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Capacity Development |
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| 1) Background |
| 2) Achievements |
| 3) Challenges |
| 4) Priorities |
| 5) Priority Components |
| 6) Component 1: Rationalising the division of labour in the sector and restructuring the MoE [N$0.5 million] |
| 7) Component 2: Strengthening leadership in the education sector and the MoE [N$0.5 million] |
| 8) Component 3: Strengthening general management at all levels in the MoE [N$0.5 million] |
| 9) Component 4: Improving the management of human resources [N$3.6 million] |
| 10) Component 5: Improving the management of physical resources [N$0.9 million] |
| 11) Component 6: Improving the management of information and knowledge [N$ 0.1 million] |
| 12) Component 7: Advocacy [N$1.8 million] |
| 13) Component 8: Funds mobilisation, development partner coordination and management of assistance [N$15.4 million] |
| 14) Component 9: Capacity Building and Procurement [N$ 3.9 million] |
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| 1) Background |
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| The MoE is the lead agency in the education sector. It requires strong capacity: (a) to lead the sector; (b) to deliver on-going, routine education services to the public; and (c) to implement special, non-routine projects and programmes such as ETSIP. Capacity is strongly related to productivity: high capacity in the MoE will directly increase its productivity, its ability to lead the sector and achieve more with whatever resources it has. Capacity also has a multiplier effect: high capacity attracts additional funding from the government as well as partner agencies because it builds credibility. |
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| 2) Achievements |
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| The Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building Facility (ISCBF), a pooled fund supported by the European Commission and Sida and managed by GRN, was established to support capacity building in the sector. The ISCBF is already funding various assignments to support the development and implementation of ETSIP. Steps have been taken to improve capacity in school management through school principal and school board training. National standards for schools and a corresponding set of instruments were developed and have resulted in the training of regional inspectors. An Integrated Performance Management System (PMS) for the whole of government has been developed by the Office of the Prime Minister. An organisational structure for the MoE was approved in August 2006, combining the former Ministries of Basic Education, Sport and Culture and Higher Education, Vocational Training, Science and Technology. |
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| 3) Challenges |
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The current capacity of the MoE to lead the sector and deliver education services is constrained by several factors: (a) a lack of effective partnerships and an inadequate division of labour among the MoE and existing partners, particularly other ministries and agencies of government; (b) an inadequate organisation structure within the ministry itself; (c) a sub-optimal use of the key tools of leadership by its managers; and (d) a management culture and practice that are not conducive to optimal performance.
The division of labour in the sector is unclear in a number of areas and sub-optimal in others. Changes in the roles and functions of education sector ministries, as well as the creation or preparations for the creation of a number of new bodies have resulted in an unclear allocation of roles, functions and responsibilities. They have introduced both real and perceived functional overlaps, resulting, or capable of resulting soon, in role conflict and in the slowing down of action. Insufficient attention is paid by the MoE to the creation and cultivation of partnerships that could potentially contribute to education, both in the public and private sectors.
Leaders and top managers in the MoE need to use better the key tools of leadership that provide for action. Conceptual frameworks, as precursors to vision, mission and strategy, are rarely thought through and fully clarified. The tools of vision and mission are used interchangeably and statements of vision and mission, taken together, need to provide much more specific direction. Managers need to improve their skills of strategising. When they formulate strategies to achieve their visions and their missions, managers need to replace long lists of activities that cover all possible actions with shorter lists of priority activities, selected on the basis of technical and administrative feasibility as well as cost.
Almost all persons in management positions in the ministry are ex-teachers, or other professionals few of whom have received training in management. Consequently, their management skills require improvement. General management procedures need to be more efficient and work practices could considerably improve. Of particular need for improvement are general practices such as objective setting, operational planning, supervision, monitoring and follow-up, report writing, coordination and decision-making, staff-development and motivation. The attitudes and behaviours of managers do not yet provide strong enough incentives for performance.
The management of specific resources requires improvement. The management of staff, for example, is still based on old notions of personnel management rather than human resources management and development. Morale and motivation are not as high as they need to be and staff satisfaction with their work environment and how they are being managed does not yet get sufficient attention.
Currently, there is no integrated, comprehensive asset management policy and the allocation of physical resources is not linked to operation requirements, norms and standards. There are great differences in the provision of these resources between head office and regional offices, as well as between different regions. These resources are not always properly used. Vehicles and office equipment are not serviced and maintained regularly, leading to untimely wear and tear. Vehicles, in particular, are a source of much concern.
