Mozambique 194 18,863 38 12.2 158/24 78.4 0.379 168 +

Tanzania 259 36,977 43 8.8 22/165 59.7 0.418 164 - Zambia 346 10,812 33 16.5 182/17 87.4 0.394 166 -

Zimbabwe 647 12,891 33 24.6 126/33 64.2 0.505 147 - ADB

Botswana 2,979 1,785 39 37.3 112/43 50.1 0.565 131 - Mauritius 3,747 1,221 72 0.1 18/127 - 0.791 65 + Namibia 1,481 1,987 44 21.3 65/65 55.8 0.627 125 +

South Africa 2,329 45,026 47 21.5 66/65 23.8 0.658 120 - Swaziland 1,110 1,077 34 38.8 153/26 - 0.498 147 -

Sources: UNICEF (2005) – The State of the World’s Children; HDI - UNDP Development Report (2005) N.B Botswana Government presents slightly higher figures for life expectancy.

2.1.5 The discussion above indicates that the SADC Member States differ widely in their political, cultural and socio-economic circumstances. This diversity has impacted on the capacity of the community to work together successfully towards common goals. Depending on the area of focus, the different countries have achieved varying levels of effectiveness. The speed and implementation of agreed reform has often differed markedly from country to country.

2.2 SADC institutional and organisational structure 2.2.1 The treaty establishing the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the successor to the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC) was signed at the Summit of Heads of State and Government in Windhoek, Namibia in July 1992. The main thrust of SADC is to achieve meaningful development and economic growth, alleviate poverty and enhance the standard and quality of life of the people of Southern Africa. SADC is the major institutional body in the Region through which many regional activities are channelled.

2.2.2 In the past the SADC Secretariat faced a number of organisational and structural challenges which have at times impeded its ability to achieve its mission and development programme. These challenges were related to the lack of clarity of this mandate, the financing modalities and serious gaps in human resource capacity. To deal with these challenges, SADC implemented a restructuring and change management process. This has involved making significant changes to structure, operations and personnel, at both the central and local levels. A SADC Secretariat, based in Gaborone, Botswana, is the principal executing body responsible for the overall co-ordination of the SADC Programme of Action, as well as servicing the meetings of the Committee of Council of Ministers and the Summit of Heads of States and Governments. The Secretariat has been given a high level of autonomy and authority to implement decisions taken by the political entities, while remaining accountable

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for its operations. The Secretariat is headed by an Executive Secretary which includes the Department of Strategic Planning Gender and Development and Policy Harmonisation (DSPGDPH), itself composed of four main Directorates under which all the sector work is clustered. At the regional level an Integrated Council of Ministers (ICM) co-ordinates the work of the different sector clusters. At National level, SADC National Committees (SNCs) have replaced the Sector Co-ordinating Units. SNCs co-ordinate their respective individual Member State interests as they relate to SADC.

2.2.3 The basis of SADC’s financing has also been changed and now is in relation to the individual Member States ‘ability to pay’, and the Secretariat’s budget for FY 2005/2006 has been increased by more than 100%. SADC has also addressed its recruitment problems and has approved a number of posts and is in the process of filling these. Recruitment is based on specified country and gender quotas. Staff recruited through open competition and permanent posts have replaced all seconded positions.

2.2.4 All these measures will help to improve the implementation of SADC programmes, particularly at the national level. As SADC moves forward to improve its effectiveness and efficiency, a number of development partners have shown interest in developing the capacity of the Secretariat to discharge its mandate. The International Co-operating Partners (ICPs) work in collaboration with SADC and the principles of their partnership is reflected in the Windhoek Declaration of April 2006. This acknowledges the importance of harmonisation and advocates the use of SADC systems for programme implementation and is considering how best to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Secretariat and its field structures.

2.3 Policy Frameworks 2.3.1 Education and development policy influencing SADC Member States exists at three main levels: Global/Continental; Regional and National.

2.3.2 Global/Continental: The MDG and EFA goals commit the SADC states to achieving key international and continent wide education-development objectives including: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women; reducing child mortality; improving maternal health; combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; and developing a global partnership for development. Education is widely recognised as a crucial pillar for the reconstruction and development of Southern Africa. Continent-wide policy for Africa, in particular the Bank's education sector policy, makes specific commitment to support greater regional cooperation and enhanced policy dialogue, along with human resource development in education through wider use of ICTs and distance education. This includes commitment to support both policy and capacity development primarily using existing institutional structures with a view to ensuring long-term sustainability.

2.3.3 Regional: At the regional level, two main policy documents provide the framework to guide education projects in the SADC (a) the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and (b) the SADC Protocol for Education and Training. The SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) gives strategic direction and focus to future SADC programmes. The focus and purpose of the RISDP is to deepen regional integration across the SADC, and to provide Member States with the long-term economic and social policies to achieve this. Goals include improved trade, economic

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liberalisation and development, infrastructure support for regional integration, sustainable food security and human and social development. The RISDP also identifies a number of cross-sectoral intervention areas: HIV, gender equity and development, science and technology, information and communication technologies, environment and sustainable development, and private sector development.

2.3.4 The focus of the SADC Protocol on Education and Training is to promote a regionally integrated and harmonised education system, particularly with regard to issues pertaining to access, equity, relevance and quality of education interventions. The Protocol is based on an awareness ‘that human centred development is one of the most essential means by which to achieve the objectives of the [SADC] Treaty’1 and further notes that ‘a concerted effort can only be effected through the implementation of coordinated comprehensive and integrated programmes of education and training that address the needs of the Region’.2

2.3.5 Key principles and objectives of the Protocol emphasise regional approaches to educational development through the development of common systems, specifically policy making capacity and regional policy frameworks, information and resource pooling, harnessing of regional expertise, and avoidance of duplication. With an ultimate aim of ‘harmonisation, standardisation and equivalence of education and training systems across the Region by 2017, the Protocol stresses that these objectives are to be achieved through equitable participation, balance and mutual benefit in regional collaborations and the involvement of a key stakeholders at Member State level including the private sector and NGOs. Specific reference is made to the role of distance education, noting that: ‘Member States agree that the objectives of distance education are, (amongst others) to: (a) improve access to education and training and to reduce the inequalities in the acquisition of education and training; (b) work towards achieving universal literacy and numeracy; (c) reduce the cost of education and training by maximizing on the economies of scale offered by distance education’. SADC’s Technical Committee on Distance Education (now The Technical Committee on Open and Distance Learning - TCDOL) developed an initial regional strategic plan for the application of ODL in the SADC which reflected the principles of the SADC Education Protocol.

2.3.6 National: At the Member State level, 14 national education policies and plans govern the country education programmes. The extent to which ODL is reflected in these national policies and plans varies. Some states give ODL significant prominence e.g. Namibia, South Africa and Mauritius. More recently, some states (e.g. South Africa and Mauritius) have developed separate policies for e-learning. However, Member States have not undertaken detailed assessments to comprehensively incorporate and harness the potential of ODL or OdeL (Open, distance electronic Learning) into their education policy frameworks. The interest and commitment to regional educational initiatives and the deployment of ODL is reflected however through each of the 14 Member States being signatories to the SADC Protocol on Education and Training.

1 SADC. 2004. Protocol on Education and Training. SADC Secretariat: Gaborone. p. 1. 2 ibid. p. 2.

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3. EDUCATION IN THE SADC REGION

3.1 Overview 3.1.1 As discussed in Chapter 3, the Region is struggling to achieve its Education For All targets. Millions of children and young adults are leaving SADC education systems having failed to master basic skills, either because they have had insufficient time in school or because the quality of the education they received was inadequate. Table 3.1 gives an overview of the education situation in the SADC and the challenges in relation to the educational sub-sectors are discussed below.

Table 3.1: SADC Education Access and Performance Country ADF

Education Development Index (EDI) Rank

EDI NER Primary %

Primary apparent intake rate (%)

Primary completion rate (Access to last grade % - 2002)

Actual primary to secondary transition rate (%)

Upper Secondary access rate to last grade (%)

Adult literacy rate (%) (2000-04)

Angola - - - - 43 - - 67 DRC - - - - 47* - - 65 Lesotho 93 0.817 0.844 96 67 76 17 81 Madagascar - - - 118 40 58 5 71 Malawi 108 0.688* 0.810 - 73 87 18 64 Mozambique 121 0.543 0.597 115 46 71 2 46 Tanzania 100 0.741* 0.544 146 56 18 2 77 Zambia 94 0.748 0.660 86 60 64 15 80 Zimbabwe 94 0.847* 0.827 112 81 72 6 90 ADB Botswana 83 0.859 0.809 112 92 94 44 79 Mauritius 53 0.943 0.932 93 100 79 32 84 Namibia 78 0.883 0.782 98 92 88 30 83 South Africa 97 0.840 0.895 116 92 99 45 82 Swaziland 89 0.810 0.767 94 66 86 24 79

Sources: UNESCO 2005 Table A1.1; UNESCO-BREDA 2005 *DRC figure is for 1990 as the last known figure * = 2004 figure from UNESCO 2004 GMR

3.2 Primary education The achievement of Education for All (EFA) by 2015 remains the key challenge in the SADC Region. Access to primary education varies across the Region. Eight of the 14 SADC states provide a legal guarantee to free primary education for all children. However, the number of years of primary education provided varies, with some states providing six years while others offer up to nine years. The apparent primary intake rate is over 85% in eleven of the fourteen Member States. However, survival to the end of primary, or access to the last grade, varies between 40% in Madagascar and 100% in Mauritius. In the ADF sub-group six countries show access at only 60% or below, whereas four countries in the ADB sub-group register over 90%. Repetition rates at the grade one primary level range from 4% in Zambia and Botswana, to 38% in Madagascar. At least six countries in the Region have repetition rates above 15% at the first grade, although repetition rates tend to decline from then on with the lowest rates at the higher grades. Similarly, drop-out rates range from 1.7% in Mauritius, to 66.4% in Madagascar, with six countries in the Region having drop-out rates which exceed 30% by the end of the primary cycle. In summary the data suggests that more than a quarter of the primary population fail to successfully complete the primary cycle across the SADC. More and better trained teachers would help to improve the quality of education and its outcomes and increase completion rates, particularly at primary level.

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3.3 Secondary education Access to secondary education for most of the children in the Region is poor. Only two states South Africa and Mauritius, achieve a Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) above 50%. Most states provide places for fewer than 25% of the secondary age cohort. Secondary education systems in the SADC also display high levels of inefficiency, wastage and inequity. In Mozambique for example, although 71% of those who graduate at the end of the primary cycle go on to the first grade of lower secondary, only 2% of that number enter the final secondary grade. In Malawi, the comparable figures are 87% and 18%; and in Zimbabwe 72% and 6%. The phenomenon is visible across the SADC, but large populations of out-of-school youth are found in Angola (1m), Mozambique (2.6m), and Tanzania (3.5m). A further three states, Madagascar, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, each have over 500,000 children out of school (no figures are available for DRC). From the data available, it can be estimated that there are at least 12 million secondary children ‘out of school’ in the ADF countries, with a further 884,000 out of school in the SADC ADB countries. Moreover, if the primary school children who are pushed out of the primary cycle before they complete the final grade are also included, it can be estimated that there are at least 20 million children in the Region who have not had access to an adequate basic education.

3.4 Adult and youth illiteracy 3.4.1 The total number of illiterate adults in SADC is estimated to be 35.6m representing over a quarter of the Region’s adult population. National illiteracy levels vary considerably from 54% in Mozambique to 7% in Zimbabwe. All the ADF countries in the Region, with the exception of Zimbabwe and Lesotho, have more than a million illiterate adult citizens (Angola 2.1m; DRC 9.1m; Malawi 2.1m; Madagascar 2.5m; Mozambique 5.6m; Tanzania 6m and Zambia 1.7m, South Africa 4.6 million). Further, the rapidly rising population has meant most Member States have made little progress with reducing youth illiteracy. For example, Tanzania’s illiterate youth population has doubled since 1990, rising from 882,000 to 1.6m in 2004. In the DRC, youth illiteracy has risen from 2.2m in 1990 to 3.1m in 2004. Overall the total number of illiterate youth across the Region is estimated to exceed 11m. The ADF countries have over 10.3m illiterate youth (94% of the total), while the ADB group of countries register a further 629,000 illiterate youth. The majority (82%) being in South Africa (518,000).

3.4.2 With a total illiterate adult population of 35.6m there remain significant challenges here and 60% of all adult illiterates in 2004 were women. Across SADC, with the sole exceptions of Lesotho and Botswana, female illiteracy rates are higher than for males. Across the ADF sub-group, female illiteracy rates range between 68-37%. Over the 1990-2004 period, the gender literacy situation in SADC worsened. In 1990, 59% of the 33 million illiterate were women. By 2004, the absolute total had risen to 35.6m and 60% were women. However, in the ADF group, female literacy rose by 10% points from a very low base of 51.6% in 1990 to 61.6% in 2004.

3.5 Technical vocational education Technical vocational education provision across the SADC is fragmented, unevenly developed, under-funded, small-scale and generally neglected. Women’s representation in this sector is low (30%), particularly in the ADF countries. With the exception of South Africa, relatively small numbers of youth are catered for throughout the Region. TVET

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development has been constrained by poor coordination, lack of institutional and curricular coherence and under-funding. It is often provided by several ministries and a plethora of private agencies which offer both accredited and non accredited training. The relatively high cost of provision for workshops, tools and teachers compared with general education, is also a problem and results in much of TVET provision being theoretical. Teachers are often untrained. Rarely are public or private employers involved in curriculum development or the provision of apprenticeship training. Provision is often supply-led rather than demand-driven and there is a mismatch therefore between supply and demand. As a result, much is of low quality and because of the under-developed nature of most SADC economies, many TVET graduates remain unemployed or underemployed. This sector requires reform, investment, funding diversification and institutional and individual development in many of the SADC Member States.

3.6 Tertiary education Participation in tertiary education across the Region is very low. In all nine ADF countries, higher education participation rates are lower than 5% of the eligible age group. Only three countries achieve any sizable higher education provision: South Africa (GER, 14%), Mauritius (11.3 %) and Namibia (7.5%). South Africa accounts for 71% of the total higher education provision in the SADC (675,000 places).While the ADF sub-region as a whole accounts for only an additional 237,500 places. Malawi enrols only 0.6% of the relevant eligible age-group. The majority of students study in the areas of education, social science, business, law, and humanities. Very few students study the sciences or engineering subjects. At higher levels of education women are under represented generally and the subjects which are studied show a clear gender pattern, with more girls opting for social science and arts subjects. There is a need to increase access to tertiary education across the Region as a whole and to improve gender equity and uptake of science and technology courses.

3.7 Teacher education 3.7.1 UNESCO has estimated that Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will need about 4 million additional teachers by 2015 if the EFA targets are to be reached. The SADC Region will need at least 1m of these additional teachers. In 2003, SADC had a total of approximately 804,800 primary teachers. About 45% are women. 80% are trained. However, as no figures are available for Madagascar, DRC, Angola, or Zimbabwe - the actual number of trained teachers in the Region is probably much lower. The situation with regard to secondary teachers is also incomplete, as no recent data is available on teacher numbers for three of the most populous countries (DRC, Madagascar and Tanzania). However, it is estimated that of a total number of secondary teachers in 2003 - 220,000 - 54% are trained and 32% of secondary teachers serving in the ADF countries are women. Approximately 160,000 untrained primary teachers and 100,000 untrained or under-trained secondary teachers are working in the Region. As demand for secondary education increases with the success of EFA, there will be a need to rapidly expand secondary teacher training capacity in the Region.

3.7.2 At the tertiary/university level few states provide initial or systematic in-service training for their tertiary teachers. Yet with the increasing pace of innovation and change and the need to improve the relevance and quality of higher education across the Region, there is a need for more university teacher training, particularly with regard to the application of new methods of teaching and learning such as Open and Distance Learning and the use of ICTs.

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The initial and in-service training of Early Childhood Development (ECD) teachers and community assistants is another neglected area. Most ECD teachers working in the Region are untrained. Given the high rates of return to investment in early childhood education, the training of ECD teachers represents an investment opportunity which could also use a mass ODL approach. Recent research in Namibia has suggested pre-primary education has a very strong positive impact on individual future earnings. This has influenced the current education policy discussion in Namibia regarding the expansion of pre-primary education in a pro-poor manner.

