ISSUE 41: MARCH-MAY 2006
network of research and training centres/programmes
FRONT PAGE | ARCHIVE |
Second seminar on Africa-Asia education dialogue
The Africa-Asia University Dialogue for Basic Education Development project is designed to complement the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) by twinning African and Asian universities to promote a self-reliant approach to improving and expanding basic education.
This three-year programme, currently in its second year, aims to provide African experts, including university and government representatives, with space for research, dialogue and reflection. The project draws on the experiences of UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs, the Centre for the Study of International Cooperation in Education (CICE), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and United Nations University.
In 2006, 12 African university experts and national policy-makers from Ethiopia, Niger, Tanzania and Uganda were invited to undertake a five-week study mission to Asia to develop a more self-reliant policy perspective for basic education development. The group first went to Indonesia to exchange views and experiences with Indonesian counterparts and policy-makers and to observe their practice in basic education.
The group then went to Japan for four weeks of intensive work to develop a joint policy oriented research framework in basic education and to prepare the work plan project implementation at country level. In Japan, the group spent a week with UN University and three weeks with CICE.
On the last day of their programme at UNU, an open seminar was organized to foster dialogue between the African group and Japanese and other Asian university-based experts. The African experts presented their research proposals to the audience; the presentations were followed by stimulating question-and-answer sessions with the audience.
In 2006, the African experts research proposals were centered on teacher training. More precisely, the Ethiopian team prepared a research proposal on “Enhancing active learning through teachers’ peer assessment and self-reflections in selected primary schools in Ethiopia”. The Niger team focused its research on “Achieving the quality of basic education through improvement of the training of trainers of trainers in Niger”. The Tanzanian team presented its research proposal that focuses on “Capacity of primary school management for teacher professional development in selected primary schools in Tanzania”. Finally, the Ugandan team centered its work on the issue of large classes “Investigating strategies for improving teaching and learning in large classes for basic education support in Uganda”.
Upon returning to their respective countries, the African experts will organize seminars so that participants in the study mission will share the results of the mission with their colleagues, policy-makers, educational administrators and teachers. They will then conduct the national-level research and other activities agreed upon by the group. The findings of the research will be discussed in group seminars organized by the research teams at the end of each year.
The African Experts will organize a reflective dialogue meeting at one of the universities participating in the project, in order to share the results of the research among themselves and with other researchers as well as policy-makers, educational administrators and teachers. Some of the Asian university-based experts who interacted with the group will also be invited to enrich the dialogue at the meeting.
© 2006 United Nations University