The management of knowledge and information, which is recognised as an important area by the Ministry, is yet to be fully conceptualised and introduced. Much information is already being collected in the context of EMIS and some of it is already analysed and disseminated; but deeper and fuller analysis can be done and the information can be transformed into knowledge once it is more widely shared both within the Ministry and externally with stakeholders and partners.
Partnerships with other organisations are used in a limited way and not yet managed as a strategic activity that can make a significant contribution to the performance of the education system. A considerable volume of technical assistance is received by the Ministry from its partners, but is not managed well. Consequently, some of it is deficient in quality and does not result in knowledge transfer.
Efficient implementation of ETSIP will also require an improvement in the procurement capacity of the MoE.
Together, these capacity constraints present both an immediate and a longer term challenge to the MoE. Immediately at stake is its ability to implement ETSIP. In the longer term the challenge is to improve management generally and to ensure that the system as a whole operates at higher levels of utilisation, efficiency and effectiveness. |
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| 4) Priorities |
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The government’s vision of joining the ranks of high-income countries and its strategy of transforming the country’s economy into a knowledge-based economy place a very heavy responsibility on the education system. This responsibility will be met only if the education system has capacity equal to the task. Such capacity does not exist today and cannot be built overnight. The Ministry’s strategy is to develop it over the next 15 years as part of ETSIP. However, the implementation of ETSIP in itself requires capacity. Therefore, in prioritising its actions, the Ministry has chosen activities that will be included in the first five-year phase of ETSIP. In this component attention and action will be focused on the ‘machinery’ that runs the system: the non-teaching part of the Ministry at headquarters and in the regional offices. Teachers, school principals and the management of schools are covered in other sub-programmes.
Choosing priority activities does not imply that the Ministry will address only some of the capacity factors indicated above during the first phase of ETSIP leaving other factors for the next phases. Because of its systemic nature, capacity is an integrated product of all of these factors and all must be addressed more or less at the same time. The approach followed by the Ministry is, therefore, to progress on all fronts at the same time, but to do so incrementally. During the first five years of ETSIP, action will include all activities that can and need to be done in each of these areas. The activities will be prioritised based on technical sequencing considerations to assure that the capacity to build capacity and the capacity to implement ETSIP is in place first.
The Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building Facility (ISCBF) has proved its worth and it will therefore be used to managed the implementation of the sub-programme. |
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| 5) Priority Components |
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Component 1: Rationalising the division of labour in the sector and restructuring the MoE.
Component 2: Strengthening leadership in the education sector and the MoE.
Component 3: Strengthening general management at all levels in the MoE.
Component 4: Improving the management of human resources.
Component 5: Improving the management of physical resources.
Component 6: Improving the management of information and knowledge.
Component 7: Advocacy.
Component 8: Funds mobilisation, development of partner coordination and management of assistance. |
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| 6) Component 1: Rationalising the division of labour in the sector and restructuring the MoE [N$0.5 million] |
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Challenges: Depending on how it is defined, there are at least 10 different public agencies in the education and training sector, other than the individual schools, vocational training centres and colleges of education run by the MoE. These include four ministries that are directly involved in the sector (the MoE, MGECW and MOF and MWTC) the NPC, the NCHE, UNAM, PON, the NQA and NTA. The respective roles and functions of these agencies are not always clear and there seem to be significant functional overlaps and possibly some gaps among them. The formation of some new bodies, such as the NCHE and NTA, has significant implications for what the Ministry is doing in the areas of tertiary and vocational education and training. Lack of clarity, overlaps and the gaps lead to role conflict between the MoE at the national level and its regional offices, which in the context of decentralisation will report to regional councils, and the link to the Ministry of Regional and Local Government, Housing and Rural Development, is also problematic. Important decisions will have to be made with respect to the extent of devolution. The capacity to decentralise will have to be greatly enhanced. The challenge is to identify and clarify a logical and productive division of labour among all these agencies, as well as an optimal distribution of decision-making powers among the national and regional levels of government in the sector.
The division of labour within the MoE requires attention too. The challenge here is not only to create a new integrated organisation structure that will justify the rationale for amalgamating the two former education ministries, but also to create distinct and dedicated organisational homes for a number of functions that are assuming much greater significance in the Ministry in the context of ETSIP. These may include policy and strategy analysis, HRD, asset management, monitoring and evaluation, public relations, customer relations and partnerships.