3.8 Private sector engagement The private sector is involved in education provision across the Region providing the majority of pre-school provision (DRC 93%; Lesotho 100%; Namibia 100%; Mauritius 83%); and making significant contributions in secondary education in some countries (Zimbabwe - 71% and Mauritius - 68%. The private sector also makes a small-scale (a few hundred enrolments) and with a narrowly focused curriculum (mainly business studies, IT, and social sciences subjects) contribution at the university level, e.g. The Catholic University in Mozambique and St. Augustine University of Tanzania. Private provision has long played an important role in improving educational access through distance education in the Region, particularly in the commercial and technical vocational skills area. Many of the early correspondence colleges, e.g. Damelin, Rapid Results, International Correspondence Schools and Lyceum are familiar names to many in the Southern African Member States. More recently, global ICT providers like Microsoft and Cisco have provided very significant amounts of technical training to SADC citizens, particularly through their accredited partnership networks. However, SADC needs to consider how to enhance the contribution of the private sector to improved access to quality education at all levels of the system. For example, policy frameworks, regional accreditation structures and advocacy of innovative methods of educational delivery, such as ICTs and distance learning, can do much to support and encourage private sector engagement.

3.9 Gender equity 3.9.1 The Region is some way off track in achieving its EFA gender parity target. At the primary level the average completion rate for SADC as a whole is 75% for boys and 74% for girls. However, in the ADF countries the figure is 58% for girls and 64% for boys. (No figures are available for Angola and DRC so these figures are likely to be overestimates). This compares with a primary completion rate of 90% for girls and 86% boys in the SADC ADB sub-group. At the primary level, three countries display a marked gender disparity: Malawi, (GPI 0.66), Zambia (0.83) and Mozambique (0.65). These disparities carry forward to the secondary level. However, for the SADC Region as a whole, an average of 48% of both girls and boys progress to the secondary level – but the absolute numbers are low. The position is complicated by the diversity of cultural expectation. In Lesotho for example, gender inequality favours girls. Here boys have traditionally been disadvantaged as they are required to leave school early to herd family cattle, or travel to work in the South African mines and remit income back home. The Lesotho Distance Teaching Centre recognised this pattern and responded to it back in the 1970’s, launching a ‘herd-boys education programme’ which took basic education to the herd-boys with their cattle. All education programming, but particularly that concerned with ODL, needs to pay particular attention to gender patterns and their implications, especially at the policy-making and programme planning stage.

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3.9.2 In terms of adult literacy - 60% of all adult illiterates in 2004 in the SADC were women. Across SADC, with the exception of Lesotho and Botswana, female illiteracy rates are higher than for males. Across the ADF sub-group, female illiteracy rates range between 37% to 68%. By 2004, the absolute illiteracy total had risen to 35.6m with 60% being women. All educational policy and capacity development needs to take such inequities and their implications seriously and ensure they are actively addressed. Table 3.2 below gives an overview of aspects of the gender parity situation in education in the SADC.

Table 3.2: Gender equity in primary and secondary education - 2002 Primary completion rate Gross enrolment ratio in secondary Country

Girls %

Boys %

Parity Index Girls %

Boys %

Parity Index Gini Index in the Education system

ADF countries Angola - - - 16.8 21.4 0.8 - DRC - - - - - - 67 Lesotho 78 57 1.36 38.9 30.4 1.3 37 Madagascar 41 40 1.02 15.7 15.9 1.0 54 Malawi 61 92 0.66 28.7 37.5 0.8 - Mozambique 36 55 0.65 12.7 19.1 0.7 53 Tanzania 56 55 1.03 - - - - Zambia 54 65 0.83 25.3 30.5 0.8 45 Zimbabwe 80 83 0.96 37.8 42.7 0.9 29 Average 58 64 25.1 28.2 ADB countries Botswana 94 88 1.07 74.9 70.5 1.1 19 Mauritius 100 100 1.0 82.0 80.4 1.0 23 Namibia 95 88 1.08 65.9 58.9 1.1 23 South Africa 94 90 1.05 90.9 84.5 1.1 14 Swaziland 68 64 1.06 45.6 45.0 1.0 45

Sources: UNESCO-BREDA 2005, Table 5: p292

3.10 Education financing 3.10.1 Public financing of education varies across the Region according to the level of country economic development and the maturity of its education system. It also reflects the scope, scale, nature and diversity of the educational challenges being faced by Member States. Table 3.3 below provides details of education financing in the SADC.

3.10.2 Most SADC Member States face similar education financing challenges. These primarily relate to the level and use of the budget available for education. On average, SADC states spend 19.7% of GDP on education. The average for Sub-Saharan Africa is 6.1%. However, small economies and a low tax base mean that the finance available to education (per capita) is often very low, particularly in the poorest high population countries. In addition, although education often takes the largest proportion of the national budget, the majority of the finance is used to meet recurrent expenditure. Often, more that 75% of the budget is used for teacher salaries. As a result there is little finance available for investment in new capital development for buildings, to buy education materials (textbooks) and equipment, or for teacher capacity development. This impacts on the quality of education available.

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Table 3.3: Education Cost and Expenditure (2002/3) Country

% of school age population

Current unit cost as a % of GDP per capita

ADF

Government revenues as a % of GDP

% for Education in Government revenues

% for primary (adjusted on 6 years) in the Education budget

% of current spending other than teachers salary (primary)

Primary Secondary Tertiary

Angola 11.9 39 7 52 19 8 - - DRC 17.0 8 7 32 10 3 14 57 Lesotho 18.4 39 24 44 31 24 56 692 Madagascar 16.7 11 23 58 39 8 36 189 Malawi 17.1 19 26 47 14 9 Na. Na. Mozambique 14.1 14 21 48 21 10 32 791 Tanzania 19.6 12 30 55 13 16 - - Zambia 19.7 18 11 46 22 7 19 164 Zimbabwe 19.9 24 30 61 25 16 24 201 ADB Botswana 18.1 39 5 44 - 6 6 90 Mauritius 10.5 18 18 36 - 9 14 49 Namibia 19.7 32 18 55 - 21 25 93 South Africa 15.8 25 21 41 10 14 18 53 Swaziland 19.9 26 14 23 - 11 29 246

Source: UNESCO-BREDA 2005; UNESCO 2005 Table 1

3.10.3 Since 1990, under the international EFA priority, governments have increasingly emphasised the development of primary education. However, over the last three decades, many of the high population SADC lower income countries government have been forced to rely heavily on external aid to finance new capacity development. Higher education and secondary education have seen reductions in their relative budgetary allocations. As an increasing number of children graduate from the primary cycle, both secondary and tertiary systems are being placed under increasing pressure to expand. This pressure has resulted in Zambia announcing (April, 2006) its intention to use distance education to provide a national alternative route to secondary education. Such ODL provision has in the past often been paid for privately as most youth and adults pay fees for secondary ODL courseware and tutorial services.

3.11 Development partner support 3.11.1 Development partner work in education across the Region reflects a move to harmonise support through country-led processes of sector-wide education planning and development (SWAps). This harmonisation process is at different stages of development and implementation across the SADC. For example, Tanzania has been operating a pooled funded education SWAp for four years. Zambia has also established a sector-wide approach involving some 13 development partners. Malawi by contrast, is only at the initial stages of defining its sector-wide model. Most other countries in the Region, for example DRC, continue to use the project-based approach to aid support. Analysis of specific development partner interventions in the area of ODL in SADC is provided in Chapter 4. It is however generally fragmented and small-scale.

3.11.2 In the ADF sub-group, with the exception of Zimbabwe, aid to education has been rising over the period 1999-2003. Aid to basic education has also risen in this group over this period, though less markedly. Four countries in particular have received significant injections of aid to basic education (Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia) with the per capita

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aid to primary education reaching an average of US$ 54 per child in Tanzania and indicating that some countries in the ADF are capable of absorbing aid to education quickly. However, aid to basic education in some of the poorer ADF countries, e.g. DRC and Madagascar, has remained low. Table 3.4 below gives details of the levels of development partner aid to education in the Region.

Table 3.4: Aid to Education in the SADC 1999-2003 Aid to education

(constant 2002 US $ millions) Per capita aid to education (US$)

Aid to basic education (constant 2002 US $ millions)

Aid to basic education per primary school aged child (US$)

Country 1999 2001 2003 Annual average 1999-2003

Annual average 1999-2003

1999 2001 2003 Annual average 1999-2003

Annual average 1999-2003

ADF Angola 11.3 15.2 15.9 15.9 1.2 1.9 8.9 4.8 6.1 4.1 DRC 7.6 9.6 17.8 12.3 0.2 0.6 0.3 2.4 1.0 0.1 Lesotho 0.6 6.9 3.5 3.5 2.0 0.2 0.7 1.9 1.1 2.7 Madagascar 17.1 15.2 29.5 19.8 1.2 0.0 0.0 9.3 1.9 0.0 Malawi 12.8 15.8 26.1 46.6 4.0 0.4 11.7 8.0 31.1 19.3 Mozambique 30.1 48.2 64.0 58.1 3.2 11.5 24.6 23.6 23.6 9.2 Tanzania 17.7 46.0 78.2 63.2 13.3 10.2 27.8 12.4 36.9 54.0 Zambia 54.9 23.5 124.2 55.7 5.2 42.6 16.6 1.4 19.0 11.5 Zimbabwe 8.5 6.4 5.2 7.9 0.6 0.3 0.3 0.7 1.0 0.4 ADB Botswana 2.5 0.6 1.1 1.2 0.7 0.2 0.0 0.2 0.1 0.2 Mauritius 7.9 9.1 10.5 9.3 7.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 Namibia 10.3 13.3 16.8 14.9 7.8 5.1 10.9 13.6 10.5 26.3 South Africa 54.2 106.4 74.0 70.9 1.6 27.0 57.8 37.7 34.6 4.8 Swaziland 1.5 0.1 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.4

Source: UNESCO 2005

3.12 Educational challenges Central to the SADC RISDP is the need to increase economic growth, generate new jobs and improve working conditions, particularly for youth. However, there are serious challenges across all parts of the SADC education sector. The Region is struggling to achieve its EFA targets at both the adult basic and primary education levels. Secondary provision reaches approximately 25% of the eligible age-group. Around 25% of the SADC adult population remain illiterate, and there are serious shortages of trained teachers at all levels. Educational access and performance at both the primary and secondary levels shows wide variation across the Region. Across the Region approximately 68% of primary aged children in the SADC have access to the final primary grade. The figure falls to 57% for the ADF sub-group. In terms of completion, Angola records a 43% primary completion rate (PCR), while Mauritius achieves 100%. The transition rate from primary to lower secondary also varies from around 18% in Tanzania to 99% in South Africa. Only approximately 20% of children complete the secondary cycle in the SADC and only 9% in the ADF sub-group. At the higher education level, less than 5% of the eligible age-group has access to tertiary education. The need to consider alternative models of educational delivery in order to address the issues of access, equity and quality is recognised by SADC and was reflected in the proposal to the Bank to support the development of capacity for effective deployment of Open and Distance Learning across the Region.

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4. OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING IN THE SADC REGION

4.1 The status of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) 4.1.1 The viability of distance learning in addressing the constraints which countries face and its potential to improve educational access, equity and quality is increasingly recognised internationally, regionally and nationally. At the international level, UNESCO has given much support to its effective deployment, developing print materials on good practice and more recently online knowledge bases. The Commonwealth of Learning works with Commonwealth African countries to design and implement both policy and ODL practice. At the Continental level, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) with its Working Group on Distance Education and the African Council for Distance Education (ACDE) offer broader frameworks to support development cooperation and improved integration in distance education. Similarly, there are a number of new large scale ODL and e-learning focused initiatives, such as The African Virtual University (AVU), and New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) E-schools programme both of which the Bank has supported. All of these activities involve SADC Member State participation.

4.1.2 Distance education is not new to the SADC Region and has played an important role at all levels of educational provision: at tertiary level through the Open Universities of Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Universities of Dar-es-Salam and South Africa; at secondary school level, through open schooling in Mozambique, Namibia and Botswana and more recently as announced in Zambia; at teacher education level whereby dedicated institutions have been established, such as Domasi College of Distance Education, in Malawi, the University of Zambia, and the Mauritius College of the Air/Open University, with other initiatives implemented through the mainstream or development partner systems: and also at primary level where Interactive Radio Instruction has been used across the Region, for example in Malawi, South Africa and Zambia. While at the adult basic literacy and post literacy levels, large-scale programmes involving tens of thousands of learners, working with the mass media (mainly radio) and through facilitator supported study groups, have been implemented in South Africa, Zambia and Tanzania for many years.

4.1.3 The deployment of Open and Distance learning (ODL) has been popular with African governments because it has proven to be both cost efficient and potentially of very high quality. In 2004 African Ministers called for the wider application of ODL (All Africa Education Ministers Conference on ODL, South Africa). At the regional level, the Distance Education Association of Southern Africa (DEASA) and more recently, the Southern African Regional Distance Education Centre (SARDEC) both support inter-country cooperation in ODL. The role and importance of ODL is strongly reflected in the SADC Protocol on Education and Training and in the SADC request to the Bank for support to capacity development in ODL.

4.1.4 As highlighted in the education sector analysis in Chapter 3, SADC faces challenges in four educational areas – tertiary education, teacher education, technical and vocational education and training and secondary schooling. As a means of responding to challenges of access, quality and equity Open and Distance Learning (ODL) is increasingly being seen within SADC as a viable strategy. It has been most used in tertiary and teacher education, but its value in supporting out-of-school youth through the provision of formal open schooling, or technical and vocational training is now recognised.

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4.2 The role of ODL in increasing access and quality of tertiary education 4.2.1 The challenge which the SADC Region faces in relation to tertiary education have been discussed earlier, where only 5% of the population, with the exception of South Africa and Mauritius, have access. ODL has been very effective at the tertiary level of education in many countries and although a number of SADC countries have growing and relevant experience there remains potential to expand and extend this experience and to adapt new innovations from outside. Two main kinds of higher distance education organisational model are visible in the Region: the Dedicated Distance Teaching Universities (DTUs - universities which admit only distance students), and Dual Mode Universities (DMUs - universities which offer both to face-to-face teaching and distance courses).

4.2.2 Three dedicated distance teaching universities have been established in the SADC: UNISA (which has 200,000 enrolments in 2006 due to a recent merger with two other major distance education providers - Technikon South Africa and Vista University), Zimbabwe Open University (with 20,000 enrolments reported 2001) and the Open University Tanzania (with 22,000 enrolments reported in 2006). A fourth Open University is being planned for Mauritius. In addition, many of the Region’s conventional universities also offer at least one distance teaching programme (operating as DMUs). Some, like the University of Namibia, now have outreach campuses and several well established programmes, for example, in education, arts, nursing and business studies). The DTU’s combined with the many dual mode operations in the Region, provide very significant numbers of additional higher education study places.

4.2.3 SADC tertiary institutions will have to ensure that they are not marginalised by western universities which are establishing various kinds of strategic support infrastructure (e.g. UK’s Observatory for Borderless Higher Education) to carry out research to inform policy development in the area of international student recruitment and course provision using Open Distance and e Learning (ODeL) or virtual learning. There is some positive experience of the deployment of e -learning in the SADC Region – for example the University of Dar es Salaam has a university-wide data communication network, connecting all 26 academic buildings on the main campus with a fibre optic cable, as well as two regional campuses with a wireless link. Likewise, the University of Namibia has a campus in the capital city Windhoek and a second campus in Oshakati with video-conferencing technology. The African Virtual University encompasses some of the SADC Member States and serves as a model for other such networks, or may well be extended to cover more of the SADC. Many more tertiary institutions throughout the Region have ambitious plans to offer ICT based programming e.g. University of Dar-es-Salaam and the Zimbabwe Open University. However, although there is higher levels of computer and Internet use in the tertiary sector in the Region than the primary and secondary sectors, the use of new ICTs is still limited because of infrastructure constraints, lack of instructional materials, lack of skilled faculty, and also because CT-based pedagogy is still new for many.

4.2.4 Five main lessons can be noted from the experience of the use of ODL in the SADC Region for tertiary education: (i) completion rates at both the Dedicated Tertiary Universities (DTUs) and at the Dual Mode Universities (DMUs) have often been low compared with conventional study (e.g. in the late 1990’s UNISA recorded completion rates of between 10-17% at the undergraduate level – although its honours degree completion rates were higher; (ii) there has been an over-emphasis/overproduction of arts and social science graduates, with less attention being paid to science and technology development (women’s participation in

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science and technology programmes remains low overall, and in relation to male participation); (iii) courses are often geared to employment in the civil service (as teachers, nurses and local administrators). Course provision is less well attuned to developing private enterprise and local community development skills and (iv) there is a need to extend the number of programmes which are developed jointly and to expand effective course sharing across the Region’s universities to avoid costly repetition and enhance professional development; (vi) there is a need for enhanced capacity of tertiary institutions to deploy the new information communication technologies. Research and studies can help develop understanding of the issues and challenges which tertiary education in the SADC must address and how ODL can support this.

4.2.5 If ODL is to play a key role in improving access to tertiary education in SADC then there is need for strategic planning as to how best to harness its potential. Internal efficiency of ODL programmes will also need to be enhanced. This would be through more appropriate curricular, improved teaching and learning processes and more emphasis on courses in science and technology and business entrepreneurialism and strategic deployment of ICTs. Similarly regional accreditation and quality assurance systems will become increasingly important for improved labour mobility and flexible international education and training provision across the SADC. Tertiary institutions across the Region need to harmonise and standardise entrance requirements, fee structures and education outcome/equivalence of programmes in-line with the SADC Education and Training Protocol.

4.3 The role of ODL in increasing the supply and quality of teachers 4.3.1 The success of the Education for All initiative continues to create a rising demand for well-trained teachers at the primary and increasingly at the secondary and tertiary levels across SADC. Teacher attrition as a result of HIVAIDS is also contributing to this demand. Over the next decade at least 1 million extra teachers will be needed in the SADC if the EFA 2015 targets are to be achieved. In addition, the Region needs to provide in-service training for at least 160,000 untrained primary teachers and for 100,000 untrained/unqualified secondary teachers if quality is to improve.

4.3.2 ODL offers SADC Member States a proven mechanism to train large numbers of teachers quickly and cost effectively and the Region has a long and successful experience of doing this. Both Tanzania and Zimbabwe used ODL shortly after independence to train thousands of new primary teachers. Open Systems Learning Trust (OLSET) has implemented a large-scale (500,000 students) English language learning programme in South Africa, using the Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) approach. Evaluations show that teachers trained using distance learning approaches were just as effective as their traditionally trained counterparts and similarly for primary in-service teacher education. For example, outside SADC and at the in-service/continuing education stage, Kenya has recently upgraded over 50,000 primary teachers over three years (achieving a 96% completion/graduation rate) using a school-based distance education in-service model and is planning to train all teachers through a blended learning (print, video, audio, and mobile text messages) approach.

4.3.3 Experience of using ODL for secondary teacher training is less widespread. Partly because the subject range is greater and the numbers of teachers is lower, so it is more difficult to achieve economies of scale. Outside Africa, there are however many examples of using ODL for secondary teacher education, this has included both conventional print based distance education and on-line models. For example, the Postgraduate Certificate of

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Education Programme at the UK Open University and similar degree level programmes at a number of Canadian and Australian universities. At the adult basic education level, the University of South Africa Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) programme has a very successful mass-based model for training the ABET teachers/trainers.

4.3.4 Despite the general success of ODL for teacher education, not all teacher training programmes that have used ODL have been of good quality. Some programmes have had high drop-out or non-completion, for example UNISA has completion rate figures of 17%. Research and evaluation into the success of ODL indicates that this high drop out is result of factors operating at systemic, institutional and individual level. At the systemic level this is due to a lack of policy support and inadequate national frameworks, resulting in poor alignment and integration with Ministry of Education teacher education policy and systems. At the system and institutional levels other difficulties have included: insufficient strategic policy making, planning, management and coordination; inadequate financial resourcing, and inadequately designed and irrelevant learning material. While at the individual level, the lack of skilled human resource, particularly for providing effective learner support and financial management has often proved a serious challenge. These lessons learnt in the implementation of ODL must be taken into account in the planning of new initiatives.

4.4 The role of ODL in expanding quality secondary education 4.4.1 The education sector analysis in Chapter 3 estimated that there are currently 20 million children across the SADC who have failed to complete an adequate basic education. This increasing number of out-of-school youth, along with rising youth unemployment, has prompted some SADC Member States to take steps to establish alternative models of secondary education provision. Namibia and Botswana have developed new Open Schools - the Botswana College of Open and Distance Learning (BOCODOL) and the Namibian College of Open Learning (NAMCOL). Both institutions now enrol over 20,000 students. Other Member States, e.g. Mozambique and Zambia are also developing ODL secondary level programmes for their out-of-school youth. Mozambique has a Secondary Education by Distance Education (SEDE) project and Zambia has recently announced its intention to introduce distance-learning education programmes from grades eight to twelve through its Alternative Upper Basic and High School Programme. Several other long-standing national ODL organisations like the Malawi College of Distance Education (MCDE), the Lesotho Distance Education Centre, and the Emlalatini Distance Education Centre in Swaziland, have over 30 years experience of using ODL at this level. All these institutions have implemented large-scale secondary programmes which collectively have served hundreds of thousands of youth who would not otherwise have had access to secondary level education.

4.4.2 With the growing challenge SADC faces in providing secondary education to its citizens this capacity and experience of secondary ODL needs to be shared more widely. This could be (i) by giving selected national education structures the mandate to operate regionally, or (ii) by establishing new open schools in those countries which do not yet have them (DRC, Angola, Madagascar), or (iii) by re-engineering, modernising and re-tasking older established ODL institutions to serve this new audience (e.g. Malawi College of Distance Education and the Institute for Adult Education in Tanzania); (iv) by establishing a SADC E-open school (virtual school) linked to the NEPAD E-schools programme and; (v) by continuing to closely integrate the work of the emerging open schooling systems with conventional schooling infrastructure. In order to determine how best to deploy ODL for

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out-of-school children and youth, SADC will need to harness its existing expertise in this area. It will need to consider how best open schooling can be complementary to, and integrated with, traditional secondary schooling. For this an ODL policy framework and strategic plan will need to be put in place.

4.5 The role of ODL in Technical and Vocational Education and Training 4.5.1 The SADC Education and Training Protocol places special emphasis on developing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) across the Region. It highlights the role of Centres of Specialisation in harnessing regional expertise and developing regional frameworks and standardisation. Currently TVET in SADC is under-developed and its provision is small-scale, fragmented, under-funded and poorly coordinated. There is a need to research and pilot new policy and experiments in the TVET area and in particular to explore and assess the potential of ODL which draws on the rapid development of ICTs, new software and related knowledge work. South Africa has already recognised this and is in the process of modernising its Further Education and Training (FET) and Vocational Education and Training (VET) college systems. Botswana is embarking on developing a national open and distance education centre for TVET at its Francistown TVET College. Mozambique has recently undertaken a TVET sector review with a view to restructuring its outmoded technical and vocational education system.

4.5.2 ODL cannot easily or inexpensively teach traditional practical TVET skills directly. However, in the long term ODeL could come to replace more of the face-to-face training, with computer simulations or video TV to support practical TVET activities. Open and Distance Learning can be combined with reduced levels of face-to-face traditional teaching and thereby help to deliver the theoretical elements of TVET courses. In this way TVET providers could focus their resources on delivery of the practical elements which require hands on experience. Although with the increasing use computer technology research will be required to identify the potential and challenges for using ODL for TVET and for strategic planning as to its how best this can be harnessed across the Region. Similarly, there is need for the development of skills in the preparation and implementation of ODL TVET courses.

4.6 Development Partner support to ODL In the past, Development Partners (DPs) have played a significant if fragmented role in funding and providing technical support to the deployment of ODL in SADC. Table 4.1 gives an indication of the range and level of dedicated ODL donor support across the SADC Region. However, ODL is also often a strand within a larger programme of education support.

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Table 4.1: ODL Donor Interventions

Donor Sector Programme /Project and Recipient agency

SADC Countries currently involved

Scale/ Amount

Focus and Activities

Bi-lateral Project Aid

DFID Ministry of Education Department of Distance Education

Mozambique Circa 2m UK £

Design and pilot a Secondary Open School Demonstration Project in Nampula Province 3-4 year projects 2002-2006 (CoL) 1m UK £ (4 years 2002-2005)Development of Distance Education Department in MINED; British Council SAIDE and IEC) 1m UK£ (3 years 2003/06)

CIDA Ministry of education Malawi Malawi N/A

Development of a secondary teacher education project at Domasi Teachers College involving distance learning element.

NEPAD, Multilaterals and UN

NEPAD e-Africa Commission

NEPAD e -schools Initiative – first phase of demonstration schools - 16 African countries

Lesotho; Mauritius; Mozambique; South Africa.

Partnership contribution

Development of ICT enhanced primary and secondary schooling and outreach in Africa.

World Bank

Mozambique Ministry of Higher Education Project –Sector Credit Mozambique 8.5m of a 60m

US $ project

To facilitate the development of a National Mozambique Distance Learning Network (MDLN) - Distance education network and scholarship and training components.

African Development Bank

African Virtual University Project

Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

5.51m UA

ADB Support to the development of the African Virtual University whose headquarters are based in Nairobi (2005-2008). Focus is with building e-learning capacity in SSA – Project includes a Teacher education capacity building initiative.

UNESCO SSA Governments

48 Sub Saharan African countries including SADC Countries

Not Available

Teacher education institutional capacity building programme for Sub Saharan Africa – starting initially in 17 countries for 4-year cycles – 2006-2016.

World Bank ICT4HD Pan African Circa 100m US$ Project in preparation

4.7 Implications for scaling up the use of ODL 4.7.1 Although there has been some successful utilization of ODL in the SADC Region there has been missed opportunity to capitalise sufficiently on its potential. At all levels of the educational sector ODL has often failed to realise its potential as a result of an ad-hoc and fragmented approach to ODL at both the planning and implementation stages, and insufficient capacity at institutional and individual levels. Governments have often set up Departments of Distance Education or semi-autonomous institutions which led to ODL being insufficiently integrated into the education sector policy and the development dialogue.

4.7.2 If ODL is to deliver its potential and help improve educational access, equity and quality, it is essential that decision makers and educational planners better understand how ODL can be strategically deployed and integrated into the mainstream provision and that this is reflected in evidence-based policy, national strategic plans and operational frameworks. Prejudices and misconceptions about ODL also need to be addressed through advocacy and awareness raising, particularly at senior management level but also at the wider stakeholder level. Regional co-ordinating mechanisms for policy harmonisation and strategic planning will help more effective deployment of ODL and encourage sharing of resources and regional programme development.

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4.7.3 SADC also needs to put in place regional quality and accreditation frameworks and benchmarks to guide the development of national programmes to facilitate future labour mobility, integration and deployment across the Region. In line with its Education and Training Protocol, SADC is currently working to establish a regional Quality Assurance and Accreditation Framework. This and other frameworks can then be interpreted at national level where national frameworks and guidelines will ensure courses offered are of comparative and appropriate quality. Countries in Southern Africa are at different stages of development of their quality assurance systems. For example, the South African Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) has produced quality assurance standards and criteria which apply to both conventional and distance learning higher education. All SADC countries need to develop clear expectations of what constitutes quality in ODL in their particular contexts and much can be gained from regional information sharing and collaboration in this area. This can be achieved through regional policy and strategic plan making dialogue and production. Similarly Quality Assurance (QA) mechanisms are important at all stages of the design and development of an ODL programme. These should consider elements from audience identification and planning, costing, the administrative aspects of material distribution, student enrolment and accreditation, to those of material development and student support.

4.7.4 If the potential of ODL is to be harnessed to help SADC expand educational access, quality and relevance there is need to build capacity at the technical level. Currently the number of educators who are skilled in using ODL/ODel are insufficient in relation to the need, and tend to be concentrated in South Africa or in the major cities of the ADB countries. Evaluation of ODL programmes has highlighted a number of recurrent areas where capacity building in the technical skills of ODL can help improve the impact of programmes. For example, a key problem of ODL practice in Southern Africa has been limited financial planning which has often undermined the long-term sustainability of ODL institutions and programmes. Similarly learner/student support has often been insufficiently addressed in ODL programmes. Open and distance learning should offer an integrated model of appropriate and good quality study material, and student support, whether through face to face contact, comments on assignments or online tutoring and assessment. Student support models will vary according to the needs of the target audience and the operating contexts. In open schooling for example, secondary school level students are likely to need more face-to-face support than those at tertiary level. In order to facilitate effective student support systems new field and institutional structures may need to be established, or existing facilities rethought, for example secondary schools and universities could be used for the face-to-face support sessions, such as workshops and tutorials, for TVET programmes.

4.7.5 Appropriate use of the new technologies, or e-learning (ODeL), is another area in which more understanding and skill development is required. ICTs and distance learning are often treated synonymously, yet a distance learning programme may rely solely on printed study materials and face-to-face student support. ODL may similarly deploy old technology, such as radio, audio-cassettes or video, or it may use the latest cutting edge online learning. The range of technology which can be deployed, its appropriateness, cost, and the implications for all aspects of programme development and implementation need to be fully considered. Ministries and ODL organisations will benefit from support in determining which kind of technology is most appropriate, so that the audience need and programme design determine the technology required rather than the technology determining the programme design and audience response. Further support and capacity building in this area will assist them in developing and using the technology appropriately.

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4.7.6 SADC has identified one of the ways forward for achievement of its Protocol on Education and Training as being the identification of regional Centres of Excellence, or Centres of Specialisation. Article 7 of the Protocol describes how the general objective of a Centre of Specialisation is to ‘build capacity for regional training institutions to offer education and training programmes in critical and specialised areas and thereby increase the stock of trained personnel in the Region’. SADC Centres of Specialisation for ODL could do much to support the development of regional capacity in ODL and facilitate information sharing and networking. The SADC model for establishing a Centre is to ensure that selection is on the basis of equal opportunity and that the any bids are assessed by appropriate specialists and SADC and it has developed Bid Criteria to support this process.

4.7.7 In the past, capacity building for the design, implementation and evaluation of ODL has tended to focus on a sub-system such as material development or learner support, rather than addressing the requirements of developing effective systems and institutions comprehensively. Similarly it has often not sufficiently addressed the specific needs of the different target groups and designed programmes accordingly – i.e. secondary children, teachers, out of school youth, or tertiary students. The SADC Region will benefit from an integrated approach to capacity development in the use of ODL. This would address the system level, through policy development and improved strategic management of ODL as a means of increasing educational access and quality and would also support effective deployment of ODL at institutional and individual levels through the development of technical skills. The establishment of Centres of Specialisation could further support capacity development in technical skills and facilitate information sharing and networking across the Region. More effective and strategic utilisation of Open and Distance Learning will increase access, equity and quality of education and this development of human capacity has the potential to impact on the economic and social development of the Region.

5. THE PROJECT

5.1 Project concept and rationale 5.1.1 As the sector analysis in Chapter 3 highlighted, there are a range of educational challenges across the SADC Region. Yet within the same Region some individual countries have successfully responded to these challenges using ODL. If the SADC Region is to realise its EFA targets there is a need to adopt alternative models of educational delivery and ODL has an important role to play in addressing some of the key education and development challenges, particularly in the four areas identified (Tertiary/Higher Education, Teacher Education, Secondary Education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training).

5.1.2 A regional Open and Distance Learning initiative will support integration, harmonization and maximization of resources as reflected in the SADC Protocol on Education and Training. It will further support regional standardisation of both quality and outputs. ODL has been deployed within the Region over the last five decades and this project provides an opportunity to extend and develop the Region’s capacity for the effective utilisation of ODL.

