Process of education policy formation in Africa : the case of Guinea

Initial sections document the circumstances that led to the PASE. In 1988, the World Bank"s Education II project, which received mixed reviews, was coming to an end; adjustment programs dominated the national scene; and international organizations making significant loans to Guinea indicated their interest in a plan to salvage Guinea"s education sector, one of the least developed in the world. These efforts resulted in development of a national education policy which was implemented through the PASE with the help of balance-of-payments and project support from the World Bank, USAID, and France. The design and implementation of the PASE produced tangible results that allowed the educational system to develop rapidly in a relatively short period of time. The report documents the problems encountered and the achievements of the PASE, paying particular attention to the formal mechanisms (i.e., the Monitoring Committee, the Technical Secretariat, the Steering Committee, and Technical Working Groups) and informal mechanisms (back-to-school workshops, donor reviews, and training national officials) that provided the flexibility needed to solve implementation problems as they arose. The report also identifies the leadership and commitment of Guinean officials as key factors in the program"s success.