Objectives: The objectives are to review the structure of the education and training sector as a whole as well as the structure of the MoE; design an improved structure for both on paper; and implement it on the ground. With respect to the decentralisation process, the objectives are (a) to translate government’s general decentralisation plans into sector-specific devolution blueprints, mapping the desired distribution of authority and decision-making powers among the national and regional authorities in each of the functions currently being carried out by the MoE; (b) to assess the capacity that will be required at the regional and local level once devolution takes place; and (c) to design and start implementing capacity building programmes at these levels.
Component Description: This component will consist of four specific activities: (a) a horizontal functional analysis to assess the division of labour among all involved in the education sector; (b) a vertical functional analysis to assess the required and likely devolution of responsibilities and authority from the national level to the regional and local levels; (c) an organisation structure analysis for the MoE; and (d) providing logistical, material and financial support for the actual implementation of the changes recommended in the three preceding activities to be designed and implemented after the three operations are completed.
In the first activity, a desk study will be conducted on the roles and functions of all agencies in the sector, focusing on the legal and administrative mandates of each as reflected in laws, regulations and administrative directives. An attempt will be made to determine whether the division of labour is technically sensible and whether there are any overlaps in functional responsibility on paper. The situation on the ground will then be reviewed to determine if the identified overlaps, gaps or cases of sub-optimal division of labour exists in reality. If necessary, a better division of labour and ways to eliminate overlaps and gaps will be recommended.
The second activity will consist of a desk study and an on-the-ground situation review attempting to determine the extent of the level of decentralisation. Consultants will establish which powers to move to the regional level in each and every functional area and assess the capacity that will be required for successful decentralisation.
The third activity will analyse the legal mandates of the previous two education ministries to identify all the functions prescribed for them and carefully study the existing vision and mission of the MoE to obtain additional insight into potential structural requirements. The operations of the two sets of offices on the ground will be observed and alternatives devised for integration.
The three activities are sequential in nature, requiring continuity of approach. Each provides an input into the next. The activities will start roughly at the same time and the inputs from the review of the division of labour in the sector, as well as the inputs from the decentralisation review, will be provided for the restructuring analysis of the MoE even before the two reviews are completed. (b) All three studies will be conducted immediately and the MoE will be restructured within the first year of ETSIP, possibly in two phases to allow for the resolution of all division of labour issues.
Implementation: The first three operations will require approval of the Public Service Commission and the Office of the Prime Minister. To ensure continuity, consistency and no loss of time in this situation, the activities will be carried out by one consulting team working closely together on all three activities.
Outputs and Indicators: The output of the first activity will be a set of recommendations for consideration and approval by government, followed by action to give effect to the improved division of labour. The indicators will be a report containing the recommendations, as well as evidence of actual implementation of approved recommendations on the ground. The outputs of the second activity will consist of functional decision maps reflecting the types of decisions to be made at each level in all key functions, a report on the capacity that will be required at each level to implement the devolution and a capacity building programme followed by actual implementation. The indicators will be the reports containing the decisions, maps and the capacity building plans. The output of the third activity will be a report identifying division of labour issues in the MoE and recommending an initial new structure plus a strategy for further restructuring, if necessary. Once approved, the recommendations will be followed by immediate implementation of the approved structure. The indicators will include the consultants’ report, including a set of initial TORs for each functional unit in the Ministry. These will be developed more fully and finalised by the managers of functional units and their superiors once they receive leadership training and develop conceptual frameworks for their functions. The conceptual frameworks will be developed in the context of the component on leadership. |
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| 7) Component 2: Strengthening leadership in the education sector and the MoE [N$0.5 million] |
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Challenges: Leaders and top managers in the MoE are not sensitive enough to the fact that organisation cultures are determined by their behaviour and are not trained to respond to the needs of staff. The challenge facing the MoE is to reverse this situation.
Objectives: The objectives of this component are: (a) to improve the quality of leadership in the education sector and the MoE and (b) to begin to change the organisation culture in the MoE. The first objective has two dimensions: the MoE is the lead agency in the sector and must therefore provide direction to the sector as whole. At the same time, the MoE must provide direction to its own functional units and staff. There must be a vision for the sector as a whole, but there must also be a conceptual framework, a vision, a mission and a strategy for the MoE as a sector leader. The second objective applies just to the MoE. The first steps to evolve and change the organisation culture on will start in Phase 1 of ETSIP and continue in the following two phases.
