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FORUM SECRETARIAT PIFS(01)FEDA.10 FORUM EDUCATION MINISTERS MEETING Auckland, New Zealand SESSION TWO PAPER BASIC EDUCATION FOR GOVERNANCE The attached paper, was prepared by the University of the South Pacific, in collaboration with the Forum Secretariat. The paper explores issues related to raising the consciousness of Pacific Island educators on governance issues and, in particular, how basic education structures can contribute to this and presents some recommendations on addressing community and national governance issues within basic education for the consideration of Ministers. PIFS(01)FEDA.10 BASIC EDUCATION FOR GOVERNANCE 1 Purpose This paper explores issues related to raising the consciousness of Pacific Islanders on governance issues and, in particular, how basic education structures can contribute to this. Scope 2 The focus is on the delivery of knowledge through the basic education system. In the formal sector this means through the primary and junior secondary stages of government-mandated systems, catering, broadly, for students up to around twelve or fourteen years of age. Note that government-mandated systems may include some CSOs (such as church) schools which are required to deliver government sanctioned curricula. The informal system delivery is through CSOs that may or may not work through the schooling system, but are more likely to use informal training (workshops, say), seminars and media based (radio, television, print) advocacy. 3 Governance is just as difficult to define precisely. Some formal definitions of governance have been proposed, the most often cited of which in the development literature comes from the World Bank, which it first used in a 1989 report on Sub Saharan Africa. The Bank identified a ‘crisis of governance’ which it later defined as: “The manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social resources for development” (1994;vii). 4 Most donors have now incorporated statements about governance into their reports, discussion papers and ministerial statements, with the emphasis on good governance. The ADB defines it in terms of “accountability, participation, predictability and transparency”. Proponents of “good government” or “good governance” extend their concern to legitimacy, accountability and human rights. The OECD, for example, links “good governance” with “participatory development” and “the improvement of women’s rights”. Within the UNDP, governance is defined as: “the mechanisms, processes and institutions of civil societies and of states through which people and groups can articulate their interests, discuss and solve their problems, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences.” 5 For this paper the focus is primarily on curricula that cover the way in which a society is governed through institutions at the national and local levels – including any intermediary levels such as provinces and states. This would include the function and mandates of these institutions, the working of the political system, the formulation of laws and regulations and the enforcement of these. Also included would be civic rights, including participation in electoral systems, recourse to bureaucratic or legal redress when matters go wrong and the structure of human rights as defined by the United Nations in various conventions1 and also as adopted by the state. 1 The adoption of international conventions has implications for the application of human rights within the framework of governance. As of 1999 the following conventions have been variously ratified in the Pacific. Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women; Convention on the Rights of the Child; ICPD Plan of Action (1994); Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development (1995) and the Beijing Plan of Action (1995). 2 6 Application of the structures and institutions of governance to achieve “good governance” has become, as noted above, a key concern. This is generally taken to mean whether governance is fair and equitable to all, which in turn requires the elements of “accountability, participation, predictability and transparency” identified by the ADB. However the term “good governance” can in some important respects be value laden. These “values” can be applied to the very foundations of governance institutions - for example, in the developed world there are many forms of operating democratic systems – from “first past the post” to pure proportional representation, while some electoral systems – such as in Australia – can be quite complex. 7 In this context some systems may be perceived to be less fair or equitable than others, though all have wide acceptance nonetheless. But to define one particular system as “good” and another not is a complex issue to deal with and in this respect the cornerstone is whether the system delivers a peaceful transition of power. 8 Further complexities are introduced when layers of traditional or cultural norms are intertwined with the more western precept of democracy. Such layers can come in at any level. In Samoa, for example, tradition plays a role at the start of the electoral process during selection of candidates who may stand for particular constituencies, whereas in Fiji the Great Council of Chiefs determines outcomes at the very highest level of the governance system – the selection of the President and appointments to the Senate. 9 Consequently, distinguishing between good and bad governance is fraught with difficulty and often can only be judged on results – is power transferred peacefully, does the governance system deal fairly and equitably with all, do all elements of society feel secure, is the system accountable, inclusive and transparent? Significance of Governance Issues 10 These concepts of peaceful transition, accountability, participation, predictability and transparency, fairness and equity, and security lie at the core of the importance of a governance system. 11 Governance has become an increasingly important facet of economic development theory as a consequence of more pure economics oriented development policy having generally failed (except in East and South East Asia) over the past five decades. This failure led to an exploration as to what was missing from the development “paradigm”: the answer has turned out to be lack of good governance. 