AN APPROACH TO PREPARING NATIONAL EDUCATION REFORM AND PROGRAMMES
UNDER INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION:
SOME REFLECTIONS ON THE FUTURE OF UPSTREAM WORK

by M. Asghar Husain, Director
Division for the Reconstruction and Development of Education Systems
(ED/ERD)

14 May 1999

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this reflection is to promote discussion on the concept of " upstream " work relevant to the development of the education sector within the framework of international co-operation. Without wanting to limit the frontiers of the discussion, in order to respect the notion of " upstream ", I will nonetheless try to situate it within a conceptual framework of UNESCO’s experience in the field. The very nature of " upstream " work lends itself to a wide interpretation not only of its objectives but also regarding its implementation modalities. A clarification of the concept should help to avoid some of the pitfalls facing many well-intentioned partners, both national and international, in the rapidly evolving area of international co-operation which is called upon to respond more effectively to the needs of participating countries.

This paper presents the major objectives of "upstream" work, some of its implementation modalities which have proved their effectiveness, and future prospects for this type of activity.

WHY UPSTREAM WORK ?

From its creation UNESCO has been involved in partnerships with countries to help them build up their capacities to meet the challenges of educational development. Planning educational policies and their implementation was an area where the Organization acquired a comparative advantage. However, the evolution of international relations with the disappearance of the political bi-polarization following the end of the Cold War, has had major repercussions on international development co-operation. Some of the factors to consider were : development of bilateral co-operation, national execution of development projects and programmes, decline in international aid, shift from a project to a programme approach, diversification in the nature of assistance requested, and greater inter-agency co-operation.

The rise in the requests of countries for assistance to help them devise their education policies, programmes, and action plans has contributed to this area becoming an activity in its own right with the coining of the term " upstream " phase in international co-operation as compared to the actual implementation of educational plans and projects. This "upstream" phase involves formulating country sector policies and strategies, drawing up action plans, programmes and projects prior to the actual launching of these programme or projects under what is now commonly referred to as the " downstream " phase.

The new type of requests for assistance from the countries were aimed at seeking rapid responses for the formulation of education policies which are feasible and acceptable by their citizens. These requests were forwarded principally by Ministers of Education or senior officials who are working under increasing resource constraints, both local and international. The local political contexts were also becoming increasingly fragile with many countries threatened by political instability, civil disorders and financial crisis. In many cases, the state as such has been weakened. Though most countries now boast better qualified national professional staff than twenty years ago, lack of exposure to appropriate skills required for the new challenges of the job, management techniques, staff mobility and insecurity, as well as the short office span of many Ministers of Education, has created an environment which is not always favourable for policy formulation and educational development. Further, the growing economic and financial difficulties confronting most developing countries have shown the dangers faced by their social sectors, namely education and health. Hence the need to integrate these sector policies within an overall macro socio-economic policy framework in order to preserve them from the overall financial austerity measures.

The capacity of international and bilateral agencies in upstream educational work has developed considerably during the past two decades. This capacity, however, is not always contributing to common objectives of development co-operation since some agencies and donors still tend to confuse these objectives with their own particular interests, especially regarding the Development Banks and some of the bilateral agencies. Given UNESCO’s mandate to express the interests of its Member States and to diffuse its universal messages, the Organization has developed innovative upstream activities which try to respond to the broad spectrum of countries undergoing different situations : socio-economic restructuring, reconstruction after war or emergency situation, transition , or trying to reform their education to changing socio-economic and cultural needs. The principal beneficiaries for such activities are the least developed countries, Africa, South East Asia and Eastern Europe, though the other regions have also benefited.

The main objectives of this type of work, which varies according to the local context, are :

HOW TO UNDERTAKE UPSTREAM WORK ?

The type and nature of activities undertaken in support of the above objectives have evolved and developed with the experience gained in this field. They have adapted themselves constantly to the changing needs of the participating countries. Though the visibility for this type of work is often confused with the documents produced at the end of the activity, emphasis is put on the participatory process and national capacity building. The originality of this activity lies in the strengthening of national negotiation skills for facilitating policy dialogue, as well as exposure to information, technologies and experiences likely to contribute to the renewal and development of education systems. A holistic sector approach distinguishes these upstream activities from others which adopt sub-sectoral perspectives.

The activities undertaken usually cover :

Whatever the modality used, upstream work involves different stages, usually two or three, covering diagnosis of the sector, review of policy options, and formulation of a strategy and action plan for policy implementation. Policy objectives are compared carefully with the programme contents and structures required to achieve them. Attention is focussed on empirical data collection and analysis as a pre-requisite for a coherent programme and project formulation. Demonstration techniques to promote policy dialogue and consensus building (such as policy simulation and models) are tools used in upstream work but their diversity requires careful selection for each occasion, which needless to say, differs at country level and the type of activity we are involved in. Such tools are usually tailor-made for the occasion. We must avoid the temptation of confusing those techniques with the response or end product (this is sometimes the case where , for example, the use of the Education Management Information System and simulation techniques are proposed to decision makers as a panacea for solving all issues confronting the education sector).