Component Description: This component consists of: (a) leadership training and facilitation, with particular attention to conceptual frameworks, visions, missions and strategies to be provided to all persons in management positions in the MoE as well as selected young professionals who are not yet in such positions but may be considered future managers and leaders; and (b) training on organisation culture and change management to be provided to a selected team of persons representing all the professional, administrative and technical areas of work and all levels of management and to be followed by facilitated work on the development of a programme for culture change. The leadership training will focus both on the value of these tools and on the skills needed to use them. The training will be followed immediately by facilitated actual work to develop conceptual frameworks, visions, missions and strategies.
Implementation: A team consisting of the PS, his or her deputies, the under secretaries and all directors will review the existing vision, mission and strategies that the MoE has already developed for the sector as a whole, using the new tools acquired in training. The team will also formulate a vision, mission and strategies for the role of the MoE in the sector. The directors and division heads in charge of specific key functions in the Ministry will then develop a conceptual framework, a vision, mission and strategies for their own functional units. Regional directors will develop conceptual frameworks, visions, missions and strategies for their regions. This development work will be facilitated by the trainers in joint as well as individual sessions. In the second activity, a smaller number of officials will receive more advanced training on the techniques of change management. Following the general training, the team will develop a code of practice and behaviour for management and staff in the MoE. This work will be facilitated by the trainers too. The output will be reported to the PS and the MOE for review and approval. The small group of persons receiving advanced training in change management will then develop an action plan to facilitate the changes introduced by ETSIP and to promote the code of practice and behaviour.
Outputs and Indicators: The outputs of the first activity will be statements of vision and mission (a) for the education sector as a whole; (b) for the MoE as whole; and (c) for each directorate/division in the MoE. In addition, a conceptual framework will be produced for each key function. The documents containing these statements and frameworks will serve as indicators. The outputs of the second operation will be (a) a report containing the recommended code of practice and behaviour; and (b) a proposed programme to change organisation culture and management culture in the MoE. All outputs will be due by the end of Phase I. The documents containing the code and the proposal will serve as indicators. |
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| 8) Component 3: Strengthening general management at all levels in the MoE [N$0.5 million] |
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Challenges: Managers in the MoE often do not follow best practices to organise work; plan programme and budget action; coordinate, run meetings, monitor and supervise action; set objectives; create teams, motivate individuals and teams to work well, appraise their performance, reward them for good performance and hold them accountable for poor performance. Many lack the skills and the tools to do so. The challenge is to bring about a behaviour change – to introduce best general management practices and make sure that all managers comply with them. A further challenge is creating a general financial planning environment for the education planners in the MoE and the education sector.
Objectives: The objectives of this component are: (a) to train all managers in the MoE on general management; (b) to put in place adequate incentives for all trained managers to actually apply the knowledge and skills acquired in training; (c) to implement the Performance Management System in line with OPM; and to improve the general financial planning environment in the MoE and Education sector.
Component Description: This component will consist of three activities: (a) management development; and (b) implementation of the OPM Performance Management System in the MoE. The management development operation will combine training and facilitation and will consist, in turn, of a series of short, specific task-related modular training/facilitation. Each module will be devoted to one general management area from the list referred to above.
The training modules in the management development programme and the recipients of training will be prioritised. Since the implementation of ETSIP is a high priority, the first group of trainees will consist of all of the directors, deputy directors and other senior staff who are in charge of the various operations of the programme. The first training modules will cover project management points of view and will use these operations firstly to select management skills for training and secondly to provide concrete examples that will be used to illustrate, and practice each skill. The facilitation following training will relate directly to the management work involved in running these operations and will be delivered in one-on-one sessions. Assuming that initial training and relevant systems for the OPM will be provided by the team that develops it, this activity will consist of additional group training, if necessary, and direct one-on-one facilitation and mentoring to implement the system. Improving the financial planning environment will include training financial and education planners in financial forecasting, concepts and tools of financial planning in the public sector; programme budgeting; and general financial planning. This will be followed by aligning regional budgeting and financial planning processes with the Integrated Financial Management System at the MOF.