12 In practical terms this has meant an insecure environment for economic players – whether these be domestic or foreign investors, resource owners or the labour force – to pursue income generating activities. This encompasses fair and equitable access (not partial or favoured) to opportunities to undertake income- generating activities, certainty as to the relevant laws and regulations and the certainty that laws and regulations will be enforced. Without these elements economic players will be reluctant to play a role and income-generating opportunities will thus be limited, and at the extreme, non-existent. 3 13 Across the Pacific security interests, and perceptions of security, differ widely, but have been heightened by the crises in Fiji and Solomon Islands in 2000. The main situations that have involved overt conflict in the Pacific in the past twenty years all involve at least four common elements: ethnic differences; land disputes; economic disparities; and a lack of confidence in the government’s ability to resolve differences fairly or satisfactorily. 14 The Forum, meeting in Tarawa in 2000, recognised these fundamental causes of political instability in the region, expressing grave concern that, since its last meeting in Palau in 1999, the region’s security environment had become more unstable. Leaders agreed to a need for a mechanism for responding to future political and security crises in the region, adopting the “Biketawa Declaration”. 15 Poor quality of governance has been significant among these. In 1997 the Forum adopted Eight Principles of Accountability to guide reforms and a subsequent stock-take surveys revealed three key weaknesses: Weak legislatures: a prevailing weak culture of accountability and transparency reflecting a weak legislature and lack of clarity in the independence of Parliament from the Executive. Weak regulatory framework for prompt accountability: laws on the responsibility of public institutions and officers are often ambiguous or absent, with few sanctions against non-compliance. Weak judiciaries: judicial services are generally understaffed and weak and the courts often have a considerable backlog of cases. 16 Ethnic issues (both between indigenous and immigrant, and between different indigenous cultures) have been prominent in security breakdowns, and are especially acute in multi-cultural countries, which now includes most of the Pacific. 17 A further major cause of insecurity derives from inadequate education. Education levels are rising world-wide. But they are rising faster in East Asia, the region with which the Pacific Islands will interact much more, than in the Pacific. This is widening the gap in knowledge, income, privilege and power, between Pacific people and those with whom they interact. Another major gap is in levels of education between the capitals and the outer islands or hinterland which correlates with a vicious circle of deteriorating economies, shrinking services and growing insecurity. 18 Disputes over land has almost always been a component of breaches of security in the region in recent years. It is also a major factor in sluggish economic growth. At the time of independence most new governments gave resolution of land disputes a high priority, though other priorities soon took over. The reasons land issues have not been given priority include that they are very time-consuming, that results are slow to emerge, and that they involve a high level of social tension. 19 The quality of governance can be significantly improved by addressing the weaknesses in key governance institutions as well as governance policies, processes and procedures. The core governance problem in Pacific Island countries is the paucity of national governance systems that are participatory, accountable, transparent, efficient, equitable and based on the rule of law. 4 Education and Governance 20 It is salutary to dwell on the reality that education can deliver not only a better understanding of governance issues, but also on ethnic and land issues, which themselves can be more readily dealt with through better governance. Thus not only will better education assist in dealing directly with one of the identified sources of insecurity, it also can play a key role in addressing other sources of insecurity either directly or indirectly. 21 Concepts of governance can be delivered through formal basic education through a number of traditional curricula, particularly history and social studies, and can be reinforced in many other ways. The key is ensuring that, first, the curriculum covers the relevant material, second, that teachers are aware of and can teach this material, and third, that the resource materials are available. 22 In developed countries there has been a significant increase in the emphasis on preparing children to participate fully in their societies. This has given rise to more wide spread “civics” curriculums that cover both citizen rights and responsibilities. These are an important element in not only delivering knowledge on governance but also introducing the concept of “good governance”. 23 Case studies (see also below) show that this is also now true (at least in part) for the Pacific. In terms of curriculum development and content, aspects of good governance are indirectly addressed through the social science curriculum under civic education modules for Forms 1-2 in Tonga and Vanuatu. In most cases the key aim of this syllabus is to provide ongoing study of the aspects introduced in the primary years social studies. 24 The intent is to develop an intellectual base and interest in advanced courses in the social sciences. These include; accounting, economics, geography and history offered in the senior classes at secondary schools. In short, aspects of civic studies at primary school level are not necessarily directed at promoting good governance per se, but are also oriented towards preparation for the requirements of a formal and highly competitive public exam- oriented school system. It should also be noted that there is an additional problem in that schools may be working from imported curricula and therefore content and materials will not reflect local realities. 