The final product, besides the national capacity building , can take different forms : master plan, national policy framework document, sector brief, action programme, etc. which are used for different purposes and are instrumental in mobilizing donor support.

UNESCO’s interventions take place upon requests from governments and, in some cases, from funding agencies, after agreement has been reached with the corresponding government. UNDP is the major funder for such activities, though other funding sources such as the Development Banks, are being increasingly approached.

Increased inter-agency and inter-sectoral activities are being promoted within a country programme framework.

Implementation modalities involve technical assistance (international, local or regional expertise), provision of equipment, training, and organization of national forums for policy dialogue. Emphasis is put on enhancing the role of national expertise, regional co-operation and inter-agency synergy. Particular attention is paid to the quality of technical services so as to ensure that they meet universally recognized quality levels. The procurement of such services requires constant updating of information networks and specialists rosters.

In order to create a focal point for this innovative activity at UNESCO, the Director General established the Division for Policy and Sector Analysis (PSA), in 1989, and located it in the Bureau of Operational Activities (BAO). Since 1996, PSA has been integrated into the Education Sector within the framework of the Division for the Reconstruction and Development of Education Systems (ED/ERD) which is spearheading the development of the Sector’s upstream initiatives. ERD is composed of three sections each of which undertake different facets of upstream work :

Section for Educational Policy Studies and Documents (ED/ERD/ESD)

This section undertakes and publishes thematic studies and plays the co-ordinating role for the ADEA’s Working Group on Education sector Analysis.

Section for National Policies and Action Plans (ED/ERD/PSA)

The section is responsible particularly for " operational " upstream field work at the country level.

FUTURE PROSPECTS FOR UPSTREAM WORK

Growing uncertainties in the international and local contexts in the wake of globalization and the other vectors of change mentioned earlier indicate substantial changes in international co-operation in the foreseeable future. Many national authorities, however, are ill prepared to cope with the increasingly complex and rapidly changing local situations, whereas their is growing public pressure at the grass roots level to address the critical education issues Upstream work has taken a new dimension in this evolving framework. The current trends in international resource mobility and constraints, national leadership and implementation of development co-operation projects, and competitiveness of international and bilateral agencies in upstream areas will require refocusing of each participating agency’s capacities. In line with its mandate, not being a funding agency, UNESCO will have to consolidate its comparative advantage as an " honest broker " and its intellectual leverage in the preparation of the national, regional and international education policy dialogue. The catchword will be " Comment faire faire ?" and clear identification of where the Organisation has the cutting edge.

The Organization’s success in responding effectively to the new and growing demands for upstream co-operation will depend on its capacity to show sensitivity and adapt to the new demands, namely :

	Holistic sectoral perspective embracing sub-sectoral priorities and issue oriented focus (adequate responses to critical issues such as social partnerships, poverty alleviation, regional imbalances, decentralization, linguistic pluralism, cultural identity, transition between the education system and employment, etc)
	Greater intersectoral and pluridisciplinary aproaches reflecting UNESCO’s normative messages (peace, human rights, democratic principles, civic education, cultural pluralism, gender equality, etc)
	Inter-agency synergy and new partnerships (NGO's, Civil Society, Women's groups, youth organisations, etc) involving regional and inter-regional networks, mechanisms, forums for exchanges of experiences in order to facilitate the mobilization of all potential resources, particularly extra-budgetary, in favour of educational development
	Use of appropriate new education technologies and educational innovation
	Improved management and governance for effective implementation of policies, and appropriate administrative procedures for the provision of upstream services, particularly through extra budgetary financing
	Greater mobility and flexibility to respond to country requests based on prioritization of the needs and target groups and inbuilt evaluation of activity.

In response to the growing demand expressed by its Member States for information and co-operation on how to prepare effectively their education policies, UNESCO’s Division for the Reconstruction and Development of Education Systems (ED/ERD) is in the process of preparing modular orientation frameworks for undertaking such initiatives at the national level. These orientation frameworks will address themselves to both the highest level of national decision makers as well as to the various actors involved in the national policy making process and will be based on the experience of UNESCO in over 40 countries and its dialogue with other agencies and partners. As a first step, ED/ERD has published a catalogue of country studies and research undertaken over the past decade concerning " National Education Policies and Programmes within the framework of the Reconstruction and Development of Education Systems ".

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