Implementation: All training activities in management development will be conducted in relatively small groups and each skill-dedicated module will last for a day or two. It will then be followed by individual facilitation provided by the trainers. Both the training and the facilitation will be related directly to the current work of the trainees. The modules will be delivered intermittently every three months. The activity will be carried out through Phase I as well as Phase II of ETSIP. It will be carefully monitored, evaluated and modified as necessary over time. Moreover, a position for Management Development will be established in the Facility. Training of education and financial planners in financial planning will be done through TA and relevant short term training courses tailor-made to specifications.
The activity to introduce the Performance Management System is a priority too. Training is to be provided by the OPM. It is envisioned that the post of an under secretary for administration on the proposed structure of the MoE could be utilised for the function of management development.
Output and Indicators: The outputs of the first activities will be higher levels of skill-mastery in the skills covered. The indicators will differ from skill to skill. In those cases where the skills involve, for example, the setting of objective, or the production of plans, reports, TORs, budgets and similar products, a sample of the documents containing the product will be assessed for content, presentation and other quality elements. In cases where the skills involved are related to interpersonal relations and behaviour, a sample of observations will be used to determine success. In each case, the trainers/facilitators will be required to propose the indicators and indicate what data will be collected for monitoring and evaluation purpose. The output of the second activity will be a fully implemented Performance Management System. The indicator will be a measure of satisfaction with the system taken from a sample of managers and staff. The indicators for the third activity will be an effective financial management system in place at Head Office and regional offices of MOE; financial or regional planners effectively analysing regional expenditures; effective financial forecasting; and effective programme budgeting. |
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| 9) Component 4: Improving the management of human resources [N$3.6 million] |
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Challenges: In Namibia, the function of human resources management is carried out more in the mode of a personnel function than an HRD function. The Public Service Commission carries out and manages many of the personnel management tasks and the MoE assumes that any additional and complementary personnel management tasks are to be carried out by the managers of individual functional units. The MoE, therefore, does not have a dedicated organisational home for the HRD function and does not have a conceptual framework for it. The vision, mission, policies and strategies that exist were introduced by the Public Service Commission for all public servants and the MoE has not developed further derivative policies and strategies that will apply to its particular situation, except for training. Individual directors and unit managers do not have sufficient knowledge and skills to carry out the tasks of managing people at their level. The MoE is not managing the numbers, utilisation and efficiency of its staff well. The challenge is to transform the current personnel function into a fully-fledged human resources function.
Component Description: The development of a conceptual framework, a vision and a mission for the function will be undertaken under Component 2 above. This component will consist of four activities: (a) the establishment of a Directorate for HRM to upgrade the current Division for Personnel Administration; (b) the formulation of a comprehensive HRM policy; (c) the development of job descriptions for all key jobs; and (d) conducting a ministry-wide skills needs analysis to determine the skills gap, design and implement job-related training. The three first activities will commence only after the conceptual framework is developed, because the scope of work which will determine the types of jobs to be created and the potential work load which will determine the number of staff needed will be known only after the conceptual framework is completed and adopted by the Ministry. An HR director could be appointed as soon as ETSIP and the new proposed structure are effective since the director will have to participate in the leadership component and develop the conceptual framework, vision and mission for the function. Until such time, the possibility of appointing a HR person in the Facility to start off the work could be an option. The establishment of an HR directorate will include the appointment and training of all other staff, the provision of office space and equipment and the development of a computer-based HR MIS. The development of a comprehensive HRM policy will be undertaken by the new directorate. A staff opinion survey will be conducted first to help identity areas of concern and to determine employee motivation and satisfaction. The survey will form a base-line indicator for the improvement in organisation culture and management. The policy will then be developed by a team headed by HRM staff but consisting of other staff to represent all functions and levels of management. The process will be facilitated by TA. The job description activity will be conducted for all key jobs in the Ministry. It will serve as an opportunity to rationalise and enrich existing jobs and the job analysis stage which proceeds job description will not focus solely on recording current practices. Therefore, job-holders will not be asked to write their own job descriptions. The exercise will be conducted by experts who will analyse the jobs also from a productivity point of view and recommend ways to improve their design, where possible. The skills needs analysis will be conducted only after completion of the job descriptions. This is because it is necessary to compare skills required with skills available and the skills required will be known only after the job analysis when the job descriptions will be available. Even the design of a skills survey to determine what skills are available will await the job descriptions because the content and design of the survey will be influenced by the skills’ profiles in the job descriptions.
