Wrap-up reflections on GEH Partners

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Wrap-up reflectionson GEHPartners Conference
by Kathryn TOURE, Regional Coordinator, Education
al Research Network for West and Central
Africa (ERNWACA) Governance, Equity and Health
(GEH) Partners Conference Focus on Governance
at the interplay of health, equity and
financing 25-30 April 2005 Dakar, Senegal
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Member Countries / Pays Membres

• Bénin
• Burkina Faso
• Cameroun
• Côte d'Ivoire
• Gambie
• Ghana
• Guinée
• Mali
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Sénégal
• Sierra Leone
• Togo

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ERNWACA Networking structure

• 15 to 25 members
• National Coordinator
• National Coordinating Committee
• National Scientific Committee

NC
NC
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RC
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• regional Board of Directors
• Regional Scientific Committee

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National Coordination
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OUTLINE

• Education sector
• Conference learnings. So what next?
• Partnership evaluation working tool

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Why EDUCATION (research)?

• Empowers individuals to make personal and social
  choices
• Foundation for nation-building, regional
  integration and development of democratic
  institutions
• Improves health
• Can contribute to sustained economic growth
• May have lessons for health sector (and vice
  versa)

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Education sector in Africa

• Governance
• Quality and efficiency
• Human resources
• Equity
• Corruption
• Power
• Plurality
• Financing

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Some education research trends in Africa

• Shift from focus on access to quality/pertinence/p
  articipation/equity issues
• Girls education from barriers to promising
  strategies
• Teachers and teaching as entry point
• Beyond basic education
• Preventing hiv/aids and mitigating its impact on
  the education system
• Learn-by-doing praxis approach to
  identify/build on promising approaches
• Implementation matters

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Who does education research in Africa?

• Ministries of education
• Bilaterals, multilaterals
• United Nations UNICEF, UNESCO (including IIEP)
• Regional/African institutions University
  students/professors, ERNWACA, ERNESA, SACHES,
  SAQMEC, PASEC/CONFEMEN, ADEA Working Groups,
  FASAF, CODESRIA, SchoolNet Africa
• Private firms
• EPSI/SADC, UEMOA

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National-level actors

• Students and parents
• Teachers and school directors
• Education administrators
• Elected officials
• Teacher unions, parent teacher associations, etc.
• Learning institutions
• Ministries of Education, Research, Planning,
  Public Service/HR, Finance, Youth, etc.

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Forums for dialogue / advocacy (beyond national)

• ECOWAS and SADC
• Association for the Development of Education in
  Africa (ADEA), www.adea-net.org
• African Union (and NEPAD?)
• Forum for African Women Educators (FAWE)
• Education International (teacher union)
• Global Education Forum
• UNICEF
• Network for Policy Review and Advice on Education
  and Training (NORRAG), www.norrag.org

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GEH Conference participants (rough estimates)

• 100 participants (about)
• GEOGRAPHIC spread
• 64 Africa (francophones/anglophones)
• 26 North America and Europe (francophones/anglo
  phones)
• 10
• several Latin American countries
• Georgia
• India
• Australia
• NOTE 47 from South Africa, Canada and Senegal
• INSTITUTIONAL representation
• 17 IDRC
• GENDER breakdown
• men and women

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Questions I still have?

• Sector/research overview?
• Co-organization with African institution?
• GEH ?

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What next?

• Document Ernwacas participatory approach to
  research
• Continue to explore how research can better
  empower
• Develop gender analysis capacity
• Continue to work across borders (not just
  linguistic, disciplinary, and geographic) --
  Decentralization Intersectoral lessons

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We must demystify research by making it more
proactive, participatory and accessible. Alhaji
Raheem Gbadamoshi, ERNWACA National Coordinator,
Ghana Les leçons tirées du passé suggèrent que
le renforcement de capacité en recherche et
lanalyse des politiques éducatives doivent être
poursuivis par une activité continue et
soigneusement élaborée. J.M. Sibry Tapsoba,
xCRDI, actuellement à la BAD
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Evaluating Quality of Partnerships tool in
development
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Policy / public dialogue
The ERNWACA logo represents the multiplication of
voices in the universe, voices which encourage
social development by creating new dialogues.
Le LOGO de ROCARE est un signe multiplicateur
qui augmente les voix de lunivers et à ce titre
favorise le développement de la société par la
création de nouvelles paroles. 
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