5.1.3 In order to support the effective regional deployment of ODL there is however a need to build capacity and strengthen commitment and understanding at multiple levels – at systemic, institutional/organisational and at individual level. The proposed project will operate at these three levels. It will bring policy and decision makers from Member States

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together to identify possibilities for closer regional integration across the four identified educational sub-sectors. It will serve to put in place regional policy frameworks and the foundation for the development of regional programmes and courses. Further it will build the technical capacity of organisations, institutions and individuals to design, implement, monitor and evaluate ODL courses for the identified target audience. Centres of Specialisation will also be supported to lead in the development of regional programmes and courses for SADC learners and facilitate the sharing of ODL knowledge and expertise across the Region.

5.1.4 The SADC Directorate for Social and Human Development and Special Projects (SHD &SP) is responsible for co-ordinating SADC regional educational programmes. SADC established a Technical Committee on Open and Distance Learning (TCDOL) in 2000 to enhance the utilisation of ODL across the Region. The TCDOL Strategic Plan for ODL for the SADC formed the basis for the design of this project. Knowledge and understanding of the key educational, and open and distance learning issues was further enhanced through field visits to Member States and meetings with stakeholders. Close collaboration was maintained with the SADC Secretariat throughout the project design process. The outcome of the consultations was an endorsement of the potential role of ODL to address educational challenges in four educational sub-sectors and to facilitate greater regional integration.

5.1.5 To date, the cumulative amount of Bank Group financing for projects in SADC Member Countries is around UA 5 billion. With respect to multinational operations, the Bank in 1992 accorded the SADC Secretariat a grant of US$ 2.5 million as drought relief assistance from the Special Relief Fund. Assistance in the form of TAF Grants has also been given for studies on inter-state highway projects and regional power supply projects. With financial assistance from the Nordic countries, the Bank, during 1991 – 1993, conducted a major study – “Economic Integration in Southern Africa” (SEISA) which explored the prospects and opportunities for economic integration in the Region. In 2000 the Bank accorded a grant of UA 1.58 million to assist the SADC in its effort to reduce operational constraints in the Beira Corridor, including border delays, HIV/AIDS transmission and road accidents (SATCC project). In addition the Bank accorded the following grants: in 2000 a grant of UA 0.928 million for Capacity Building for Disability Rehabilitation (Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe); in 2002 a grant of UA 2.667 million for SADC Emergency Humanitarian Drought WFP and a grant of UA 1.033 million for Support to SADC Agricultural Research. Moreover, the Bank Group is financing a number of important ongoing social and HIV/AIDS projects in SADC countries, which are contributing to the well-being of SADC populations.

5.1.6 The main lessons learned from the ‘technical assistance to Southern Africa Transport Project’ (SATCC), other ADB social projects with the SADC countries and other donor interventions include the following: (i) the design and implementation of regional projects typically take longer than expected because of greater coordination requirements which are time consuming and because of the complex operational and political environment in which they work; (ii) the institutional framework is key and needs to be dealt with early in the project preparation process; (iii) the capacity of the SADC Secretariat and other institutional entities needs to be strengthened; (iv) there is a need for improved public-private partnership during design and implementation of projects; (v) the implementation of regional projects should remain flexible in order to cater for realities and changes on the ground. All these lessons have been taken into account in this project design. The Bank’s Information Note on the SADC (May 2006) considers the way in which the SADC restructuring process aims to realign the regional integration agenda and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of

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implementation of SADC policies and programmes. It further considers the ways in which the International Co-operating Partners (ICPs) are working to support the strengthening of SADC’s institutional capacity. This project will work with SADC and the ICPs towards this goal, for the overall achievement of economic and social well-being in the SADC Region.

5.2 Project area and beneficiaries The ultimate beneficiaries of this project will be those learners of SADC participating in and benefiting from the ODL programmes, these are learners and teachers at primary, secondary and tertiary level and those involved in TVET programmes. The secondary beneficiaries will be those responsible for designing and implementing ODL in the Region including the SADC Secretariat, specifically the Directorate of Social and Human Development and Special Programmes, in moving towards achievement of its vision of creating an educated and highly skilled society.

5.3 Strategic context 5.3.1 The project is consistent with SADC’s Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and will assist SADC in the achievement of its development priorities. The principles of regional collaboration and harmonisation are similarly emphasised within the SADC Protocol on Education and Training which seeks to promote a regionally integrated and harmonised education system, particularly with regards to access, equity, relevance and quality of education interventions. The Protocol highlights the role and importance of distance learning and Centres of Excellence in this process and the proposed project will support SADC in realising their Protocol by putting in place regional structures to enable the sharing of expertise, harmonisation of resources and development of regional ODL policies, strategies and technical skills. A regional ODL programme will further facilitate information sharing and maximisation of resources to avoid duplication and enable Member States to offer a viable means of addressing educational challenges at all levels. At a higher supra-state level the achievement of a pan SADC-wide qualifications framework will support wider economic and social migration across the Region and increase knowledge sharing and understanding. It will also serve to strengthen the foundation for other regional initiatives.

5.3.2 The Vision Statement of the Bank Group identifies regional cooperation and economic integration as important themes for Bank operations. The pivotal role that cooperation and integration can play in promoting Africa’s sustainable development, economic growth and poverty reduction, is also recognised in the Bank Group’s Economic Cooperation and Regional Integration Policy approved by the Board of Directors in March 2000. The project is further aligned with the Bank’s Southern Africa Regional Assistance Strategy Paper approved by the Board of Directors in October 2004 and the Bank Group's Guidelines on Financing of Multinational Operations. The proposed project conforms to the Bank Group's Education Sector Policy which advocates the promotion of regional integration and the use of innovative approaches to education, including the promotion of information technology.

5.4 Project Objective

This project will contribute to the development and deployment of effective, harmonised open and distance learning (ODL), to increase access to quality education and training and support regional integration across SADC.

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5.5 Project Description 5.5.1 The project, which will be implemented over 60 months, will focus on building regional and national capacity in ODL to enable its effective deployment in addressing the educational challenges of the Region. It will do this through the development of regional policies, strategic plans and operational frameworks and technical ODL skill development. In the long term this will better enable the Region to address its education and development challenges through the sharing of expertise, closer harmonisation and the development of regional educational programmes and courses for the different target groups.

5.5.2 The project will comprise two components:

• ODL Regional Policy Development and Strategic Planning

• Regional Capacity Building for Open and Distance Learning

Component 1 - ODL Regional Policy Development and Strategic Planning 5.5.3 The outcome of Component 1 is increased and more strategic deployment of distance learning within and across the SADC Region. This will be achieved through regional Policy and Strategic Plan development, informed by Studies which detail the status and potential of education and ODL in the Region and identify gaps and opportunities, for ODL particularly with regard to the four sub-sectors identified above. Advocacy to develop understanding of, and commitment to, distance learning will be also addressed through the development and implementation of an Information, Education and Communication (IEC) strategy. This component will have the following outputs

1. An ODL Information, Education and Communication (IEC) Strategy developed and implemented

2. Regional SADC ODL policy development i) 8 ODL Studies produced (four sub-sectors)

ii) 3 ODL Regional Conferences held

iii) 4 ODL Regional Forum held

3. SADC Strategic Plan and Operational Framework developed i) 4 Strategic Planning Forum established

5.5.4 The above outputs will be achieved through a range of activities under the following categories of expenditure:

A. Services Development and implementation of IEC strategy 5.5.5 An Information Education Communication strategy will be developed to support the project and promote understanding of open and distance learning amongst a wider stakeholder group, including high level decision makers, formal and non-formal educators, Civil Society, parents, students and employers. This will be developed by the project staff, in conjunction with the SADC Secretariat, with the further support of technical assistance for a period of 35 days. The implementation of the IEC Strategy will be the responsibility of the ODL Project Co-ordinator. It is envisaged that a range of media (print, radio, television, web/Internet) will be deployed to implement the IEC strategy. The project will fund the provision of these services.

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ODL sub-sector studies undertaken 5.5.6 Consultancy services will be required for the development of ODL Studies. One team of 4 regional consultants will be contracted to facilitate an in-depth analysis of the issues and a development of focus between the first (position papers) and second (focused research) phase studies. Each consultant will be assigned responsibility for one specific educational sub-sector (Tertiary, Teacher, TVET, Secondary). The team will be co-ordinated by a consultant with international experience. The studies will form the basis of the development of the policy and strategic plan and will enable SADC to determine which are the priority educational areas (of the four sub-sectors) for the two Centres of Specialisation.

Policy and Strategic Plan development workshops 5.5.7 The consultants will facilitate the policy development process through four x 4-day Regional Policy Forum. The Forum will comprise 8 participants from each of the SADC Member States (2 for each of the identified educational sub-sectors) and the 14 TCDOL members. The development of the Regional ODL Policy will be further supported through a 3-day Regional ODL conference of 250 stakeholders, to include representatives of Government, Ministries, Civil Society/NGOs, and the private sector. With the language diversity of the SADC Region, the project will provide funds for Interpretation and Translation services in all relevant project activities.

5.5.8 Following high level endorsement of the Regional ODL policy (ICM level - through the Directorate of SH&SP) four Strategic Forums will be convened. Each of the 4-day Forums will comprise 8 representatives from each Member State (2 for each of the educational sub-sectors of Tertiary, Teacher, TVET and Secondary) and the 14 members of the TCDOL. The outcome of these Forums will be the development of an ODL Regional Strategic Plan and Operational Frameworks. These will detail how the ODL policy will be implemented across the Region, identify strategic priorities and set timelines. Technical input will assist the Forum in their development. Wider endorsement of the Strategic Plan will be sought through a second 3-day ODL stakeholder conference of 250 stakeholders and ultimately the ratification of the SADC Integrated Council of Ministers will be sought through the Secretariat. A third 3-day conference will be held in year 4 of the project to review progress to date and to encourage ongoing collaboration.

Component 2 - Regional Capacity Building for Open and Distance Learning 5.5.9 The outcome of Component 2 is the strengthening of the design and implementation of ODL programmes. This will be achieved through:

(a) Regional capacity building 5.5.10 Two Centres of Specialisation designated through SADC bidding processes will take a lead role in the development of capacity across SADC in the design and implementation of ODL course. The Centres will facilitate the sharing of ODL research, innovation, information and resources, for example sharing distance learning materials for a specific target audience. The Centres will further enhance and develop Regional information sharing and networking through ICT infrastructure and face to face meetings and networking activities.

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(b) Capacity for project co-ordination 5.5.11 The project co-ordination capacity of SADC Secretariat will be strengthened with technical assistance staff and ad-hoc consultancy services, operating costs and logistical support for the implementation of the project activities for effective deployment of distance learning within and across SADC.

5.5.12 This component will have two sub-components/outputs as follows:

(i) Regional capacity building 1.1 Two Regional Centres of Specialisation identified and strengthened

• ODL technical skills developed in 11 key areas • Networking and information sharing facilities established in two

Centres of Specialisation

1.2 Fifty four Scholarships in ODL at Certificate/Diploma and Masters levels 1.3 Five Regional/and Continental ODL workshops

(ii) Capacity for project co-ordination (ODL Project Co-ordinator, ODL Adviser and support staff)

2.1 Project activities co-ordinated 5.5.13 The above outputs will be achieved through a range of activities under the following categories of expenditure:

(i) Regional capacity building A. Services Centres of Specialisation identified and supported 5.5.14 The project will provide technical support to the two Centres of Specialisation (CoS). The SADC Protocol on Education and Training outlines the broad mandate of SADC Centres of Specialisation and ADF countries will be invited to bid, using SADC Bidding Criteria, to become a regional Centre of Specialisation. The Criteria will require the Centre of Specialisation to demonstrate how they intend to draw upon the existing ODL expertise across the whole SADC Region. Each of the two Centres will specialise in the utilisation of ODL for one of four identified educational areas, i.e. technical vocational education and training, secondary, tertiary or teacher education. The specific educational focus of each Centre will be determined by SADC as an outcome of the project funded ODL policy forum and endorsed by the SADC Integrated Council of Ministers (ICM) no later than 15 months after first disbursement. The identification and endorsement of the focus of the two centres will be a condition of the Grant Protocol. Although the Centres of Specialisation could not be identified at the time of the appraisal, as this is the responsibility of SADC and will be informed by the ODL policy dialogue, their role and remit will reflect the existing SADC criteria and to this effect the necessary minimum resource requirement can be determined. The Centres will be identified no later than 24 months after the first disbursement. A detailed analysis of equipment needs will be carried out with the help of Technical Assistance (TA) once the CoS are identified.

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5.5.15 An ODL expert (TA) will support each of the Centres for a duration of 24 months. S/he will be responsible for supporting the Centre of Specialisation in developing its strategic plan which will inter-alia identify its mandate, determine its operational functions, provide details of financial costing and procedures and specify income generation strategies.

5.5.16 A key role of the Centres of Specialisation will be enhancing information and resource sharing across the Region and establishing networks of ODL practitioners. This will be achieved through the design and development of a data-base and other information sharing facilities. Technical assistance will be provided for a total of 60 days (30 days x 2 - one educationalist/ICT and one technical ICT) to carry out a needs analysis of each of the designated Centres to determine what equipment and infrastructure is needed and where it will be best located. For the establishment and maintenance of the information sharing systems, TA will be provided for 300 days. In the initial stages of the data base development an additional 25 days of technical assistance (data base developed) will be funded to assist. A Systems Administrator will be funded to support the maintenance of the database, and other information sharing services for 100 days. It will be important that existing staff at the Centres are trained in this role to ensure sustainability. The web-base will be hosted by a suitable Internet Service Provider and the project will fund this for a period of 40 months.

Technical skill development workshops 5.5.17 Both Centres of Specialisation will provide training in the following nine key ODL skills: ODL curriculum planning and material development; ODL financing, budgeting and costing; Student support, assessment and accreditation in ODL; e-Learning; ODL management, administration and marketing; Quality Assurance in ODL; Research skills in ODL application (including policy research); Strategic planning and management of ODL; Monitoring and evaluation in ODL. Each of the two Centres will focus on the development of the ODL technical skill development in relation to its specific focus area, i.e. Student support, assessment and accreditation for Secondary, Teacher, Tertiary or TVET. In addition, the project will also facilitate two general training sessions on the issues and current practices and information for the utilisation of ODL in the other two educational areas, i.e. those which have not been selected by SADC to be the focus of the Centres of Specialisation. This input in the two areas which are not the focus of the Centres of the Specialisation will lay the foundation for the development of further regional initiatives to support ODL in these two areas. Training in ODL technical skills will be provided by regional institutions in collaboration with the Centres of Specialisation through a bidding process open to the whole SADC Region.

5.5.18 For each of the identified areas of ODL skill development - 9 in total – a 10-day workshop will be held in each Centre of Specialisation for 6 participants from each the 9 ADF countries – 54 participants in total. Similarly the two generic workshops in the other non-focus areas will be for 54 participants. A total of 1080 educators will therefore be trained from the ADF countries. The workshops will be planned and facilitated by two regional consultants and their development and implementation further co-ordinated by a consultant with international expertise. All training activities will develop the participants’ knowledge and technical ability through information dissemination, sharing of best practice and lessons learnt, case study material and group exercises, group discussion and presentation and role-play. Issues of gender will be addressed throughout and those relating to HIV/AIDS will be addressed where appropriate. The implications for the deployment of ICT will also be considered in all workshops.

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5.5.19 The training will be provided through regional institutions with recognised ODL expertise, this will support the project’s aim of enhancing regional integration. The Bid Criteria will require the bidder to detail its strategy for the full engagement of the Centre of Specialisation in the design and implementation of the training; this will ensure that capacity of the Centre’s officers is built in the process and will support the sustainability of the Centre’s regional remit over the longer term. In addition there will be a regional bidding process for the delivery of the two other generic workshops.

Regional and Continental ODL workshops 5.5.20 This project will support networking and information sharing across the Region by funding the participation of ODL practitioners/decision makers at key Africa ODL events. It is envisaged that this will include events being organised by the Distance Education Association of Southern Africa (DEASA) and at continent-wide events, facilitated by organisations such as the Africa Council of Distance Education (ACDE). The project will finance participation for five events during the life of the project and the attendance of 45 participants, at each event maximum of 5 delegates from each ADF country – a total of 225 educators participating in key events. The ODL Project Coordinator, in consultation with the TCDOL (Steering Committee) as part of annual work plans will determine the events.

