50 Nigerian education planners trained in planning and management

24/10/2022

Given the mandate and extensive experience of IIEP-UNESCO Dakar when it comes to capacity development of UNESCO’s African Member States in the analysis, planning, and implementation of education and training policies, IIEP was requested to develop and deliver a training course targeting education planners from Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

In brief

The training was implemented on a hybrid mode i.e., partly online and partly face-to-face, and covered the three following modules:

  • Use of administrative and household data (EMIS and HHD) for education sector planning, management and monitoring
  • Education sector planning, and
  • Microplanning (with a focus on supply of schools, especially junior secondary)
BESDA 2
BESDA 2

Renowned for supporting African countries to strengthen their capacity to plan and manage their education systems, IIEP UNESCO Dakar held a short education planning and management course for 50 education officials from Nigeria.

Using a capacity development approach through the creation of partnerships, training, and the production of methodological tools and knowledge, IIEP-UNESCO Dakar bases its interventions on technical expertise.

“The IIEP, International Institute for Educational Planning, has a huge experience in education sector planning. For this course we are bringing together many participants from Nigeria to work on educational sector planning because this is an important issue given the changing landscape of educational delivery, so IIEP is working with them on educational sector analysis, school mapping, educational planning, and mainstreaming gender in the educational analysis, education sector planning so on,” said Oswald Koussihouede, Education policy analyst, IIEP-UNESCO Dakar.

The Federal Ministry of Education requested training for education officials from its 36 states, including the 17 states under the Better Education Service Delivery for All (BESDA) project, to strengthen their capacities in the analysis, planning, and management of the education sector. 

For sustainability purposes, it has been very useful because on the BESDA /World Bank programme we want to set up EMIS (educational management information systems) and planning so that when we get data from the basic school level, the state and of course the federal government ... there won’t be any gap whatsoever in data generation. That has been lacking but with this training, I believe we can do it from now on.

Osahon U. Igbinoba
Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC-BESDA)

IIEP-UNESCO Dakar prioritizes training course content relevant to the beneficiaries’ daily work. It aims to improve their skills in the implementation of their tasks and the achievement of their professional objectives.

Jane Elvis Agoboh, EMIS desk officer and participant said, “I have come to learn that it is not just about generating data, but we must be strategic in generating data. There must be specific elements we’re looking at for proper analysis. Because if we just gather everything without focusing on what we intend to analyze or what problems we intend to solve then we will not be able to get what we want.” 

The training includes practical exercises to be carried out by the beneficiaries or in groups and focuses on the use and management of administrative and household data in education sector planning and monitoring,  education sector planning, and microplanning.

“I was particularly interested in the module on planning itself which has taken the participants through the whole modicum of planning, what is required, what are the details, what are the issues, to do with education sector review and all of that. It is what was promoted and I’m happy that people are here to get trained on that.," said Simeon Ogbonna, national consultant, accountability for results, UBEC-BESDA. 

Furthermore, gender mainstreaming in educational planning, management and monitoring is included across all three modules.

 

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3 questions to Osahon U. Igbinoba, Director of planning, research & statistics, UBEC-BESDA, Nigeria