Implementation: The newly appointed director of HRM will be in charge of establishing the directorate as well as developing the HR policy. S/He will be assisted by TA in the second operation. Job descriptions, as well as the skill’s needs analysis, will be done and implemented by expert TA whose briefs will be structured to ensure transfer of knowledge to two or three HRM staff
Output and indicators: The output and indicators of the component will be an operational HRM directorate, written job descriptions for all key jobs and a multi-year training programme ready for implementation. |
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| 10) Component 5: Improving the management of physical resources [N$0.9 million] |
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Challenges: The capacity of the MoE to deliver services and implement policy and plans is constrained by an inadequate provision of physical facilities – a provision that is not in line with operational requirement in terms of both quantities and specifications. This constraint is further exacerbated by two factors: (a) the current government-wide division of labour between all sector ministries and the Ministry of Works, Transport and Communication; and (b) the lack of policies, procedures and systems for many types of physical resource transactions. With respect to the first, the challenge is to reduce the dependence of the MoE on the MWTC which is overburdened with work and unable to deliver its services efficiently and on time. With respect to the second, the challenge is to improve a variety of practices, such as a system to do and monitor procurement, the keeping of adequate records (on matters such as age, usage, condition, operating costs, repairs and maintenance history), the regulation of transfers and the disposal of assets that reached the end of their useful lives. A further challenge is the absence of a procurement system, the design, coordination of procurement plans and monitoring progress in the procurement process.
Objectives: The ultimate objective of this component is to improve the timely procurement, availability, deployment, utilisation and efficiency of all assets in the MoE. The immediate objective is to build up the function of asset management within the Ministry, reduce the dependency on MWTC and thereby improve asset management.
Component Description: Six types of key assets are owned by the MoE: land, buildings and facilities, office information and communication technology, office furniture and other equipment, vehicles and textbooks, including instructional materials. The component will consist of: (a) the enhancement of the Division Administration and Support Services to include the function of asset management; (b) the development of a comprehensive asset management policy; and (c) the introduction of computerised asset management systems for each of the types of assets. The establishment of this division will include the provision of office space, furniture and equipment, the appointment and technical training of staff and the creation of adequate, earmarked budgetary provision for the maintenance and servicing of all types of equipment. The development of the asset management policy will include general policy directives, operational norms, and minimum standards for the provision of assets to different types of offices. The policy directives will be formulated in the context of existing treasury regulations on stock control. The operational norms and minimum standards will be formulated in the context of existing norms as well as decentralisation requirements. National norms and standards already exist for school level equipment.
The introduction of an asset management system will include the procurement of off-the-shelf systems and their adjustment, the training of staff to use these systems and the development of the initial data bases. One by-product of these activities will be an assessment of the size and distribution of the physical resource gap for each type of resource in the education system. This will be achieved by comparing existing stocks with the minimum standards of provision. This component will be implemented during the first and second phases of ETSIP. The establishment of a division for asset management systems for specific assets will start in Phase I and continue in Phase II, based on an order of priority. The first system to be introduced based on this order will be fleet management for all vehicles of the Ministry. Another important issue which will receive early attention is the establishment of a procurement system which will include drawing up, updating and monitoring the implementation of procurement plans.
Implementation: The Directorate: General Services will enhance the division which will develop the comprehensive asset management policy and introduce the new asset management system into the MoE with the help of TA. The manager of the division will be in charge of these operations. The procurement system will be devised with the assistance of a consultant and capacity will be developed in General Services to run the system.
Outputs and indicators: The output of the first activity will be a re-organised, fully operational division in the Directorate: General Services working, among others, on the development of asset management policy. The output of the second activity will be the asset management policy and the indicator will be the policy document. The outputs of the third activity will be the systems of asset management, including an operations’ manual for each aspect; the indicators will be asset management reports produced by these systems. A further output would be a well-managed procurement system and process with its relevant policies and guidelines. |
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| 11) Component 6: Improving the management of information and knowledge [N$ 0.1 million] |
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Challenges: Although the importance of information is recognised in the Ministry, as evidenced by the existence of EMIS, the supply and use of information and the provision of good analysis are limited. Information is not being shared efficiently both internally and externally. Partly because of this, the demand for information and analysis is weak. Strategic, long term decisions and operational short-term decisions are made by managers, but the information supporting them is not as complete as needed and even not as complete as the information already available through EMIS. Equally, the analysis on which they are based is not as strong as the analysis needed, or as the analysis that can already be done with the information available. The challenge is to reverse this situation.