25 In this context it is pertinent to observe that knowledge of the concepts of governance and good governance can reinforce the understanding of the rights to and the delivery of basic needs. Observations during country visits revealed a view that opportunities for participation in civil society are at risk of becoming more marginalised and irrelevant to the general populace if their rights of access to basic needs such as safe drinking water, housing, and health are not being addressed first. In contrast, knowledge of the governance system can improve the understanding and obligations of governance systems to deliver these basic needs as is illustrated below. SOCIAL, ECONOMIC and POLITICAL WELL- BEING 5 Basic Education for Good Governance basic ed for basic ed for basic ed for basic ed for basic needs food self suffic. HRD options primary health basic ed for econ basic ed for pol basic ed for res use independence empowerment & mgmt in envir basic ed for basic ed for basic ed for basic ed for change mgmt sound orgal financial legal literacy & confl resolution structures mgmt 26 However it is clear that while primary school systems can play a significant role in enhancing knowledge of governance systems, they can contribute only partially to the total preparation of the individual’s awareness of good governance. Key providers and contributors to the Pacific child’s development in this regard also include the family, the clan, peers, the community or village, the church, and church- based groups. This implies that the education system would need to draw upon the influence and expertise of these external providers of basic education also and develop a consultative framework if basic education for good governance is to work. 27 One conclusion that can be reached from these observations is that much of the work on basic education for good governance is undertaken outside of the formal frameworks of school systems. There is a distinct separation of that which is considered core school curricular and extra-curricular activities and while principles of governance are duly acknowledged as essential to building civic pride and good citizenship, the focus in delivery, skills development and value orientations are given minimal time slots in the school week. Many contacts spoken to suggested that given that indigenous education prepares people for community participation, community values and spirituality, the partnerships between the formal and non formal providers of basic education should be strengthened to better integrate the good governance component in current programs. Literature Review 28 The recent innovation of governance in formal education are reflected in there being sparse documentation of the subject matter. Secondary sources on basic education for good governance are negligible in public libraries or national archives of the countries visited (see also below). Much of the literature accessed for this paper came from the Forum Secretariat, UNICEF, UNDP and the UNESCO desk at Fiji’s Ministry of Education. 29 Websites visited on the internet which featured the topic as search criteria had an emphasis on the organisational management of schools and classrooms produced the http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/go0cont.html. Although this website has an American context, the generic issues covered provide important pointers for practical application in the Pacific context. 6 30 Other initiatives to document aspects of good governance have been undertaken by international agencies, such as the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific (FSP), and academic institutions such as the Australian National University (where the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia project is housed). Attempts to obtain information relating to the above project and that on Democracy Learning Circles in Melanesia (DEMLEC) were unsuccessful. 31 Other agencies like RRRT have through their regional legal literacy programmes compiled training documents and pamphlets for advocacy and awareness raising. However these reflect conditions for the respective countries in which they conduct legal and paralegal workshops. National bodies like the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre who now have a regional mandate to undertake advocacy and awareness raising on women and development issues in several countries around the region also have relevant collections of their work and experiences documented as part of the overall organisational strengthening and capacity building programs. 32 The efforts of government agencies, NGOs and church organisations who are currently involved in activities that have strong components of good governance incorporated in capacity building programs are not inclined to document the processes with a view to replicating best practices or sharing knowledge. Much of the documentation is confined to reporting for purposes of financial accountability. Reports of donor agencies reviewing funded projects would most likely touch on this aspect of basic education for good governance. In short there is no coordinated depository of literature on basic education for good governance both actual and implied, as many remain as official and personal documents. 33 In order to raise awareness and increase accessibility to literature on this topic, it may be useful in the short term to create a website on ‘basic education for good governance in the Pacific’ where some of these related documents may be made available. Unless some of these official documents are deposited in national archives and public libraries, they often remain inaccessible to everyone else. Given the status of literature on basic education for good governance the following may enhance awareness and visibility: • Encourage the UNDP to set up a web-page on basic education for good governance in the Pacific on its current good governance website. • Ask the Forum Secretariat library to gather relevant documents from official and personal collections, to be available for curricula development. • Include a component on case writing in NGO capacity building programs, thus encouraging the documentation of field experiences and practices. • Compile a regional directory of expertise on basic education for good governance for purposes of strengthening networks and collaboration. Country Case Studies 34 Information for this study was obtained through primary and secondary sources. Informants included NGOs, church education officials, government officials, community leaders, regional and international development agencies and members of 7 the media. Time constraint influenced the scope and coverage of the paper: island visits and the final report were undertaken within six weeks. 