B. Goods Equipment and Furniture 5.5.21 This project will ensure that the two identified Centres are equipped and furnished with sufficient resources to fulfil their training and capacity development mandate. This will include goods to facilitate training activities: e.g. furniture for training rooms, laptops and data projector, Overhead Projectors, white screen, scanner, colour printers, photocopier and fax machine. In addition ICT infrastructure, i.e. desktop computers (PCs), printers, interconnectivity and bandwidth, will be put in place to enable the Centres of Specialisation to play a key role in the generation and dissemination of information on ODL, including identification of best practice, research findings, and ODL curriculum materials.

D. Miscellaneous Scholarships in ODL 5.5.22 Regional capacity in ODL will be further strengthened through the funding of 6 ODL practitioners/decision makers from each of the 9 ADF countries (54) to undertake accredited training in the field of distance education. This training, at Certificate, Diploma and Masters Level (18 at each level), will be provided by a regional University and will be delivered through the distance mode. In this way those undertaking the course are exposed to the theory and practice of ODL, through the course content, and the modality of distance learning through their own studies.

Web-Data base hosting 5.5.23 The web-data base will be hosted by a suitable Internet Service Provider (ISP) and the project will fund this for a period of 40 months.

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(ii) Capacity for project co-ordination A. Services Technical assistance 5.5.24 The SADC Secretariat will require assistance in managing the technical and strategic inputs of the project and its financial and procurement aspects. In line with the SADC Secretariat and other ICPs this project will not establish a Project Implementation Unit (PIU), but instead will seek to facilitate the Secretariat to co-ordinate projects by supporting/managing the day to day implementation of the project. This project will seek to mainstream its implementation within the SADC Secretariat as far as possible by ensuring that all technical assistance works within, and to, the SADC structures. As discussed in the Bank Information Note on the SADC (May 2006), this project will support the development of SADC capacity in strategic management through the careful identification of competences required by recruited staff, and their terms of reference. It will further monitor the process through regular supervision.

5.5.25 A full time Project Coordinator and an ODL Adviser will be contracted for the duration of the project. This project will further maximise resources and ensure synergies between the ODL and the SADC Communicable Diseases project by joint resourcing of key posts. This project will fully fund a Finance Office, a Procurement Agent, and a Secretary. The HIV/AIDs project will fully fund the Finance Manager, the Gender Specialist and the Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist. The Gender Specialist will be responsible for developing the Gender Strategy for this project and for overseeing its implementation. The Strategy will: provide for gender parity in the composition of any working groups and technical skill training; identify gender issues through the ODL sub-sector Studies; ensure the gender implications of the research findings are addressed in the SADC ODL Policy and Strategic Plan. Similarly the Monitoring and Evaluation specialist will prepare an M & E strategy and he/she will be supported as necessary by short-term technical inputs through ad hoc consultancy services, as and when required.

5.5.26 In this way the technical resources being provided through the two Bank support projects will be used to greater effect. The Terms of Reference for these joint posts will emphasise the importance of ensuring synergies where feasible between the two projects. It will be important that the SADC Directorate manage these inputs strategically to ensure that synergies between the two projects are identified, for example through an integrated Gender Strategy, and that there is balance in terms of project support. The process will also be monitored by the Bank.

B. Goods Equipment and Furniture 5.5.27 The project will fund the provision of furniture and equipment such as, desktop PCs with software, printers, basic office equipment for project coordination.

C. Operating costs 5.5.28 The operational costs of SADC Secretariat/technical assistance in carrying out the administration, coordination and procurement activities necessary to the successful completion of the project will be met by the project for the 60 months of implementation. Provision is also made for resources to cover cost of internal staff travelling for the purposes of project supervision and office related sundry costs. A further budget line has been provided to cater for maintenance and refreshing of ICT equipment, as appropriate (every 36

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months). To support collaboration across the Region and support sustainability of the two Centres of Specialisation the project has provided a budget line for meeting cost relating to travel and attendance at key meetings for staff at the Centre of Specialisation. The allocation of the fund will be managed by the SADC Executing Agency in collaboration with the Centre of Specialisation T.A.

5.6 Environmental impact This project has been rated level 3 presenting no significant environmental risk. However, measures will be taken to ensure that any equipment supplied to SADC and the Centres of Specialisation are disposed of safely and in accordance with international guidance on the disposal of ICT equipment.

5.7 Project Costs 5.7.1 The total cost of the project, net of taxes and customs duties is estimated at UA 16.67 million, (i.e. US$ 24.10 million) of which UA 4.44 million is in foreign exchange and the equivalent of UA 12.23 million is in local costs. For the purpose of costing all items have been priced in US dollars and converted into Units of Account at the exchange rate applicable at the Bank for the month of March 2006. A summary of project cost estimates is presented below in Table 5.1 by Components and in Table 5.2 by Category of Expenditure.

Table 5.1: Summary of Project Cost Estimates by Component

USD (Millions) UA (Millions) %

Foreign Local TOTAL Foreign Local TOTAL Foreign Project Components

Exchange Costs Costs Exchange Costs Costs Exchange

1. ODL Policy Development 1.10 7.97 9.07 0.76 5.51 6.27 12.1%

2. Capacity Building for ODL 4.81 7.54 12.35 3.32 5.22 8.54 38.9%

Base cost 5.90 15.51 21.41 4.08 10.73 14.81 27.6%

Physical Contingency 0.30 0.78 1.07 0.20 0.54 0.74 27.6%

Price Contingency 0.22 1.40 1.62 0.15 0.97 1.12 13.3%

Total 6.42 17.69 24.10 4.44 12.23 16.67 26.6%

5.7.2 Project cost estimates are based on the latest unit costs discussed with SADC Secretariat in consultation with other stakeholders. A physical contingency of 5% is included in the project costs for all the categories of expenditure and price contingency are estimated at annual 3.5% inflation rate per year on an overall basis for both local and foreign costs since the project budgets are set in United States dollars. The detailed cost estimates are included in the Project Implementation Document (PID) and the provisional list of goods and services is shown in Annex 6.

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Table 5.2: Summary of Project Cost Estimates by Category of Expenditure

Categories of Expenditure USD (Millions) UA (Millions) % %

FE LC TOTAL FE LC TOTAL Base FE Costs Costs Costs

A - Goods 3.21 0.56 3.77 2.22 0.39 2.61 17.6% 85.1%

B - Works 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.0%

C - Services 2.44 12.05 14.49 1.69 8.34 10.02 67.7% 16.8%

D - Op. Costs 0.00 2.38 2.38 0.00 1.64 1.64 11.1% 0.0%

E - Misc. 0.26 0.52 0.78 0.18 0.36 0.54 3.6% 33.2%

Base Cost 5.90 15.51 21.41 4.08 10.73 14.81 100.0% 27.6%

Contingencies 0.30 0.78 1.07 0.20 0.54 0.74 5.0% 27.6%

Sub-Total 6.20 16.29 22.49 4.29 11.26 15.55 100.0% 27.6%

Escalation 0.22 1.40 1.62 0.15 0.97 1.12 7.5% 13.3%

Final Cost 6.42 17.69 24.10 4.44 12.23 16.67 100.0% 26.6%

Percentage 26.6% 73.4%

5.8 Sources of Financing and Expenditure Schedule 5.8.1 Table 5.3 presents the sources of finance. The project will be financed by ADF grant resources and by SADC. The ADF grant of UA 15.00 million, 90% of total costs, will finance 100% of the foreign cost (UA 4.44 million) and UA 10.56 million (86.4%) of local costs equivalent to 63.3% of the total costs. SADC financing amounts to UA 1.67 million, 10% of total costs or 13.6% of local costs, this amount represents costed services provided directly to the project towards participation and active engagement in the policy and strategic plan development and capacity building training and workshops, as well as the time of ODL practitioners and policy officials from the SADC Region participating in the development of regional ODL policy agendas and strategic plans. It will also cover costs related to office consumables, communication and office rent for the project staff.

5.8.2 The ADF grant will finance consultancy services including the technical assistance staff, project supervision, monitoring and evaluation, associated travel and accommodation, training/workshops, purchase of office equipment including computers, printers, photocopiers and scanners, purchase of resources for the capacity building component, purchase of ICT infrastructure for the two Centres of Specialisation, management of the online knowledge base, production and distribution of the research and programme documentation.

Table 5.3: Sources of Finance (UA Million)

Source F.E. % L.C. % Total %

Bank 4.44 100.0% 10.56 86.4% 15.00 90.0% SADC 0.00 0.0% 1.67 13.6% 1.67 10.0%

Total 4.44 100.0% 12.23 100.0% 16.67 100.0%

% Distribution 26.6% 73.4% 100.0%

5.8.3 In addition SADC will be responsible for the payment of all taxes and duties arising during the course of the project implementation over and above counterpart contributions. Table 5.4 and 5.5 show the expenditure schedule by component and category of expenditure and source of financing respectively.

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Table 5.4: Expenditure Schedule by component and category of expenditure (UA Million)

COMPONENT / CATEGORY 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Total

1 ODL Policy Development

A. Goods 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.00 0.05 C. Services 0.92 1.54 2.15 0.92 0.62 6.15 D. Operating Costs 0.15 0.24 0.24 0.19 0.15 0.97 E. Miscellaneous 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 TOTAL COMPONENT 1 1.08 1.80 2.41 1.12 0.76 7.17

Percentage per year 15.0% 25.1% 33.6% 15.7% 10.6% 100.0%

2 Capacity Building for ODL

A. Goods 0.42 0.98 0.98 0.42 0.00 2.79 C. Services 0.78 1.30 1.82 0.78 0.52 5.19 D. Operating Costs 0.14 0.23 0.23 0.18 0.14 0.92 E. Miscellaneous 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.60 TOTAL COMPONENT 2 1.46 2.62 3.14 1.50 0.78 9.50

Percentage per year 15.3% 27.6% 33.1% 15.8% 8.2% 100.0%

Total Project Cost 2.53 4.42 5.56 2.62 1.54 16.67

Percentage per year 15.2% 26.5% 33.3% 15.7% 9.2% 100.0%

Table 5.5: Expenditure Schedule by Source of Finance (UA Million)

SOURCE / YEAR 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Total % of Total

BANK

A. Goods 0.43 0.99 0.99 0.43 0.00 2.83 17.0% B. Services 1.53 2.55 3.57 1.53 1.02 10.20 61.2% C. Operating Costs 0.21 0.34 0.34 0.27 0.21 1.37 8.2% D. Miscellaneous 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.60 3.6% Sub-total 2.28 4.00 5.02 2.35 1.35 15.00 90.0% Percentage per year 15.2% 26.7% 33.5% 15.7% 9.0% 100.0%

SADC

B. Services 0.17 0.29 0.40 0.17 0.11 1.15 6.9% C. Operating Costs 0.08 0.13 0.13 0.10 0.08 0.52 3.1% Sub-total 0.25 0.42 0.53 0.28 0.19 1.67 10.0%

Percentage per year 15.0% 25.0% 31.9% 16.6% 11.6% 100.0%

TOTAL PROJECT A. Goods 0.43 0.99 0.99 0.43 0.00 2.83 17.0% B. Services 1.70 2.84 3.97 1.70 1.13 11.34 68.1% C. Operating Costs 0.28 0.47 0.47 0.38 0.28 1.89 11.3% D. Miscellaneous 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.12 0.60 3.6%

Total 2.53 4.42 5.56 2.62 1.54 16.67 100.0%

Percentage per year 15.2% 26.5% 33.3% 15.7% 9.2% 100.0%

6. PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

6.1 Executing Agency 6.1.1 The SADC Secretariat will be the Project Executing Agency. The project will be located in the Directorate of Social and Human Development and Special Programs (SHD&SP). The SHD&SP is responsible for planning, managing and supervising all SADC’s human resource development and thus education related programmes. It is headed by the

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Director of SHD&SP. An organogram of the SADC Secretariat is given in Annex 3. At the regional level, an Integrated Committee of Ministers (ICM) co-ordinates the work of the different sector clusters. At national Member State level, SADC National Committees and Cluster groups reflect the structure of the Directorates within the Secretariat SADC.

6.1.2 This project will align with existing SADC Secretariat Structures and will fund additional technical assistance to further strengthen its co-ordination and management capacity. This is in line with the ICP strategy of support. An ODL Project Coordinator and ODL Adviser will be recruited by the project to manage the demands of this regional capacity building programme. They will be supported by additional financial and administrative staff. The SADC Secretariat will also be assisted by a Procurement Agent for the procurement of all goods and services financed under the project. Where feasible, project support staff will be shared with the SADC HIV/Communicable Diseases project which was approved in May 2006. This is to support synergies between the two projects and it will be the responsibility of the Directorate to ensure that the support staff are appropriately deployed across the two projects. The Terms of Reference for the support staff will further emphasise the importance of synergies and the process will be supervised by the Bank during normal project monitoring.

6.1.3 A project annual work-plan and budgets will be prepared in consultation with the SADC TCDOL, the SHD&SP and the HIV/AIDs project. The core project professional support staff will receive regular and ongoing training in Bank procedures and will be subject to annual performance appraisal. The project support staff required are shown in Annex 3.

6.2 Institutional Arrangements 6.2.1 The processes of project implementation will work to strengthen the SADC Secretariat and its regional and national structures. Effective utilisation of the existing SADC structures will enhance project ownership by the Member States (MS). This will improve the potential impact of the project and will further strengthen the structures. At the project steering level the Technical Committee on Distance and Open Learning (TCDOL) will guide the project and provide the necessary strategic vision, knowledge of the Region and appropriate technical inputs. The TCDOL comprises 14 members, representing each of the Member States, and these are senior officers from Ministries of Education, or in institutions, such as Institute of Adult Education Tanzania, Malawi College of Distance Education University, Pedagogicae Mozambique and Namibia Open College. Hence individually and collectively they have broad and complementary (distance) education experience and expertise. They will play an important role in strengthening the link between the regional and national ODL agenda.

6.2.2 The project will support the project steering process by funding a 5 day Project Inception and a 5 day Mid-Term review workshop for the TCDOL. To each of these meetings an additional 25 high level Ministry of Education officials will be invited for two of the five days. In addition six 4-day TCDOL project steering meetings will be held over the project implementation period. The precise timing of these meetings will be determined by the ODL Project Co-ordinator. The meetings will be chaired by the Director of SHD & SP and deputised by one of the TCDOL, with the Project Co-ordinator serving as the Secretary. The TCDOL will also participate in all policy and strategic planning forums.

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6.2.3 At national level, the SADC National Committees (SNCs) will play a key role in advocacy and interface between national agendas and regional goals. It will be the role of the TCDOL members to ensure the SNCs are fully briefed on the project’s vision and its development. Similarly, once fully established, the SNC Member State clusters will need to be involved in both the advocacy programme and activities of the project as appropriate. At a higher level it will be the role of the SADC Secretariat to ensure that the endorsement or ratification of the Integrated Council of Ministers (ICM) is sought for the major project outputs.

6.3 Supervision and Implementation Schedules 6.3.1 The project will be implemented over a period of 5 years (60 months) starting from the date of effectiveness of the grant. The implementation schedule is as follows:

Table 6.1: Summary of Implementation Schedule

ITEM ACTIVITY TARGET ACTION BY A.1 Appraisal 03/2006 ADF/SADC

A.2 Negotiation 06/2006 ADF/SADC

A.3 Board presentation 07/2006 ADF

A.4 Publication of General Procurement Notice 08/2006 ADF/SADC A.5 Grant Signature 09/2006 ADF/SADC

A.6 Effectiveness 11/2006 SADC

A.7 Launching mission 01/2007 ADF/SADC

A.8 Quarterly Progress Reports 04/2007 – 12/2011 SADC

A.9 Mid-term review 2009 ADF/SADC

A.10 End-of-project evaluation 12/2011 SADC A.11 Borrowers Project Completion Report 03/2012 SADC

A.12 Project Completion Report 06/2012 ADF/SADC

6.3.2 The project will require regular supervision, especially during the initial stages of implementation. The Fund will supervise the project twice a year during its life. A Mid-Term Review will be undertaken during the third year to assess participatory processes and performance of project activities in accordance with the log-frame and current Bank norms.

