Building Capacity for Leadership

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Building Capacity for Leadership
NegotiationsThe Experience of India
2nd Africa Region Education Capacity Building
Workshop  Country Leadership and Implementation
for Results in the EFA-FTI partnership  Tunis,
Tunisia Dec 3-6, 2007 R V Vaidyanatha Ayyar
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One of the Ten Commandmentsof Development
Partnership

• Leadership Commandment
• The Country Shall Exercise Leadership in
• Developing Implementing the Program
• Coordinating Donor Support

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ThisPresentation Attempts to Outlinethis
process with regards to theIndian Experience of
Primary Education Reform
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What Does It Take for a Country to Practice
the Leadership Commandment?
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Similarly, What Does It Take for the Donors
to Abide by the Leadership Commandment?
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What are the Skills Competencies a Country
Should Have to Exercise Leadership?
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By Way of Introduction
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IndiaContinental nationFederal Polity

• 28 States
• Population Ranges from
• 500, 000 to 180 mn.
• 18 Major Languages
• 630 Odd Districts
• District Basic Unit of Administration

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States Major Actors

• States Constitutional Entities
• No Single Party Rules Central All State
  Governments
• Not Amenable to Command Control
• Manage/Regulate Almost All Schools
• Incur 80 of Public Expenditure on Primary
  Education

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A Federal System Has Major Implications for

• Policy/Program
• Development
• Implementation
• Country Ownership
• Donor Coordination

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DPEP 2.16 bn. Program1992-2001

• Adopts Program-Based Approach
• World's First Prototype SWAp in Primary Education
• Multiple Sources of Financing
• Coverage
• Over Half of 600 Districts
• 18 of 28 States

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SSAPost 2001

• DPEP Mainstreamed Expanded
• Expanded Coverage
• All Districts
• Upper Primary Stage too
• Classes V-VIII
• DPEP Strategy, Structures, Processes Kept in Tact

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SSA Full Fledged SWAp

• Praxis of Donor Coordination that DPEP
  Introduced has been Institutionalized
• Agencies Take as a Fact of Life Agency
  Coordination by the EE Bureau
• Total Outlay 2.32 bn. 2004-07
• IDA/DFID/EU Contribution 1.046 bn.

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Part I Country Side of the Partnership Equation
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We WitnessA New Phase of Development Cooperation

• A New Spirit of Partnership
• PARIS DECLARATION
• EFA-FTI
• Holistic Program Based Approach

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The New Spirit of PartnershipCalls forMoving
Fast in the Right Direction
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Shift in Relationships Attitudes
Parntership
Hierarchal
Country Owner Driver Partners Facilitators
Half Way House Country in Drivers Seat As
Chauffeur
Donors Club Country Outside Car
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Adherence to Leadership Commandment Requires

• Both Country Agencies to Have
• Will
• Ability

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Will Ability

• Equally Important
• If a Country Does not Will to Exercise Leadership
• No Amount of Agency Prescription Would Help

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Ability Equally Important

• Spirit May be Willing but Flesh is Weak
• Acquire the Requisite Ability if Its Now
  Insufficient
• Demonstrate Your Ability
• Get Others Recognize Your Ability

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Indian Experience

• Signal Again Again The Resolve to Lead
• Most Conditionalities Are Negotiable
• If Not Comfortable Dont Hesitate to Negotiate

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Signal Again AgainThe Non-negotiables

• I. Education Policy
• Curriculum
• Language

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Signal Again AgainThe Non-negotiables

• II. Program
• Assistance Only to the National EFA Program
• DPEP/SSA
• Only Subject to the Program Parameters

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Signal Again AgainThe Non-negotiables (2)

• No Engagement of Expatriate Consultants for
  Program Development Implementation
• Program Must be Developed by Country (not written
  by consultants)
• Capacity Development is Mainly Learning by Doing

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Intense Mobilization ofHuman Resources

• From Within the Country for
• Capacity Development
• Program Development Support
• From
• Within Government
• Universities
• Social Science research Institutions
• Civil Society Organizations
• Free Lancers
• Orient Academics to the Specific Requirements of
  DPEP
• Turn Philosophers Into Artisans

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Type of Human Resources Needed
Testing Measurement Learner Achievement
Studies Baseline Mid-term Terminal
Institutional. Assessment Cap. Dev. Needs
Program Management Appraisal Supervision Monitorin
g
Educational Planning
Pedagogy
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Signal Again AgainThe Non-negotiables

• III. Donor Interaction
• Interaction Only With DPEP/SSE Bureau
• No Direct Interaction with States Field
  Functionaries
• Field Visits Only in Joint Supervision Missions

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Non-negotiables in Respect ofAgency Interaction

• May Appear Harsh
• But Based on Experience
• Needed
• If Capacity is to be Built Throughout the Country
• The New Partnership Relation With Agencies is to
  be Internalized by
• All Agencies National Functionaries

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Say No toAny Agency WhichContests
Non-negotiables
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Intelligently Saying, No, ThanksConfers
Enormous Power
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You May AskCan a Country in Dire Need of
Resources Say , No Thanks?
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A Very Legitimate QuestionLet Me Answer in
Terms of Negotiation Theory
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Effective Leadership

• Be It Program Development
• Or Donor Coordination
• Essentially a Process of Negotiation

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A Countrys Ability to Get Beneficial
AgreementsDepends on Its
Situational Power
Knowledge Power
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Situational Power
How Well Can You Put Your Act Together?
How Critical is the External Financing ?
How Important is Your Country for the
Agencies?
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Countries

• Take Note of Only
• Their Dependence on Donors
• But
• Miss Out That Donors Need Them Too

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Indias Large Scale Engagement with Donors
Occurred

• When India was in the Grip of a Macroeconomic
  Crisis
• Gold Balances Flown Out to Prevent
• Default of Payment Obligations

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Yet We Could Secure Favorable Terms for EFA
Funding Because

• India, Home to the World's Largest Out-of-School
  Children
• Could Not Be Left Out by Donors
• If Jomtien Goals Were to be Achieved

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Based on Indian Experience I Can Say

• The Agencies Under Great Pressure to Do Something
  in Africa
• They Need You as Much as
• You Need Them Their Assistance

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Most Things Which Seem Unreasonable Are Negotiable

• School Grants
• Construction of School Buildings by Communities
• Single Source Procurement
• For Technical Support Group

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Of the Three Elements of Situational Power

• Our Experience Putting Ones Act Together is
  As Difficult
• As Managing Donors

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Putting Ones Act TogetherImperative for Country
Ownership Leadership
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Necessary to Build a Strong National Consensus on

• EFA Goals,
• Strategies,
• the National Plan of Action,
• the Implementation Mechanisms,
• The Rationale for Accessing Support from Agencies

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Intense Internal NegotiationsPolicy/Power
StrugglesAt Three Levels

• Government of India GOI
• DOE, FinMin, Plg. Commn.
• DOE National Resource Organizations
• Within Each State
• Between GOI States

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Change is Traumatic

• A Major Shift in the Strategy for UPE
• A New National Program
• New Culture of Outcome Orientation
• Work Plans
• Periodic Supervision
• Rigorous MIS
• A New Directional Role for GOI/DPEP Bureau

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Contests Compromises

• Program Parameters
• Teacher Recruitment
• Contract Teachers
• Role National Resource Organizations

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Let Me Turn to Knowledge Power
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Capacity Fountainhead of Knowledge Power

• Country Keen on Exercising Leadership
• Should Embark on a Program of Sustained Capacity
  Development
• That is Far More Encompassing Than That
• Associated With Conventional Projects

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Important to Remember

• FTI Not About Funding Only
• Seeks to Meet Four Gaps
• Funding
• Policy
• Capacity
• Data