Objectives: (a) to improve the collection, collation, storage and analysis of relevant information; and (b) to enhance its dissemination and use internally in making decisions and externally in public debate, in dialogue with beneficiaries, partners and other stakeholders.
Component Description: The component will: (a) create an integrated organisational home for knowledge management, including data collection, analysis and application and integrating it with EMIS; (b) design and implement an Information and Reporting Needs Analysis; and (c) produce general-purpose and special-purpose management reports and introduce them into the daily management of the Ministry. The first activity will consolidate all operations aimed at the collection processing, storage and analysis of data under one roof. Although the data will be used for different purposes, including education planning, policy research, M&E and briefing, much of it will be identical or complementary. PAD will develop a conceptual framework for the newly conceived function, develop terms of reference, define the types of jobs and the staffing requirements, formulate job descriptions and appoint the staff. The activity will include the provision of office space and equipment as well as training for staff. In the second activity PAD will review selected operational areas, such as the running of school sub-systems at regional level, or the procurement, storage, distribution and use of textbooks, and analyse: (a) the types of decisions regularly made in these areas; (b) the types of report, information and analyses currently used in making these decisions; and (c) the types of additional/different report, information, or analyses that could improve the quality of the decisions these areas. The third activity will be undertaken only if the analysis on information needs concludes that the quality of operational decision can be significantly improved by the availability of existing and/or additional information and analysis packaged well in management reports and distributed regularly and automatically to the members of management. The activity will consist of: (a) activities aimed at adding information to existing data collection systems, or putting in place mechanisms to collect (more frequently) information needed; (b) the design of practical, useful ratios and other quantitative analyses that can be generated automatically when data is entered and will be delivered with the data; (c) the design of reporting forms; (d) the development of software systems; and (e) the introduction of reports.
Implementation: All activities in this component will be implemented by PAD, the second and third with the help of TA. Management responsibility for all activities will rest with PAD.
Outputs and Indicators: Analyses that can be generated automatically when the data is entered and will be delivered with the data: (a) design of the reporting forms; (b) development of the software systems; and (c) introduction of the reports. The output of the first activity will be a division in charge of knowledge management and information. The indicator of its production will be an operational unit with staff, offices and equipment in place. The output of the second activity will be an assessment of information needs with conclusions on the utility and feasibility of producing operational reports and a set of recommendations on the types of report to be produced. The indicator will be a report containing the assessment and the recommendations. The output of the third activity will consist of actual reports and the indicator will be their dissemination to the concerned managers. |
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| 12) Component 7: Advocacy [N$1.8 million] |
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Challenges: ETSIP was developed over a period of two years. Although regions were visited and stakeholders were informed of progress via conferences and meetings, the programme needs to be taken to the Namibian nation to gain their full understanding and support and establish a sense of ownership.
Objectives: The objectives of the ETSIP Advocacy Programme are to: (a) Create public awareness of the objectives of ETSIP and the useful benefits that it will bring (including some intended quick wins.); (b) Sensitise the public on how far the Ministry is with the ETSIP Programme and how implementation will be done; (c) Inform the public, and especially implementers, about what is expected from each of the actors or stakeholders; and (d) Gain the understanding, support and participation of key stakeholders in ETSIP implementation.
Component Description: A national awareness campaign will be organised to introduce ETSIP and its sub-programmes to all levels of the Namibian society with a view to getting them to appreciate, accept and own the process and the programme. In this way they will be fully involved in the promotion and implementation of ETSIP at all levels. Within the framework of decentralisation, ETSIP will be taken to the people through various regional structures, including the involvement of regional and local authorities and the media. One item on this agenda will be a national conference on ETSIP and this will be included in the operation. Another item will be a mechanism for learners, parents, communities and the general public to lodge complaints and ideas with the Ministry. The component also needs to cover activities which could facilitate the flow of information between development partners, the MoE and other ministries or agencies. A system for sending and receiving text messages (sms) will be set up. An e-mail list server will also be utilised.
Implementation: The advocacy campaign will be developed by an advertising agency in co-operation with the MoE. A weekly radio programme will disseminate information and newspapers and billboards will be used. A team of Ministry officials will be designated to work with the agency preparing the materials.