6.4 Procurement arrangements 6.4.1 The procurement of goods, works and consulting services financed by the Bank will be in accordance with Bank's Rules of Procedure for Procurement of Goods and Works, or as appropriate, Rules of Procedure for the Use of Consultants, using the relevant Bank Standard Bidding Documents. The Executing Agency will be responsible for the procurement of goods and services under the project.

6.4.2 Goods: Goods intended for use at the Centres of Specialisation, including the ICT infrastructure (value UA 0.752 million) for the information hub and VSAT Bandwidth and interconnectivity materials valued at UA 1.906 million will be procured through International Competitive Bidding. Procurement of office equipment consisting of computers, printers, scanners, photocopiers etc and furniture for use by the Centres of Specialisation and project staff at SADC Secretariat, all valued at UA 0.180 will be procured through National Shopping in the country of location of the SADC Secretariat. This mode is chosen as the value of individual contracts and quantities may not interest suppliers from outside the

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recipients’ country and goods required can be acquired in SADC Member States, as there is an adequate number of national suppliers and agents of qualified foreign suppliers to ensure competitive prices.

Table 6.2: Summary of Procurement Arrangements

Project Categories ICB Others Short List Total

1 Goods 2.834

1.1 Furniture & Office equipment (Project staff) 0.050 (0.050) 0.050 (0.050) 1.2 Furniture for Centres of Specialization (CoS) 0.060 (0.060) 0.060 (0.060) 1.3 Equipment for teaching & learning at CoS 0.070 (0.070) 0.070 (0.070) 1.4 Equipment -information hub/ ICT hardware for CoS 0.752 (0.752) 0.752 (0.752) 1.5 VSAT & Bandwidth Interconnectivity 1.906 (1.906) 1.906 (1.906)

2 Consulting Services & Training 11.345

2.1 Technical Assistance (TA) (i) SADC Secretariat 1.220 (1.220) 1.220 (1.220) (ii) Centres of Specialization 022 (0.22) 022 (0.22) (iii) Procurement Agent 0.690 (0.690) 0.690 (0.690) 2.2 Consultancy services (i) ODL Regional Policy Development 1.760 (1.760) 1.760 (1.760) ii) ODL IEC Strategy 0.530 (0.530) 0.530 (0.530) iii) Regional Capacity Building in ODL 1.650 (1.650) 1.650 (1.650) (iv) Monitoring & evaluation of project 0.260 (0.2620) 0.260 (0.2620) 2.3 Regional training/workshops i) ODL Regional Policy Development 3.460 (2.797) 3.460 (2.797) ii) Regional Capacity Building in ODL 1.060 (0.575) 1.060 (0.575) iii) Inception/mid-term/Bi- Annual workshops 0.400 (0.400) 0.400 (0.400) 2.4 Audit services 0.100 (0.100) 0.100 (0.100)

3 Miscellaneous 2.491

3.1 (i) Operating Costs 1.750 (1.229) 1.750 (1.229) (ii) Field travel and related costs 0.140 (0.140) 0.140 (0.140) 3.2 Scholarship/Bursary scheme 0.210 (0.210) 0.210 (0.210) 3.3 Web-Database online hosting 0.390 (0.390) 0.390 (0.390)

TOTAL COST 2.660 (2.660) 6.980 (5.310) 7.03 (7.03) 16.67 (15.00)

* Shortlist applies to the use of consulting services only. ** Other may be LIC, International or National Shopping or Direct Purchase. *** Figures in brackets are amounts financed by the Fund.

Table 6.3: Other modes of Procurement

(UA Millions) Procedure Goods/Services Max per contract Max in Aggregate National Shopping (i) Furniture & Office equipment 0.050 (ii) Furniture for Centres of Specialization 0.060 (iii) Equip. for teaching & learning at CoS 0.070 Direct Purchase (i) ODL Regional Policy Development 3.460 (ii) Regional Capacity Building in ODL 1.060 (iii) Inception/Bi-Annual workshops 0.400

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6.4.3 Consulting Services and Training: Procurement of consulting services and technical assistance will be undertaken in accordance with the Bank’s “Rules of Procedure for the Use of Consultants”. Consultancy services valued in aggregate of UA 4.20 million will be procured on the basis of short-listing, following the selection procedure of technical quality with price consideration. They include: ODL Regional Policy Development (UA 1.760 million), ODL IEC Strategy (UA 0.530 million), Regional Capacity Building for ODL deployment (UA 1.650 million), monitoring and evaluation of implementation of project activities (UA 0.260), technical assistance provided by project coordination specialist, ODL Advisor, Finance officer, Monitoring & Evaluation specialist, Gender expert (UA 1.22 million), two ODL experts at the Centres of Specialisation (UA 0.22 million) and project Procurement Agent (UA 0.69 million).

6.4.4 The capacity building, specialised training and workshop activities (refer paragraphs; 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.17, 5.5.18 & 5.5.20) in aggregate value of UA 4.92 million will be procured through other procurement methods, i.e. Direct Purchase procedure, as the institutions to be contracted are national ones within SADC Member States. These activities will include workshops for the development of Regional ODL policy, strategic plans and operational frameworks (UA 3.460 million), and for Regional Capacity Building and training for strengthening ODL deployment through ODL skill development (UA 1.06 million), an Inception meeting, six additional meetings of the TCDOL. It will also include monitoring and supervision of the project, management and operational training of SHD&SP staff (UA 0.400 million). All these activities will be carried out via single source procurement in view of the limited number of specialised training institutions in the region. Project audit services (UA 0.100 million) will be procured on the basis of comparability of technical quality and least cost based on a shortlist of suitably qualified audit firms.

6.4.5 Miscellaneous: Operating costs valued at UA 1.229 million will be administered using existing procedures and practices of SADC Secretariat, which have been examined and found acceptable to the Fund. The procurement of a firm for Database web hosting valued at UA 0.390 million and that of award of scholarships to students for strengthening of ODL deployment through online ODL courses (UA 0.210 million) will be done through Shortlisting.

6.4.6 National Procedures and Regulations: SADC’s procurement procedures and regulations have been reviewed and determined to be acceptable.

6.4.7 Executing Agency: The SADC Secretariat will be responsible for the procurement of goods and services under the project. However, the resources and capacity of the SADC Secretariat are inadequate to carry out the procurement. The appointment of a Procurement Agent will strengthen the capacity of the SADC Secretariat in this area. A provision within the project has been made to finance these services.

6.4.8 General Procurement Notice: The text of a General Procurement Notice (GPN) will be agreed upon with the SADC and will be issued for publication in Development Business, upon the approval by the Board of Directors of the Grant Proposal.

6.4.9 Specific Procurement Notices for Goods, Invitation to Tender, Requests for Proposals, Tender Evaluation Reports, Consultants' Evaluation Reports, and draft contracts that have been amended from drafts included in tender invitation documents, shall be subject to review.

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6.4.10 Review Procedures: The following documents are subject to review and approval by the Bank: Specific Procurement Notices; Pre-qualification Invitation Documents; Tender Documents or Requests for Proposals from Consultants; Tender Evaluation Reports or Reports on Evaluation of Consultants' Proposals, including recommendations for Contract Award; Draft Contracts, if these have been amended from the drafts included in the tender invitation documents.

6.4.11 Post Review: In view of some small contracts that will be processed and the need to maintain sustained project implementation, contracts for services up to an amount of UA 20,000 will be subject to post review in accordance with Banks Rules of Procedure of Procurement of Goods and Works. In this regard, the Bank will review for prior approval the first ten (10) contracts. Then subsequently, procurement documents, including solicitations of price quotations, evaluation sheets and contract awards will be kept within the SHD&SP by the ODL Project Coordinator for periodic review by ADF supervision missions. This task will be included in all terms of reference for field missions. One year after effectiveness, ADF will review the correctness of the procurement activities. This review will determine the need for modifications and improvement of procurement arrangements. Information on procurement processing will be collected by the ODL Project Co-coordinator quarterly and shall be included in detail in the PQPR to be submitted to ADF.

6.5 Disbursement arrangements The special account method and the direct account method will be used for disbursement. SADC will open one (1) Special Account (SA) in foreign currency to receive the ADF grant, and two (2) Local Currency Accounts (LCAs) in a bank acceptable to the ADF. The first ADF LCA will be used to receive transfers from the first Special Account for operating costs while the second LCA will receive the SADC counterpart contribution. Funds to be utilised for the operating costs and salaries of staff to be assigned to the project, will be withdrawn from the special account and the counterpart account. The ADF will replenish the SA after the project has used at least 50% of the previous deposit and provide valid justifications for its use to the Bank. The SHD&SP will maintain records at all times of all disbursements made by the Bank and the SADC. The opening of the SAs and the two LCAs will be a condition precedent to first disbursement for the grant.

6.6 Project Accounting and Auditing The Executing Agency will maintain the project’s accounts by category of expenditure and source of funding and put in place a system of internal control to ensure prompt recording of transactions, timely production of accounts and reports and safeguard project assets. Financial records will be maintained in accordance with internationally acceptable accounting procedures. The SHD&SP will prepare monthly financial statements that will be consolidated by them into quarterly financial statements to be included as a section of the Quarterly Progress Reports. The Department of Finance of the SADC Secretariat will have advisory and monitoring responsibility for the project accounts, it will oversee the project accounting units activities to ensure compliance with accounting procedures. An independent Audit firm acceptable to the Fund will audit the financial statements of the project annually. The Secretariat will submit the Audit Report to the Fund for review and comments within six months after the end of each financial year in December. An allocation will be made in the project to cater for the costs of engagement of an independent external auditor.

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6.7 Monitoring and Evaluation 6.7.1 The monitoring and evaluation of project activities, including implementation progress and expenditure will be the responsibility of the SADC Secretariat as a regular management function through the SHD&SP. As indicated earlier, the project will finance a series of ODL Position Papers, which will generate baseline indicators and background information on the potential to utilise, or further expand ODL in participating countries. The results of these early studies will provide guidance to the ODL Project Co-ordinator in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the project. The SADC Monitoring and Evaluation expert will strengthen the capacity of the Directorate to carry out these functions and will submit to the Fund on a quarterly basis, reports on progress made on the implementation of the project components funded by the ADF and reports on project expenditures in accordance with Bank’s format.

6.7.2 The SADC Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist will assist the SADC in developing a set of indicators (in conformity with the observations of the ODL Position Paper) to be used in monitoring and evaluation of the project implementation. They will include targets, process and outcome indicators as well as input and output indicators. The M & E Specialist will also assist in designing systems for collection and analysis of data relating to these indicators. A team of independent consultants will undertake the actual monitoring of activities. The Fund will closely monitor implementation of the project through regular follow-up, review and supervision missions; the latter would be undertaken at least 1.5 times a year. A Mid-Term Review (MTR) will be undertaken by the ADF 18 months after first disbursement of funds. The MTR will examine progress made in achieving project objectives in accordance with the implementation plan, as well as examine the need for project revision. On the basis of the final indicators used in the matrix, a survey to assess the performance will be conducted.

6.7.3 To facilitate the MTR, SHD&SP will prepare and submit to the Fund, prior to the review mission, an interim report on utilisation of the grant and progress made in carrying out project activities. When the grant is fully disbursed and the project has come to an end, SHDSP will prepare and send to the Fund, a Project Completion Report (PCR) indicating costs, benefits, achievements, and lessons learned from implementation of the Project. At the close of the project an end-project evaluation will be carried out to assess to what extent the objectives of the project had been achieved. This will inform and feedback into the SADC regional policies and strategies for the development and utilisation of ODL. An end-of-project evaluation report will be submitted to the Bank three months after completion of the project. Upon review of the Borrowers PCR the Bank will undertake a mission to prepare Project Completion Report so as to evaluate the potential impact of the project and the lessons learned from its implementation.

6.8 Aid Coordination 6.8.1 The SADC Directorate of Social and Human Development and Special Programs (SHD&SP) ensures the aid coordination for the regional development and utilisation of appropriate ODL and related education and training initiatives. The Joint Task Force, (JTF) which was established in 2003 to support and review the implementation of the RISDP, consists of a broad group of International Cooperating Partners (ICP) and SADC representatives and is chaired by the Chief Director of SADC. The purpose of the JTF is to improve co-ordination between ICPs and SADC in order to achieve more effective aid delivery and greater impact of ICP assistance.

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6.8.2 The proposed project explicitly supports the SADC Protocol on Education and Training and will form part of the effort of SADC and its ICPs to achieve the Education for All goals in all SADC Member States. The Bank is a member of the JTF and participates in the ICP electronic forum as appropriate. Information about the project was shared through this forum and led to the contribution of both the EU to the Government of Finland to the project design. The Government of Finland is in the process of preparing a project which will compliment this ODL project and thus help to strengthen its impact. Continued dialogue with the ICPs and the JTF will help inform the implementation of this project.

7. PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY AND RISKS

7.1 Recurrent costs implications 7.1.1 The project will harness, build on and strengthen existing SADC systems and structures at the regional, national and central levels (ICM, SNCs, TCDOL and SHD&SP). This will help to ensure that the costs of updating and keeping the ODL policy and strategic plan updated after project completion would be relatively low and could be met from SADC’s own budget. Further, as the project achieves its goal and enhances governments’ understanding of the appropriate application of ODL there should be increased commitment to supporting ODL and structures established through this project from both governments and development partners.

7.1.2 There will be substantial recurrent costs in maintaining the two Centres of Specialisation which can be met in a number of ways. SADC has experience of Centres of Specialisation and the modalities of their operations. For example, the Centre of Specialisation in Public Administration (CESPAM) in Botswana is funded through course fee generation, by its host, the University of Botswana, and through the external support of a bilateral agent. During the life of this ODL capacity development project it will be important that recurrent costs for the Centres that are established are identified and that options to meet them are fully considered. The two institutions will be supported in this process by technical assistance provided by the project whose remit will be to support the Centres in strategic planning and management, including financial management and income generation. The SADC Secretariat supports the SADC Centres of Specialisation by advocacy and information sharing through its SADC institutional structures, and this will be important for the Centres viability after the project.

7.2 Project sustainability 7.2.1 The purpose of the SADC ODL project is to encourage regional integration and promote regional development through more effective utilisation of ODL. If the modality of ODL is to be ultimately integrated into education sector development plans this will require the requisite expenditure allocation. The preparation and existence of a well articulated SADC regional ODL policy and regional strategic plans will help facilitate this. With the establishment of regional policy frameworks and the development of capacity, SADC will be able to attract new and additional sources of finance to support the deployment of ODL. For example the engagement of the private sector with the use of ODL for all levels of education can do much to support the project’s sustainability in relation to the continued and effective deployment of ODL.

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7.2.2 The attitudes of the wider education stakeholder groups particularly at the local community level are also very important determinants of educational change. The project’s Information Education and Communication (IEC) strategy, along with its ODL information sharing and networking facilities, will also be key to the process of project sustainability.

7.3 Project assumptions, risks and mitigating measures 7.3.1 The major risks facing the project and the proposed mitigating measures reflected in the project design and log-frame are outlined in Table 7.1 below:

Table 7.1: Project risks, assumptions and mitigating measures

Risk Level Mitigating measures Development community does not continue to support SADC.

M Regularly monitor SADC budget allocation and performance regularly monitored. Participation in International Cooperating Partners/SADC dialogue

Governments and stakeholders do not support pan-regional education integration and cross border initiatives involving ODL.

M Ensure Member States are involved in the project design and development at all levels, both through existing SADC structures and by the project development processes. Develop and implement appropriately targeted Information Education and Communication (IEC) programme and adequate focused advocacy. Endorsement of key project outcomes through utilisation of other SADC institutional structures.

Centres of Specialisation are not effective. Centres of Specialisation do not develop strategies for post-project sustainability.

M Devise and apply rigorous selection process and assessment criteria at Centre of Specialisation bidding stage. Provide Technical Assistance (TA) to Centres of Specialisation. Ensure Centres develop annual work/business plans and realisable post-project business plans. Provide a travel budget to enable Centres to work with partners. Ensure regular internal and external monitoring and evaluation of performance.

Overall Risk Rating M Risk ratings: H (High Risk); S (Substantial Risk); M (Moderate Risk); L (Low/Negligible Risk) 7.3.2 The overall risk rating for the project is considered to be Moderate. The project will have a positive impact on SADC’s regional integration agenda as it relates to the education sector - particularly with regard to increased access to quality education through institutional capacity development and the development of new demand-led ODL programmes.

8. PROJECT BENEFITS

8.1 Economic impact 8.1.1 SADC is facing significant challenges to its development progress with some Member States suffering prolonged negative economic growth. SADC is seeking to reverse this situation through a comprehensive strategy of regional integration and trade liberalisation as articulated in its Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP). The RISDP accords top priority to the eradication of poverty; the control and mitigation of HIV/AIDS and the promotion of improved gender equality. SADC aims to achieve these goals through a programme of infrastructure development; improved application of science and technology;

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the promotion of greater private sector involvement; the deployment of progressive social and economic policies; sound, sustainable environmental management and improved human capacity development. The promotion of better more effective education policies, along with the strengthening of education and training capacity across the SADC is important to the success of the SADC development plan.

8.1.2 The ODL project is economically justified. The provision of high quality relevant education is universally recognised as a worthwhile investment and educating and training people by distance at undergraduate level has been shown to cost between 50-70% of the equivalent education by conventional means. Further the state gains as there is no opportunity loss if learners are working and paying taxes. Three interrelated factors need however to be concurrently addressed: (i) increasing the education stock; (ii) improving its distribution both in terms of equity and in terms of its adjustment to the needs of the economy and the employment structure and (iii) ensuring that education is of high quality in terms of usable skills. The process is cumulative and interactive and requires all three aspects. The creation of more open and flexible education systems can better facilitate all these processes.

8.1.3 This project will assist with the achievement of basic Education for All, and this will result in higher rates of economic and social return at both the individual and the societal levels to the Region. People who learn how to learn (i.e. develop independent self-learning skills) as a result of engaging with open, distance and flexible learning provision are more employable and derive lifelong benefits for themselves and their dependents.

8.2 Social impact and poverty reduction The project has the potential to deliver a significant and direct social impact in the SADC countries. By working regionally to develop understanding of and capacity to deploy ODL more effectively, Member States will be supported in determining priority educational areas where ODL can help address and reduce social inequities. ODL has the potential to increase access to educational systems, particularly for those who for various reasons cannot access the formal system – such as the over age, financially constrained, women with young children, migrant workers and internally displaced people. With the support of the Gender consultant, a Gender Strategy will be developed to ensure the gender implications of all project activities are addressed particularly from an equity perspective. The Information Education and Communication (IEC) strategy will help to promote awareness of gender issues and support equitable access to ODL programmes.

8.3 Technical impact 8.3.1 The potential technical impact of this project in terms of increasing educational access, quality and equity is high. Regional forums and focused policy, strategic planning and technical support will enhance the capacity of governments, ministries, institutions and individuals to deploy ODL to more effectively to address priority educational challenges. Regional policy development and programming will also reduce the cost to individual Member States and enable them to focus resources on maximising comparative advantage and educational access for disadvantaged groups.

8.3.2 With the growing availability and capacity of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the increased application of open and distance learning methods there is the opportunity to create and sustain a paradigm shift in education. SADC need to

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access and use recent developments so that they can provide their citizens with more equitable, flexible, and relevant lifelong education and training opportunities. Providing resources to develop capacity to enable the SADC to use ODL in a prudent and well integrated manner is an important step towards helping the Region initiate long-term educational transformation.

9. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

9.1 Conclusions 9.1.1 Education is the foundation of human freedom, capital development and well-being. Over the last 15 years, under the United Nations ‘Education for All’ (EFA) initiative, a huge effort has been made to expand primary education to ensure all children receive a basic education. Although around 77 % of the Region’s children now access primary school only 68% of the eligible group actually complete the primary cycle. Of those who then go on to the secondary level (the primary-secondary transition rate is 74%) less than 20% complete. For the ADF sub-group the average completion rate is only 9%. As a result, well over 20 million children across the Region do not complete secondary education. Further, around a quarter of the Region’s adult population are also regarded as functionally illiterate. At the upper level, the higher education system also is constrained. In no less than nine countries (and all of the ADF countries) less than 5% of the eligible sub-group have access to higher education and the numbers of science and technology graduates is inadequate for the Region’s needs.

9.1.2 Open, distance and flexible learning has been used successfully across the Region for over forty years. The new information and communications technologies offer the possibility of achieving a paradigm shift in education. The Region needs to build on its experience, learn from the lessons of the past and more effectively integrate ODL and ICTs into its education systems. A prerequisite to achieving this is a well targeted programme of relevant capacity building in the field of open, distance and flexible learning. The project is consistent with SADC’s RISDP and will assist SADC in the achievement of its development priorities. It also reflects the SADC Protocol for Education and Training which seeks to promote a regionally integrated and harmonised education system, particularly with regards to access, equity, relevance and quality of education interventions.

9.1.3 This project is technically feasible, economically viable, and socially sound. Open and Distance Learning when effectively and strategically deployed can play a key role in assisting SADC in addressing its educational challenges. The objectives and proposed activities of this project are in line with the SADC Treaty; the SADC Education Protocol the Bank Group’s Education Sector Policy and Guidelines on Financing Multinational Operations.

9.2 Recommendations 9.2.1 It is recommended that the fund consider extending an ADF grant not exceeding the sum of UA 15 million for the SADC as described in the proposal, subject to the following conditions:

A. Conditions Precedent to Entry into Force of the Grant Agreement

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9.2.2 The grant agreement shall enter into force on the date of signature of the Recipient and by the Fund.

B. Conditions Precedent to First Disbursement 9.2.3 Prior to first disbursement of the Grant, SADC shall have:

Opened one (1) Special Account (SA) to receive proceeds of the Grant and two (2) separate Local Currency Accounts (LCA) in a Bank acceptable to the Fund. The first LCA will be used to receive transfers from the first Special Account for operating costs, whilst the second LCA will receive SADC’s counterpart contribution (paragraph 6.5.1).

C. Other conditions

9.2.4 SADC shall:

(i) Within 15 months from the date of the first disbursement, have endorsed, through its Integrated Council of Ministers (ICM), the education sub-sector foci of the two Centres of Specialisation (paragraph 5.5.14).

(ii) Within 24 months from the date of the first disbursement, have identified the two Centres of Specialisation to receive related technical assistance (paragraph 5.5.14).

Annex 1

Map of SADC Region

This map was provided by the African Development Bank exclusively for the use of the readers of the report to which it is attached. The names used and the borders shown do not imply on the part of the Bank and its members any judgment concerning the legal status of a territory nor any approval or acceptance of these borders.

Annex 2

Structural overview of SADC

Annex 3

Project Support Staff

PROJECT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TEAM

1. ODL Project Co-ordinator 2. ODL Adviser 3. Gender specialist 4. Monitoring & Evaluation

specialist 5. Finance Manager 6. Procurement Agent 7. Secretary

HEALTH UNIT

EDUCATION UNIT

OTHER UNITS

PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE (TCDOL)

DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT &

SPECIAL PROGRAMMES

SADC SECRETARIAT

Annex 4

SADC ODL Project Implementation Document (PID): Table of Contents

1 THE PROJECT 1.1 Project scope and objectives 1.2 Project outputs 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 2.2 Project cost and financing 3 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION 3.1 Executing agency 3.2 Institutional arrangements 3.3 Implementation plan 3.4 Procurement arrangements 3.5 SADC procedures and regulations 3.6 General Procurement Notice 3.7 Review procedures 3.8 Disbursement arrangements 4 MONITORING AND EVALUATION 4.1 Project reporting 4.2 Financial reporting and auditing Annex 1 Structure of SADC Secretariat Annex 3 Organization chart of PCU/DSHDSP Annex 4 Project Matrix Annex 5 Implementation Schedule Annex 6 Job description of project Technical Assistance (T.A.) Annex 7 IEC Strategy Annex 8 Policy and Strategic Plan development process Annex 9 Centres of Specialisation: role, process, T.A. and infrastructure Annex 10 Technical ODL skill training programmes – process, focus, duration etc. Annex 11 Detailed project costs Annex 12 Disbursement procedures Annex 13 Procurement plan

Annex 5

Internal Review Process ACTIVITY DATE 1. Project Identification Mission June 25 – July 8, 2005 2. Internal Working Group (IWG) July 22, 2005 3. Inter-Departmental Working Group Meeting 19 August, 2005 4. Preparation Mission November 30 – December 12 5. Internal Working Group (IWG) Meeting January 30, 2006 6. Inter-Departmental Working Group Meeting(s) February 21 and March 7, 2006 7. Project Appraisal Mission March 13 – 27, 2006 8. Internal Working Group (IWG) Meeting 10 May, 2006 9. Inter-Departmental Working Group Meeting May 30, 2006 10. Senior Management Committee Meeting June 14, 2006 11. Grant Negotiations 13 and 14 July, 2006 12. Submission for Translation June 20, 2006 13. Board Presentation 26 July, 2006

Annex 6

Summarised list of Goods and Services (UA Millions)

Source of Funds ADF SADC Total % % Category of expenditure FE LC Total LC FE LC Total % Bank SADC

A. GOODS COMPONENT I

1.1 Furniture for project staff 0.007 0.001 0.008 0.000 0.007 0.001 0.008 0.3% 100.0% 0.0% 1.2 Office equipment (computers, printers, scanners etc) 0.035 0.004 0.039 0.000 0.035 0.004 0.039 1.4% 100.0% 0.0%

COMPONENT II 1.3 Furniture for offices & training rooms 0.051 0.009 0.060 0.000 0.051 0.009 0.060 2.1% 100.0% 0.0% 1.4 Equipment for teaching & learning 0.059 0.011 0.070 0.000 0.059 0.011 0.070 2.5% 100.0% 0.0% 1.5 ICT equipment & software for information hub 0.638 0.114 0.752 0.000 0.638 0.114 0.752 26.5% 100.0% 0.0% 1.6 VSAT Bandwidth & interconnectivity 1.616 0.289 1.906 0.000 1.616 0.289 1.906 67.2% 100.0% 0.0%

TOTAL GOODS 2.407 0.428 2.834 0.000 2.407 0.428 2.834 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%

B. SERVICES COMPONENT I

2.1 Project monitoring & evaluation of project 0.037 0.219 0.257 0.000 0.037 0.219 0.257 2.3% 100% 0.0% 2.2 Inception & Mid term review workshops 0.058 0.343 0.401 0.000 0.058 0.343 0.401 3.5% 100.0% 0.0% 2.3 Review/drafting & harmonization of ODL Policies 0.254 1.505 1.759 0.000 0.254 1.505 1.759 15.5% 100.0% 0.0% 2.4 Regional training workshops/conferences 0.399 2.394 2.793 0.663 0.399 3.057 3.456 30.5% 80.8% 19.2% 2.5 ODL IEC Strategy 0.076 0.457 0.534 0.000 0.076 0.457 0.534 4.7% 100.0% 0.0%

COMPONENT II 2.6 Technical Assistance (TA) (i) SADC Secretariat 0.175 1.049 1.223 0.000 0.175 1.049 1.223 10.8% 100.0% 0.0% (ii) Centres of Specialization 0.065 0.153 0.218 0.000 0.065 0.153 0.218 1.9% 100.0% 0.0% (iii) Procurement Agent 0.099 0.593 0.692 0.000 0.099 0.593 0.692 6.1% 100.0% 0.0% 2.7 Consultancy: Regional Capacity Building in ODL 0.490 1.158 1.648 0.000 0.490 1.158 1.648 14.5% 100.0% 0.0% 2.8 Regional training/workshops 0.170 0.403 0.573 0.485 0.170 0.888 1.058 9.3% 54.2% 45.8%

2.9 Audit Services 0.014 0.086 0.100 0.000 0.014 0.086 0.100 0.9% 100.0% 0.0%

TOTAL SERVICES 1.837 8.359 10.196 1.148 1.837 9.508 11.345 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%

C. OPERATING COST COMPONENT I

3.1 Operating costs 0.000 0.450 0.450 0.521 0.000 0.971 0.971 0.0% 100.0% 0.0% COMPONENT II

3.2 Operating costs 0.000 0.920 0.920 0.000 0.000 0.920 0.920 0.0% 100.0% 0.0%

TOTAL OPERATING COST 0.000 1.370 1.370 0.521 0.000 1.891 1.891 100% 72.5% 27.5%

D. MISCELLANEOUS

COMPONENT II 4.1 Hosting of online Database 0.132 0.260 0.392 0.000 0.132 0.260 0.392 20.7% 100.0% 0.0% 4.2 Scholarship/Bursary ODL online courses 0.062 0.146 0.207 0.000 0.062 0.146 0.207 11.0% 100.0% 0.0%

TOTAL MISCELLANEOUS 0.194 0.406 0.599 0.000 0.194 0.406 0.599 100.0% 100.0% 0.0%

PROJECT TOTAL 4.437 10.563 15.000 1.671 4.437 12.232 16.670

Annex 7

Operations and Indicative Pipeline of Projects, 2000 –2006

Year Project Amount (UA millions) Status Projects approved 2000 Technical Assistance to SATCC 1.580 Ongoing 2000 Capacity Building for Rehabilitation (Malawi,

Zambia and Zimbabwe) 0.928 Ongoing

2000 SADC Emergency Humanitarian Drought WFP 2.667 Completed 2002 Support to SADC Agricultural Research 1.033 Ongoing Planned operations 2005-06 2005 HIV/AIDS Project 20.000 Approved 2005 Shared Watercourses support Project 12.460 Under preparation 2005 Agriculture water management for Food Security 50.000 Under preparation 2005 Institutional Support for establishing the surveillance

unit 3.000 Request received from

SADC 2006 Regional Support to Combat Foot & Mouth disease TBD Identification

Annex 8

Annex

INFORMATION NOTE TO BOARD ON SADC CAPACITY BUILDING IN OPEN

AND DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL) PROJECT 1. Introduction 1.1 The Board will recall that the SADC ODL Project was first discussed on 26 July 2006. Given the fact that some Chairs expressed concerns about some aspects of the project, it was deemed necessary to defer final approval to allow Management to clarify the issues raised and alleviate the concerns voiced. The present note is a summary of the issues raised during the Board meeting as well as individual meetings held with concerned chairs and the responses given. 1.2 The main issues raised include the following: (i) the rationale behind a multinational approach for this ODL project; (ii) the status of ODL in the education priorities of SADC; (iii) countries ownership of the project and linkages with other ODL Initiatives and Programs; (iv) the Role of SADC, especially the Integrated Committee of Ministers, in the coordination and/or implementation of the project, (v) a summary description of the available capacity for project implementation, and the current status of the restructuring of SADC; (vi) The selection of the two ODL centers of specialization (CoS) and the exact nature, role and sustainability of these two CoS; and (vii) the concrete results, outputs and outcomes expected from the implementation of the project. In addition to addressing these issues, this Note provides a reminder of the background of the project as well as an update on new developments at SADC on education and ODL since July 2006. 2. Background of the Project 2.1 The Board will recall the contents of Information Note ADF/BD/IF/2006/119 that was distributed on 22 May 2006. This Note was intended to update the Board on the progress made in implementing the Bank Group’s Regional Assistance Strategy Paper (RASP) for Southern Africa. The RASP identified three pillars of support: (i) providing support for regional cooperation in agriculture and food security, infrastructure and services, and human and social development; (ii) facilitating trade and financial liberalization; and (iii) institutional strengthening and capacity development. 2.2 Pursuant to the implementation of the RASP, the Bank Group agreed with SADC to finance the following multinational projects:

- SADC Watercourses Support Project (approved in 2005); - Support to the Control of Communicable Diseases (HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and

Malaria), approved in May 2006; - Institutions Strengthening for Risk Management of Trans-boundary Animal Diseases; - Capacity for Open and Distance Learning (ODL); and - Water Management and Food Security.

2.3 The SADC ODL Project is the second of two social sector projects to be financed by the Bank under the RASP. The first one, the Support to the Control of Communicable Diseases (HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria) was approved by the Board on 31 May 2006. The project will develop capacity to deploy ODL strategically in four educational areas - Teacher, Secondary, Technical and Vocational and Tertiary Education (through regional policy and strategic planning), and in addition it will develop technical capacity in ODL in two of these four areas in the 14 Member States of SADC . As such the project is not a classic education project but a capacity building operation which will build regional capacity for the effective use of ODL as a tool to help meet educational goals.

