By the Division for the Reconstruction and Development of Education Systems

Note

The documents and publications referred to in this catalogue have been produced between 1989 and 1999 in the framework of UNESCO's education 'upstream' support services to Member States. They concern activities undertaken by or with support of BER/PSA (before 1996) and the ED/ERD Divisions designed to support the elaboration of sector-wide national policies, strategies and action plans for the reconstruction and reform of education systems in Member States in the framework of international development cooperation. Documents are related to country-based activities and, to a lesser degree, to cross-country activities under international working groups and partnerships.

The database which serves for the elaboration of this catalogue is updated regularly and is available for consultation at the Office for Administration and Information of the Education Sector, UNESCO, Paris, as well as at UNESCO's field offices and education institutes throughout the world. It will also be made available through Internet at UNESCO (ED/ERD) Website in the near future. The documents themselves may be consulted at or requested from the Office for Administration and Information (ED/OAI) at UNESCO Paris Headquarters.

The user should be aware of the special nature of this documentary collection which covers a broad variety of documents - from official government and agency documents and publications to internal and working documents, frequently unofficial, and that they wary widely in quality, completeness and degree of reliability.

Analysis and information presented in the individual documents are those provided by the authors and do not necessarily bear the endorsement of UNESCO.

For many years UNESCO has worked together with other agencies to help countries prepare suitable education projects for international co-operation and funding. This particular phase in international co-operation is called the 'upstream' phase because it involves undertaking analysis of the education situation, defining country policies and strategies, drawing up plans, programmes and projects prior to the actual launching of projects in what is generally referred to as the 'downstream' phase.

Since the 1980s, UNESCO has intensified its efforts to provide 'upstream' services to Member States as a direct response to changing conditions in international development co-operation. This co-operation is increasingly guided by sector-wide policies (in contrast to the traditional approach of individual dispersed projects) involving systematic analysis of policy options based on empirical data collection. At the same time, a large number of countries are increasingly dependant on external financing for their investments in education, particularly low income countries and countries undergoing post-war reconstruction. Among the various multi-lateral and bilateral aid agencies, the World Bank holds a leadership position and is able to set the agenda for national policy analysis as well as influencing investments made by other organisations. Those countries in need of heavy external financing, are doubly dependant on external funding agencies, particularly the World Bank, financially as well as intellectually and policy wise.

In this context, and drawing on the Organisation's institutional position and capacity for professional independance, a specific unit for the provision of upstream services was created at Headquarters in 1990 and later consolidated in the Education Sector since 1996 as the Division for the Reconstruction and Development of Education Systems (ED/ERD). Such services aim at supporting national leadership in the preparation of national strategies and action plans and in the mobilisation of national and external resources as well as at mobilising the intellectual resources needed for technically sound and independant upstream analysis.

UNESCO has provided education upstream services to well over thirty Member States during the present decade with special attention to least developed countries in Africa and South East Asia and countries undergoing rapid political and economic transition or post-conflict reconstruction. In recent years, upstream activities have been broadened to encompass several complementary cross-country initiatives such as the regional Working Group on Education Sector Analysis in the framework of ADEA (Association for the Development of Education in Africa) and inter-agency partnerships on education reform and international cooperation.

This catalogue contains the bibliographical references of working documents and research publications produced between 1990 and 1998 by or with the support of the former Division for Policies and Sector Analysis (BER/PSA before its integration into ED/ERD in 1996) and the ED/ERD Division as part of UNESCO's education upstream support services to Member States.

The catalogue is primarily addressed to professionals, researchers and students who undertake field analytical research and operational work related to the elaboration of national education policies, strategies and programmes in the framework of development cooperation. Though the catalogue includes numerous non-official and internal working papers which vary widely in quality, form or presentation, it provides a wealth of methodological, historical and contextual information which we hope will prove useful for information and research purposes. We also hope that this initiative will contribute to increasing the dissemination and utilisation of field related information and analysis in international cooperation.

1. Project Documents and Revisions

Standardised and official documents containing the problem statement, project objectives and expected results. Project documents retained in this catalogue concern selected country upstream services and may be used as practical examples for the development of further projects in similar areas.

2. Country Sector Reviews and Studies

Sector-wide reviews and /or analyses of the education system in a given country (in-depth studies, sector summary briefs, needs-assessment report). Usually they provide a synthetic view of the sector, including statistical and institutional information, identification and analysis of issues as well as the priority areas for educational development.

3. Country Sub-Sectoral/Thematic Studies

As above but covering a specific sub-sector or theme. These studies usually serves as inputs for sector-wide reviews. Most internal national and international consultancy reports fall under this category.

4. Country Policy/Strategy Documents and Action Plans

Presentation of national policy or strategy and /or action plans or programme for the development of the education sector or a sub-sector in a given country. They may include detailed action or investment plans with related costing and a summary of the sector or sub-sector situation as well as the related statistical information. Documents submitted to donor round tables/consultations are included in this category.

5. Mission Reports

Reports produced by UNESCO staff or consultants upon return from missions to a given country undertaken in connection with upstream projects and studies. They refer to the mission's context and activities, present follow-up proposals and frequently provide a preliminary substantive report on a given subject.

6. Project Reviews and Evaluation/Final Reports

Descriptive and/or analytical reports on the progress, results and lessons learnt from a given project.

7. Training/Workshop Materials Specific documentation concerning training activities, national workshops and seminars undertaken in connection with upstream activities.

8. Other project based documents and miscellaneous

Other documents not elsewhere classified.

9. Publication/Research/Methodology Papers

Case studies, generic and or reflective papers and publications referring to international experience in the field of education sector analysis, educational policy and programme development, international aid and related subjects. Most of the papers are closely connected to the experience resulting from the projects and documents listed in the catalogue and database. They may directly refer to one region, sub-region or country.

[Home] [What's New] [Programmes and Activities] [Publications] [Links] [Guest Book] [Working with ED/ERD]