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Education

HIGH LEVEL MEETING ON THE SPECIAL INITIATIVE FOR AFRICA AND THE EDUCATION SECTOR STRATEGY FOR MOZAMBIQUE

PARIS 7 AND 8 JULY 1997

JOINT STATEMENT BY DENMRK, FINLAND, SWEDEN AND

THE NETHERLANDS

Representatives from some of the bilateral funding agencies invited to this meting, these being Denmark, Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands, wish to use this opportunity to present a joint statement.

The Minister of Education has underlined that this meeting is part of a process aimed to enrich the draft education strategy and to enhance cooperation of the efforts of all partners concerned.

Our statement lists and comments on issues that should be developed further in the months to come.

Overall, the vision which Mozambique has of the priorities and long term objectives of its education sector is very clear. Evidence of this was once again gien at this meeting. The provision of basic education to all Mozambican children over a period of ten years has been identified as the main-priority and we would like to take this opportunity to stress that we fully subscribe to this objective, while at the same time stressing the need to maintain and improve quality.

As was mentioned on various occasions in the opening statements of this important meeting, attaining the objective of basic education for all is only achievable through a coordinated effort and a long-term commitment on the part of the different parties concerned.

A strategic plan for the education sector is a necessary base and platform for such a long term commitment.

The Government of Mozambique has put considerable time and effort into the development of such a plan. It is ever encouraging to see that this process is led and driven by the Ministry of Education, that it has involved other parts of the Mozambican society, and that each successive step of the process has enriched the strategy document.

In our view, however, a firm commitment to a long term sector programme will require further elaboration of some aspects of the document.

The coming months will be crucial in this respect and here once again, we would like to stress the importance of ensuring that enough time is given for the Ministry to further

Elaborate the document and for the different partners to reflect on the strategy. This approach has been advocated by E.U. Coordination Group in education and more recently by the bilateral donors represented here as well as by Spain, Ireland and the European Union in a joint letter to the Ministry of Education.

We would like to emphasize the following points that should be addressed in order to finalize the strategic plan.

1) The logical structure between policies, objectives, strategies, results, activities and indicators on the overall level as well as on the sub-sector level. In particular we feel that further analysis along these lines is required for the areas of teacher training, learning materials, secondary education, and non-formal education.

2) Identification of important policy decisions which remain to be taken in order to implement the plan.

3) Mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the plan.

4) Identification of constraints for implementation as well as proposals for overcoming these, including capacity building needed.

5) Integration of the macro-economic framework into the strategic plan.

Further we feel that it is also important to address cross-cutting issues such as delivery mechanisms for education, girls participation and performance in schools, and collaboration of communities and other actors.

As regards the process of implementation it is important that the main partners agree on:

1) Criteria and mechanisms for planning, monitoring, reporting and follow-up, which could include joint annual reviews and joint reporting procedures.

2) A solid and transparent system of management and administration of funds.

3) To move away from a project towards a programme approach. The two will exist simultaneously during a transitional period which will allow for the technical implications of moving towards a sector approach to be addressed.

It is our belief that this meeting has provided valuable elements towards finalization of an education sector strategy. We would like to suggest that a follow-up meeting be organized in Maputo within the next few weeks to disseminate the results of this meeting an to plan the process ahead. Naturally, this discussion and the further elaboration of the document may require further investment in terms of time and human resources. In view of this, the bilateral donors would like to reiterate the offer which was made in the letter mentioned above to provide any financial and technical assistance which is deemed necessary for the finalization of this plan.

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank UNESCO for organizing this initiative and for providing us with the opportunity to discuss this crucial issue.

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