UNESCO IBE > Policy Dialogue > Training seminars on policy dialogue
Training seminars on policy dialogue in Africa
The first three seminars held in 2003 in Mali and Senegal reinforced the capacities of more than forty members of ministerial teams from twelve French-speaking countries in Africa. The seminars were organized on the basis of a common framework programme, which had been designed taking into account an inventory of the priority needs identified in international studies and the outcomes of a survey addressed to the ministries of education and conducted by the IBE. In order to prepare some training modules, recognized specialists were consulted such as the European Centre of Negotiation (“Harvard’s Reasoned Negotiation”) and the Working group on the Sectoral Analysis and Programme COMED (Communication for Education and the Development) of the ADEA. From the perspective of an approach that combines action/reflection on action in order to improve action, the work of the seminars has been based on several monographs/case studies focusing on policy dialogue experiences—mainly in Africa. An overview of the current reflection on the concept of “policy dialogue”, as well as an initial assessment of the training activities in Africa, were presented in the issue n° 130 of Prospects, UNESCO’s quarterly review of comparative education, published by the IBE.
Monographs/case studies
Ten completed monographs/case studies will be published in March and June 2006 in Prospects (issues 137 and 138).
Training toolbox/materials on policy dialogue
IBE and ADEA will jointly pursue the completion of this toolbox, which in principle should include:
1. A reference document on policy dialogue . The main chapters of this document could be:
• Definition and contextual perspective of policy dialogue
• Aims and objectives of policy dialogue within the education sector
• The framework and actors in policy dialogue
• The strategies of implementing national policy dialogue
• The strategies of policy dialogue with external partners
• Models and instruments of policy dialogue
• Lessons learned from African experiences and elsewhere
2. Training tools and materials:
Basic modules consisting of a range of materials under various formats (PowerPoint presentations, national case studies, articles, films, books, bibliographies, etc). The training seminars that are to be organized in 2005-2006 will provide the opportunity to further develop and validate the training toolbox.
Streamlined training
The training tools could be made available to UNESCO’s Member States and other interested parties, in a manner yet to be determined. They will serve as a basis from which particular training can be organised at a national level for those who need it most, within the ministries of education.
Project GIAN/RUIG
This project, carried out during the period October 2002–2004, tried to include an historical dimension and a comparative approach in the construction of a vision for education, particularly on the issue of the transfer of models of secondary education. Within this framework, a high-level seminar has been organized before the opening of the forty-seventh session of the ICE, on the theme: “Secondary education throughout the world scale: assessment and prospects.” The Proceedings of the seminar will be published at the end of 2005. Other publications (case studies, comparative analyses) resulting from the project are being prepared. In addition, the GIAN/RUIG project team has used in 2004 and 2005 some training modules within the framework of the Summer University on Human Rights and of the Right to Education (UEDH) organised by OIDEL.
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