Outputs and Indicators: Information on the programme and its implementation will be shared on a regular basis with all stakeholders ensuring buy-in and participation. Another output will be a system for the provision of ideas, suggestions and complaints from the public, from employees and from the clients/beneficiaries. |
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| 13) Component 8: Funds mobilisation, development partner coordination and management of assistance [N$15.4 million] |
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Challenge: The MoE is currently facing the problem of scarcity of financial resources to deliver satisfactory education services to the Namibian people. The current budget allocation is inadequate to meet the demands of the increasing population in schools. Therefore, more partners are needed who could be approached and requested to assist the MoE financially. There is need to consult these partners and to coordinate resources and information emanating from development partners.
Among the most active partners currently are the multi-lateral and bilateral aid agencies, some NGOs and the private sector. Other partners can be brought to the table, or participate more actively, as well. Among them are the public as a whole, Parliament, and the press. The contributions that partners can make to the education sector are in the form of financial aid, technical assistance, constructive criticism, the injection of new ideas and support for change. Together, these contributions make partnership a strategic resource.
The MoE must develop the conceptual framework for development partner involvement and contribution, create a vision and a mission for their role, make strategies on how to engage them and actually get into the engagement process. Currently the MoE is not dealing with partnerships as a strategic resource. One key example has to do with technical assistance. The MoE receives much technical assistance, but has limited capacity to manage it. The quality of the assistance received is not always adequate and there is little, if any, transfer of knowledge. The challenge is to enhance partnerships and to greatly improve their management.
Objectives: (a) To increase the number of partners and the number of partnership engagements and to enhance their contribution in all of the areas mentioned above; (b) To establish a system for fund mobilisation and donor coordination; (c) To identity or affirm programmes and projects to be funded in consultation with respective Directorates/Regions; and (d) To manage technical assistance.
Component description: This component will include the activities that could improve the raising of funds from aid agencies. PAD will improve systems for fund mobilisation and the coordination of development partners. The MoE Budget Committee will make recommendations to senior management on how the available funds could be allocated or re-allocated and disbursed. PAD will also track pledges and contributions and follow up with potential and existing development partners on the disbursement and release of funds.
The Division Administration and Support Services will manage TA pro-actively. The Ministry will develop a conceptual framework and terms of reference for this function. The division will develop an agenda for action and use the procurement plans and other relative ETSIP documents to guide their work and coordinate and manage TA.
Implementation: PAD will take be responsible for development partner coordination and fund mobilisation, while the Division Administration and Support Services will take responsibility for the management of TA.
Outputs and indicators: One output will be revised descriptions of systems for these functions. The indicators will be written documents containing the conceptual framework and strategies. Indicators will include the amount of money pledged by development partners and the amounts actually received in cash or kind. |
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| 14) Component 9: Capacity Building and Procurement [N$ 3.9 million] |
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Challenges: The procurement function in the MoE is crucial especially to the implementation of ETSIP. The total number of contracts negotiated is increasing substantially, while the MoE has limited professional capability, experience and skill in this respect.
The trend regionally and internationally is for a broader scope for the procurement function in governments while the MoE’s procurement function is limited to routine clerical work. The professional enhancement of the function of procurement in the MoE is therefore called for.
Objectives: (a) To increase the number of staff in the procurement sub-division of the MoE; (b) To enhance the capabilities and skills of staff responsible for procurement including professional staff within programmes; (c) To expose staff in the procurement sub-division to professional training.
Component description: This component will improve and maintain the provision of efficient and effective provision of procurement services in the MoE. It includes three activities: (a) increasing the number of staff for the procurement function in the MoE. (b) hiring of at least two professional procurement consultants for a period of two years to assist with the alleviation of the current workload and to ensure skills transfer; and (c) capacity building for the procurement function in the MoE.
Implementation: The Deputy Director for Administration and Support Services will be in charge of determining the required number of staff for the procurement function in the MoE. He/she will be assisted by TA to determine the required number of staff as well as the skill needs analysis. The creation of posts will be pursued with the Office of the Prime Minister. The TA will ensure transfer of skills to staff in the sub-division.
Outputs and Indicators: The output of this component will be a professional, re-organized and fully operational sub-division within the directorate: general services in the MoE satisfying client procurement needs. |
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