35 The choice of countries representative of the three sub-regional was influenced largely by perceived levels of governance and human rights awareness and practices on the ground and available flight schedules within the time available. Visits to three countries were undertaken as follows: Tonga 7 –10 November 2000 Vanuatu 12 – 16 November 2000 Kiribati 5 – 14 December 2000 36 The aim of the country profiles is to provide an overview of current practices and challenges relating to basic education for governance. The analysis attempts to provide insights on prevailing attitudes and perceptions and the potential for popular and institutional support and commitment to the teaching of governance issues. Tonga 37 The visit to Tonga coincided with a national exam commitments and other meetings, resulted in there being no direct consultations with the Education Department. However a copy of the social science curriculum for Forms 1-2 was made available for collection. On the other hand discussions were held with the Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement (THRDM) and the Tonga Catholic Women’s League. 38 In Tonga, aspects of civic education are covered in the junior secondary social science syllabus, though the primary aim is to prepare students for subjects in the social sciences and humanities that are taken in the senior secondary classes. This aim is reflected in the course content, modes of delivery, student activities and expected outcomes. While the objectives of social science studies are directed at inculcating appropriate values and attitudes of tolerance, respect for others, developing positive self esteem, cooperation, sharing and honesty, there is an equally strong emphasis on contextualising this in the framework of Tonga’s social, economic and environmental development and its cultural inheritance. 39 Skills development focuses on basic research and thinking skills such as; locating and organising information, acquiring information through listening, observing, reading and interviewing, oral and written communication, interpreting pictures, diagrams, graphs, maps and tables, constructing simple diagrams and models and identifying social problems and suggesting possible solutions. In all, this syllabus is quite structured and catering more for an exam-oriented system. Learning about human rights and the role of rights in empowering individuals to effectively participate and contribute to the processes of governance in the society is not seen to be the primary focus of the current social science syllabus in Forms 1and 2. 40 In discussions it was pointed out that in the Tongan family key values ingrained into the individual’s socialisation process are obedience and respect, which does not encourage a questioning and critical mind. While informants supported the notions of children being encouraged to be independent, to exercise freedom of 8 thought and speech, they also asserted that the educational system ought also to ensure that the learning process focus on the responsible exercising of rights. 41 In responding on the issue of the role of traditional systems of governance, informants acknowledged that “traditional mechanisms and structures conducive to sustaining good governance in our Pacific societies should be looked into because they have an important bearing on the shaping of the character of the Pacific islander as it shapes [them] and plays an important role in determining his identity as a person and as a member of a social unit”. 42 The THRDM is the only organisation in Tonga that deals directly with human rights and issues of democracy. As an NGO with a funded secretariat, THRDM’s focus is on providing an alternative view to the status quo, advocacy and awareness raising and performing a watchdog role for civil society. Its range of activities include fortnightly TV slots, weekly radio spots, a monthly newspaper known as Kele’a and the village faikava sessions undertaken every fortnight. The organisation works in collaboration with other groups such as Tonga Catholic Women’s League, Catholic Commission for Justice and Development and the Tonga National Youth Congress. 43 The Tonga Catholic Women’s League (TCWL) is a non-profit organisation operating out of Nukualofa with all funds tied to specific projects. With funding from RRRT and DFID, it has recently become the implementing agency for spearheading legal literacy training workshops for both genders irrespective of age, religion or social class with a particular focus on advocacy and awareness raising on laws affecting women. 44 The TCWL undertakes training in the communities and the outer islands and aims to break down barriers in its networks by working with the Women’s Unit. Tonga’s recent ratification of the Convention of Rights of the Child saw a need to introduce this into the education curriculum and more importantly to contextualise the Convention into an acceptable social framework. In response to this the TCWL will facilitate a workshop, with the Ministry of Education and in conjunction with UNICEF and RRRT, aimed at “raising awareness and informing education officials of what the [Convention] is all about and its implications for education”. 