Volume 3, Issue 1

Analysing Capacity in a Ministry of Education: A Case from Nepal

Stephen Carney, Roskilde University, Denmark

Min Bahadur Bista, Kathmandu Education Foundation, Nepal

The paper outlines an approach to capacity building and elaborates upon a methodology used for a major study of institutional capacity in the Ministry of Education and Sports of Nepal. To illustrate the model, some examples are given of the types of findings that emerged from the process, and the ways that these were able to inform the Ministry's subsequent HRD plan aimed at improving the quality of basic and primary education in that country. Finally, some reflections are provided on the usefulness of the model and its generalisability to other national contexts.

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Professional Development for Active Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa: Reflectively Practicing a Community-Centered Approach

Jeff Zwiers, Stanford University, USA

This article describes the activities, challenges, and participants' reflections of a teacher training program in Ethiopia. In response to the recent emphasis on more student-centered teaching approaches in the last decade, the training addressed ways to develop active learning methods and alternative assessments in settings where resources are scarce and class sizes are large. It also offered a chance for teachers to critically reflect on the effectiveness of many Western ideas and practices that are imported for development purposes. Key insights that emerged from reflection and discussion included (1) people learn more effectively when they actively use and discuss topics in practical and realistic ways; (2) students and teachers can benefit from performance-based assessments that show deep understandings of topic; and (3) traditional and community and home education practices must be considered when integrating new teaching methods.

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ICTs, Secondary Education, and the Knowledge Economy: Exploring the Roles of the Private Sector in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Chijioke J. Evoh, The New School University, USA

The emerging information-based economy requires an educated and skilled labor force. Unfortunately this caliber of human resource is insufficient in South Africa. This is in part due to the historical experience of the apartheid educational system, which stifled human capital development among generations of South Africans. Despite commendable efforts of the government to meet the increasing demand for education in the country, the gap in education, coupled with the need for trained and skilled work force, cannot be met only by the state through the traditional approach of educational delivery. Rather, the involvement of all stakeholders and approaches, especially the private sector and the employment of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in curriculum delivery are essential. This study argues that the use of ICTs to improve secondary education in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa in general should not wait until countries in the region reach a certain level of economic growth and budgetary stability. Rather, governments in the region should use the right economic and political incentives to encourage the involvement of the private sector in the advancement of secondary education through ICTs. Prominent among such incentives would be the full privatization of government-owned telecommunication enterprises in South Africa. Such innovative approaches involving the private sector, will expand pedagogical possibilities, promote socio-economic inclusion, and enable the country to meet the work force requirement for the knowledge economy.

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Girls' Education in South Africa: Special Consideration to Teen Mothers as Learners

Agnes Chigona, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa

Rajendra Chetty, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa

Teenage pregnancy has militated against the educational success of girls in South Africa. Statistics show that four out of ten girls become pregnant overall at least once before age 20. Education is important for these girls in order to break the poverty cycle in which most of them are trapped. Though the girls are allowed to return to school after becoming mothers, they face many challenges in trying to balance motherhood and the demands of schooling. The aim of this study was to find out how teen mothers cope with schooling, hence how much support is rendered to them. A qualitative research approach was used to understand the social phenomena of teenage mothers as learners. The result of the research showed that teen mothers in Cape Town receive insufficient support (physically and emotionally) and the consequence is that many quit school or do not succeed with schooling.

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Effective Use of Textbooks: A Neglected Aspect of Education in Pakistan

Razia Fakir Mohammad, Institute for Educational Development, Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Roshni Kumari, Institute for Educational Development, Aga Khan University, Pakistan

Given the significant role that textbooks play in many countries of the developing world, the paper highlights issues related to the use of the textbook in rural Pakistan, and identifies ways to improve upon current practices. The findings presented in this paper emerge from our analysis of teachers' experiences and practices related to the use of Science textbooks in public schools. Since the existing knowledge base is limited on teachers' actual use of the textbook, the paper attempts to fill in this gap by highlighting the various issues related to teachers' perceptions and practices. These include teachers' limited use of textbooks, access to textbooks, information gaps and limitations of textbooks - all working to restrict the use of the textbook as a learning resource. The paper concludes by offering recommendations on improving textbook usage in Pakistan.

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The opinions and findings presented in this publication are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID.