Investments in education : USAID Africa Bureau"s Office of Sustainable Development 1992-1999

Individual sections cover findings and implications for basic education of AFR/SD support for: constituency-building for policy reform; the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA); community involvement; sector decentralization; educational information management; educational networking; the Education Research Network of West and Central Africa (ERNWACA); policy formation; identifying determinants of educational achievement and attainment; improving equity and the experience of girls in the classroom; improving the health of school children; educational reform; and research on how education affects girls" lives. An opening section discusses findings and lessons from research and pilot activities on educational policy development. The role of nonproject assistance in educational reform, and the success of this approach in Uganda, is highlighted. General lessons learned include the following: (1) Policy development is a dynamic process and is effective when it emerges from the long-term commitment of stakeholders. Such commitment is generated by active involvement in identifying problems and outlining options and recommendations. (2) Solid evidence about problems and a good understanding of the policy change process and mechanisms promote realistic and feasible policy recommendations. (3) A variety of information and motivational tools is available for sensitizing policymakers and other audiences, thereby building interest and commitment to policy change. (4) Adopting a policy is half the battle; implementing the policy is often the bigger challenge. (6) Ongoing monitoring of the policy and implementation processes is critical.