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Knowledge Power
Capacities Generally Covered By CD
Ability Manage Agencies
Policy Plg. Impln. Pedagogy
Generally Not Covered
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Communication Fluency In Vocabulary of
Development Discourse
Ability Manage Agencies
Know the Other Agencies deep understanding
operations operational styles Standard
Operating Procedures Comparative Knowledge
analytical capacity to weigh options to
make intelligent choices
Cross-Cultural Negotiation Ability to Craft
Agreements
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Knowledge is PowerAsymmetry in Information

• One Side Donor Knows More About the Other
  Country Than Vice Versa
• More Qualified Dedicated Staff Than the Country
• Imperative for Countries to Match the Knowledge
  of Agencies
• Strengthen Institutional Memory
• Acquire Comparative Knowledge

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In SummaryACT STRATEGICALLY
Good Reform Prescriptions
Embrace
Bargain Hard
Uncomfortable conditionalities
NYET NYET NYET
Non-negotiables
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AND FURTHER

• ACQUIRE
• ACQUIRE
• ACQUIRE
• CAPACITY
• KNOWLEDGE POWER

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Part IIWhat Does It Take for the Donors to
Abide by the Leadership Commandment?
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New Phase of Dev. Copn. Poses

• Grave Challenges Dilemmas to Donors
• Capacity Dev. Tech. Assistance
• Country-Donor Relations
• Inter- Donor Relations
• Within Donors
• Headquarters-Field Relations

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Challenges Dilemmas Emanate From

• The Inadequate Capacity in Many Countries
• Some Countries too Small
• to Have the Critical Mass of Human Resources
• Intrinsic Tension Between
• Efficient Projects Capacity Dev.
• Quick Realization of Goals EFA Capacity Dev.

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Intrinsic Tension Can Be Managed Only Through

• Greater Sensitivity to Country Context
• Greater Respect for Country Choice
• South-South Cooperation
• Development of Regional Resources
• Small Countries

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Reinvent CD TA

• Recognize CD is Like Learning to Bicycle
• Faltering/ Falling Part of Learning Process
• Instructor Should Let the Learner Go On His Own

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Reinvent CD TA

• Failing Wisely to be Provided for in Schedule of
  Program Dev. Impln.
• No Pressure on Field to Hurry Up
• No Nanny
• Adult Relationship to Replace Parenting an
  Infant

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Reinvent CD TA

• Greater Role for Countries
• Assessing Capacity Gaps
• Accessing Consultants
• TORs
• Greater Accountability of Consultants to
• Countries

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Tension Intrinsic to Partnership

• Long Way to Harmonization Alignment
• How Many Definitions of Capacity!
• How Many Toolkits!

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Tensions Conflict Intrinsic toPartnership

• Fault Lines Within
• Identity
• Interests Common Not Identical
• Perceptions About Country Competence
• Pattern of Assistance

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Donor Co-ordination by Country Calls for

• A New Culture of Country-Donor Relations
• Attitudinal Change
• As Much of Donors as of Countries
• As Much of Functionaries as of Institutions
• Orientation Training of Functionaries
• Is Enough Being Done?

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EFA FTI Needs to Have Bi-focal Vision

• Two Foci
• Realization EFA Goals
• Develop Leadership Capacity
• Monitoring of Results Should Cover
• Development of Capability to Exercise Leadership
• To Complement Donor Performance Indicators (a
  la Mozambique)
• Incentivize Dev. Exercise of Leadership

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Establish Performance Indicators for Country
Leadership

• Policymaking Policy Dialogue
• Planning
• Capacity Development
• Need Identification
• Identification of Resources
• Utilization of Resources
• Management of Resources
• Implementation
• Evaluation Monitoring

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All Said Done

• In Their Interactions with Donors
• Countries Are Reactive
• Therefore Donors
• Have Greater Power to Make the New Spirit of
  Partnership a Reality
• Hence Greater Responsibility