23. New Developments since July 2006 3.1 Since the presentation of the project to the Board in July 2006, some of the recent developments supporting education and the ODL project include the following:

• The SADC Council of Ministers and Summit (in August 2006) reaffirmed political support and commitment to achieving development through a balanced integration agenda, paying particular attention to social and human development. They reiterated their support for the envisaged ADF Funded ODL Project in order to help ensure that SADC can achieve the EFA and MDG targets.

• The Second Decade of Education in Africa was launched in September 2006.

SADC, as a regional economic community, will be responsible for coordinating and facilitating the implementation of the Decade Plan of Action in Southern Africa. SADC countries committed themselves to according education the priority it deserves and making every effort to achieve educational goals. In particular, the ODL initiative was welcomed as a positive development to help increase access to education.

• UNESCO supported the ODL initiative during the second meeting of the Forum of

the African regional and sub-regional organizations to support cooperation between UNESCO and NEPAD.

• In respect to ODL, the Finnish Government is currently engaged in consultations

with SADC for the purpose of funding a project to complement the ADF financed ODL Project. In the discussions between the two parties, two aspects of complementary funding by Finland are being looked at: (i) covering the participation of SADC countries that are not eligible for ADF funding; and (ii) establishing Centers of Specialization (CoS) in the two areas which will not be covered by ADB funding out of the four areas of Secondary, Technical/Vocational Education, Tertiary, and Teacher Education.

3.2 In sum, since July 2006, new developments have confirmed both the relevance and the timeliness of this operation and SADC has reaffirmed its commitment to a multinational approach for this capacity building project in ODL.

4. Rationale Behind a Multinational ODL Project 4.1 There are several compelling reasons that led the countries of the region to choose a multinational approach to develop capacity building for ODL across the region. First and foremost is the need to harness the vast potential of all available modes of educational delivery to address the educational challenges which the region faces, in relation to the provision of secondary schooling, teacher education, out of school youth and low take up of tertiary education. The recognition that these challenges cannot be met by face to face traditional educational means was acknowledged at the All Africa Ministers Conference on Open Learning in 2004, whereby the conference asked for the development of distance education policies, and for regional cooperation to help build capacity in ODL. Their statement reflects the huge interest over the last few years in open and distance learning in Southern Africa. Various activities have been supported. Some good distance education institutions have been established in various countries in Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Mauritius etc.) such as SAIDE (South African Institute for Distance Education). Furthermore some regional networks have been set up such as the Distance Education Association of Southern Africa (DEASA) which has developed activities around

3training and professional development through national and regional workshops on several aspects of distance education, including material development, learner support and the use of technology. The Commonwealth of Learning as well as the ADEA Working Group on Distance Education and Open Learning have recently carried out various studies on the status, role and costing of ODL in Southern Africa. However, as highlighted in the Appraisal report, there is a need for a more integrated and coherent approach to the deployment of ODL, to avoid costly duplication of efforts, build on existing experience and ensure greater effectiveness. 4.2 Another compelling reason for a multinational approach is the need to integrate and harmonize ODL programs and processes, given the variations among the 14 SADC countries. This harmonization is a sine qua non in light of the need to ensure comparable access and quality for all countries. As stated in paragraphs 2.3.4 and 2.3.5 of the appraisal report, the focus of the SADC Protocol on Education and Training is to promote a regionally integrated and harmonized education system, particularly with regard to issues pertaining to access, equity, relevance and quality of education interventions. Key principles and objectives of the Protocol emphasize regional approaches to educational development through the development of common systems, specifically policy making capacity and regional policy frameworks, information and resource pooling, harnessing of regional expertise, and avoidance of duplication, with the ultimate aim of “harmonization, standardization and equivalence of education and training systems across the Region by 2017”. 4.3 A third reason is the need to have regional centres of excellence in ODL catering to the needs of all 14 countries. A regional approach allows for the emergence of regional centres of excellence, specializing in a small number of education areas and helping to meet the need for a more integrated and coherent approach to the deployment of ODL. In this regard, SADC already has in place a system of regional Centres of Specialisation in other areas that are supported by all Member States. This project utilises this model to ensure that the achievements of the project are sustainable through the CoS, which will facilitate regional integration and national capacity development. A regional policy and strategic plan, technical skill development and the Centres of Specialisation (CoS) with their data base and ODL information sharing will enable the countries to draw on the available expertise to meet their needs. This project will help to establish two regional centers of excellence, the two ODL CoS. 4.4 In sum, as argued in paragraph 5.1.2 of the appraisal report, a regional ODL program will further facilitate regional integration, capacity development, information sharing and maximization of resources to avoid duplication and enable Member States to offer a viable means of addressing educational challenges at all levels. At a supra-state level and in line with the member countries’ strategic priorities in education, the achievement of a pan SADC-wide ODL qualifications framework will support wider economic and social integration across the Region and increase knowledge sharing and understanding. It will also serve to strengthen the foundation for other regional initiatives. 5. Status of ODL in the Education Priorities of SADC 5.1 The analysis of the education sector in chapters 3 and 4 of the appraisal report details how education is a key priority in the SADC region and describes how ODL has been embraced for some years by the region as a priority, in order to address educational challenges and improve access and equity. Education is a priority area in the SADC Regional Indicative Development Plan and ODL as a modality for the delivery of education is a key dimension of the Protocol on Education and Training, as are CoS. Further, in 2004 at the All Africa Ministers Conference on ODL, the Ministers expressed their commitment to ODL and to joint initiatives to its deployment in a statement.

4 5.2 It should be emphasized that ODL is not a substitute for traditional, face to face classroom teaching but a necessary complement. Moreover, it is not limited to the use of the most advanced technologies. Rather, it uses technology adapted to local conditions, varying from correspondence courses, to radio, television and ICT. The need to develop capacity to use ODL as a tool stems from the inability of current systems to meet the challenges of providing education to all students. To give an example, to achieve the MDG educational goals, it is estimated that SADC countries must train an additional 1.000.000 teachers. SADC Member States have come to the conclusion that only an effective ODL policy framework and operational programs can help achieve their educational goals. 5.3 In addition to SADC’s own assessment, drawing lessons from its own operations in the education sector across the continent as well as from other sources, the Bank has come to the conclusion that albeit necessary, traditional modes of educational delivery must be supplemented by new and innovative approaches if they are to help African countries reach their educational goals. It is clearly established that existing capacities must be reinforced with more efficient and cost effective approaches. In that regard, the use of ODL to enhance educational access and quality bears great promise. ODL allows for considerable savings in physical school infrastructures, furniture and number of teachers per classroom. ODL makes it possible to provide training on a larger scale, and support regional educational programmes, among other benefits. 6. Countries Ownership of Project and Linkages with other ODL Initiatives and Programs 6.1 Country ownership is built in the entire process of the development of this project that derives from an original request from SADC Technical Committee on Distance Education (TCDE) in 2002. The SADC TCDE is comprised of government elected representatives of each of the 14 Member States. Committee members are senior education officials with expertise in ODL. Many of them head the key ODL institutions in the region, such as Namibia College of Open Learning (NAMCOL), Botswana College of Distance and Open Learning (BOCODOL), University of South Africa (UNISA), Open University of Tanzania, Malawi College, among others. The project design was drawn from the initial Strategic Plan developed by the TCDE and their original request to support policy and strategic plan formation, build capacity in ODL skills and encourage cross regional initiatives. The strategic plan and request reflect the SADC Protocol on Education and Training which highlights distance education and Centers of Specialization as a way forward in addressing educational challenges and encouraging regional integration. During the preparation of the project, 10 of the 14 Member States were visited and meetings held with members of the committee and other key education officials. The project team worked closely with SADC Education Officer and the Director of Human Resources throughout. 6.2 A central strand of the project is that it is building on existing expertise. As pointed out in paragraph 4.1 above, SADC countries have a rich and varied experience in using ODL at country level. This expertise is discussed at length in the appraisal report with specific examples given. In relation to the policy process, the policy will be developed through 4 Policy Forum which will have 8 representatives from each of the 14 countries, that is 2 educational sub-sectors for each of the four sub sectors per countries. These officers will be selected by their governments. In addition to the 14 x 8 members of policy forum, the TCDE will be involved throughout, serving as an expert steering committee. Once there is a draft policy, this will be presented to a forum for further discussion. It will then be finalized and presented to the SADC Integrated Committee of Ministers (ICM) for endorsement. The Policy forum will identify the two priority areas which will be the focus of the CoS.

5Following the development of the policy, the Forum (14 x 8) will meet to develop the Strategic Plan, and similarly this will be endorsed by the wider stakeholder group before being presented to the ICM. 7. The Role of SADC in the coordination and/or implementation of the project 7.1 The mandate of SADC Secretariat as agreed by SADC and the International Cooperating Partners (ICPs) is to provide overall coordination for projects. SADC policy on project implementation is that actual implementation is undertaken by stakeholders at national level or clusters of stakeholders at regional level. The required capacity at the SADC Secretariat is available. The ICPs have supported this process. 7.2 The project uses and seeks to strengthen SADC’s existing systems. The role of the ICM as the governing body has been determined by SADC Member States. The ICM is the policy decision making body of SADC in respect to programs. It provides policy guidance and direction. For specific technical input, it has the powers to delegate such issues to Sector Ministers (i.e. Education). For this project, as in other projects, ICM will help to ratify decisions and policy documents developed in the regional forum by experts so as to reinforce countries’ ownership. Its role in the project will therefore be to help provide policy direction of the project activities. In addition, it will facilitate inter-sector linkages on issues such as ICT to support the project. SADC is planning to hold annual meetings of Ministers of Education in the region as part of implementing the Protocol on Education and Training and the Second Decade of Education in Africa. For example, a meeting of Ministers of Education will be convened in April/May 2007 in preparation for ICM in June 2007 and the Conference of Ministers of Education of the African Union (COMEDAF) in September 2007. As part of the project implementation schedule, through the planned meeting, education stakeholders at political and technical level will be able to provide policy input and direction to the Project. 7.3 In sum, SADC will not implement the project itself but serve as an instrument for the transfer of resources to implementing bodies. Actual implementation is ensured by sustainable, national institutions. The objective is not to create new structures but to use existing local structures in order to contribute to the sustainability of project achievements beyond project completion. 8. SADC Capacity for Project Implementation and Status of the Restructuring of

SADC 8.1 The capacity within the SADC Secretariat consists of the Senior Program Manager responsible specifically for Education and Capacity Building who has been recruited and appointed since May 2006. She is responsible for overall program management in the education sector. Other support units are Gender which has three staff members, ICT Department and Finance. The capacity of the Secretariat is complemented by technical expertise from the region through technical committees to provide the necessary technical input. In this regard, the TCODL has been established to play this role. In addition, the SADC Secretariat has strategic partners which it utilizes from time to time i.e. SARDEC and DEASA. 8.2 The restructuring process of SADC is in its final stage. Recruitment of staff is almost complete. As of August 2006, 60% of the posts have been filled and the recruitment of the other posts is expected to be completed by December 2006. At the SADC Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government held on 23rd October 2006, at Midrand, South Africa, the Member States decided to strengthen the SADC Secretariat in order to effectively lead and coordinate the implementation of the SADC integration programmes. In this respect,

6the Summit directed that the Secretariat resources be increased and aligned with the SADC priority programmes, which seek to scale up the implementation of regional economic agenda. Efforts for improving the capacity of the Secretariat are underway. 8.3 To this effect this project will fund a project implementation team of two ODL experts who will be responsible for the day to day project management. The team will work within the Secretariat in the Directorate of SHD&SP with the support of the Education Coordinator and Director. The way in which the project staff will work with the SADC officers is described in the ToRs to ensure that this project actively supports the development of SADC officers to manage and co-ordinate project. 9. Selection of the two ODL Centers of Specialization (CoS) and the Exact Nature,

Role and Sustainability of the two CoS 9.1 Article 2 of SADC Protocol on Education and Training clearly articulates the need to utilize existing regional institutions to ensure long-term sustainability. It should be pointed out that SADC has a well established and tested practice of setting up regional Centers of Specialization (CoS), that act as centers of excellence in specific areas. The role of CoS in developing capacity within the region and contributing to regional integration is highlighted in the SADC Protocol of Education and Training, ratified by all SADC Member States. There are several CoS working successfully, such as the Center of Specialization in Public Administration and Management (CESPAM) established in Botswana. The project will help to establish within two existing institutions, two regional ODL CoS, utilizing ODL in capacity building, materials development, training and research. CoS will be hubs of excellence to facilitate leadership in the area of ODL and build capacity of other institutions at national level. Under their regional status, they will work together with national institutions through a network, drawing specific expertise from the partner institutions while also playing the role of capacity building at the same time. They will ensure strengthening of the capacity of other institutions in the region. 9.2 The location of the CoS to be established under the project will be determined by the SADC Member States, through the Policy Forum and wider stakeholder group. Their focus will be determined through this process and will therefore be the decision of the SADC Member States. The two educational priority areas will be identified, based on a policy process which itself is informed by detailed studies. Once identified, the Policy Forum will seek endorsement of the two priority areas from the ICM to ensure highest level buy in and country ownership. 9.3 In relation to competition, the CoS will draw upon existing expertise within the region, for instance, the training in ODL skills at the CoS will be provided by regional institutions, in collaboration with the CoS, through a bidding process. CESPAM uses the same model. SADC has committed to CoS and this project will ensure that there is much informed debate/dialogue as to their role. This should ensure ownership by the region and regional support. 9.4 The selection of CoS is done through a bidding process involving the relevant universities in the region. The assessment is done by specialists in the field who have the relevant expertise. In this case, it would mean those experts in ODL and institutional development as well as the key area of focus (i.e. Teacher education, higher education, etc) would form part of the evaluation team. SADC has developed a tested procedure that clearly spells out the steps as well as the criteria for selecting an existing institution to house a CoS.

710. Concrete Results, Outputs and Outcomes Expected from the Project 10.1 Concrete results expected from the project by 2011 include: Regional ODL Policy; Regional ODL Strategic Plan; two fully operational regional ODL Centers of Specialization (CoS) with facilities for training; establishment of ODL data base and ODL information sharing network; and ODL technical skills of educators required for the deployment of ODL in the region developed in 9 key areas (ODL curriculum planning and material development; ODL financing, budgeting and costing; Student support, assessment and accreditation in ODL; e-Learning; ODL management, administration and marketing; Quality Assurance in ODL; Research skills in ODL application, including policy research; Strategic planning and management of ODL; Monitoring and evaluation in ODL). In addition the project will support the delivery of two general training sessions on the issues and current practices and information for the utilization of ODL in the other two educational areas, which would have not been selected by SADC to be the focus of the Centers of Specialization to be supported by the Bank. 10.2 This project will put in place frameworks to support the more effective deployment of ODL and will develop the capacity at all levels – at regional, national, institutional and individual level. This will allow Member States to use ODL more effectively on a country or a regional level, and source funding from their own educational budgets or externally. In relation to the ODL CoS, the project supports their establishment and provides adequate technical assistance to build their capacity. In addition, the project supports the provision of training at the CoS for 2 years and full time technical expertise to enable them to develop a strategic plan for future role and for sourcing funding. The built capacity coupled with the fact that each of the two CoS will be housed in the most competitive and sustainable institutions in SADC ADF countries, will contribute to the long term viability and sustainability of the CoS. 11. Conclusion 11.1 The project’s approach, which is inspired by the education priorities and plan of action of SADC Member states, logically stems from the nature of the problems to be solved, the target groups and the operational environment. The project does not seek to substitute for national projects and programs in education. It provides support to SADC to fulfill its mandate and complement and reinforce national efforts whilst encouraging integration and avoiding duplication. National ODL experts and authorities, who are among the important local operators, participate in decision-making in implementing the project. The project strives to promote partnership between member states, in particular the educational communities. Such a partnership is essential from the standpoint of regional integration and harmonization. The project reinforces and promotes a sense of responsibility and ownership among all involved countries. 11.2 Management would like to thank the Board members for their questions and for their interest in this important project. Management will take all necessary action to ensure that all issues raised are properly addressed in the implementation of the project.