45 The church in Tonga wields considerable power and influence in the community and this is reflected in some of its vocal and visibly progressive position on aspects of governance and the promotion of basic rights. On this point it has been suggested that in order to enhance acceptability, ownership and commitment to basic education for good governance, the church must be part of the consultative process. Vanuatu 46 Respondents in Vanuatu included; the Senior Education Officer for curriculum development, the Director of Christian Education in the Presbyterian Church, the Director of the Vanuatu Rural Development and Training Centres Association, the CEO of the Vanuatu National Council Of Women and the Executive Director of FSP International. 9 47 In the social science curriculum for years 7-10, civic studies is included and it examines contemporary issues of development in Vanuatu. The social science approach uses a building block framework in establishing linkages. It begins with the family, then to the school, the community, the island and then to the nation as a whole. In using this approach it is aimed at laying a foundation of tolerance. The Curriculum Development Unit is aware that it is now policy that good governance be included in the country’s comprehensive reform process and equally recognises the need to revise the social science syllabus and to move away from this inward focus with more emphasis placed on Vanuatu and the region. The Curriculum Commission, which has been defunct for 13 years, has recently been re-formed with representatives from the church, MoE and the Cultural Centre making up its membership. 48 The Christian Education Unit of the Presbyterian Church focuses on non- formal training in which trade skills and core life skills are emphasised. In response to changing expectations and needs of grassroots communities, religious based education is no longer just theologically based, but more linked to real life scenarios. The church has been playing a proactive role in addressing tolerance between customary landowners on the island of Efate and migrant communities. There is therefore a need to create awareness and conduct skills training among the local population in tolerance and living together in order to avoid the kind of conflicts that occurred during the Solomon Islands crisis. 49 Current issues of concern include substance abuse (especially kava and alcohol consumption) and the irregularity and inconsistency with which information flows from government agencies to the communities. The call for government to recognise the shortcomings of the present bottlenecks in the existing educational system and the need to move towards one that encouraged people to be part of nation building was also noted. 50 The Rural Development and Training Centre Association is an umbrella agency for over 30 centres in Vanuatu catering for school drop-outs and focusing primarily on skills training to enhance self-reliance and quality of life. The highest cause of drop-outs in year 6 (12-13 year olds) was the unavailability of places in schools. The stigma of ‘failing to get a place’ leads to low self esteem, rebelliousness and a negative attitude towards authority and the establishment. Major constraints in this program are funding, dealing with a mindset that looks down at local initiatives and having to de-link from an overwhelming colonial legacy as reflected in attitudes to and perceptions of development. It was further suggested that one of the ways of halting movement of people from rural to urban areas was to emphasis rural and outer-island development. 51 International agencies like FSP are quite visible and focused in their respective country programs. The FSP office based in Vila outlined new initiatives, including establishing community based governance programs in Fiji and the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu (as the control group) and Kiribati. It was felt that good governance programs in the Pacific are too focused on institutional issues, with parliamentary processes and financial management systems and thus, in the words of a respondent, “taking a mighty long time to filter down to community level”. 10 52 The focus at FSP is to promote good governance in the national context with a particular focus at the community level with the idea that good governance be contextualised in the socio-cultural, economic and political circumstances of respective communities. FSP intends to undertake a social mapping exercise of good governance at the community level in addition to resourcing good governance teaching in the classroom through curriculum development. For the latter, work will initially focus on material production directed at developing modules for good governance for primary schools and a teachers’ workshop. FSP believe that due to the sensitivity of good governance issues in the Pacific region, basic education for good governance should be initiated as a pilot project in selected countries. Kiribati 53 The visit to Kiribati coincided with the end of the school term, visits of education officers to outer islands and a national workshop on early childhood education. Many of the senior curriculum development officers were participants in the latter so it was not possible to consult with MoE staff. Nevertheless discussions with an officer from the social welfare office, a small businessman, the women's development officer from the AMAK centre, the editor of a newly launched private newspaper and the FSP office in Kiribati provided valuable insights. 54 Key challenges facing I-Kiribati society today include increased movement of people from the outer islands to Tarawa for work and education, resulting in overcrowding and inadequate provision of water, sewerage and housing. Restricted access to land for building have seen the rise of very crude structures and overcrowding, with some village maneabas providing temporary living arrangements as the need arises. 55 Increasing unemployment among working aged adults and the need to sustain daily family subsistence has also seen a disturbing trend of families taking young children out of school to work as vendors for the sale of home-made artifacts and cooked food in the main populated areas of South Tarawa. Lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and other cardiac-related illnesses are common, in addition to nutrition related ailments such as a lack of Vitamin A. 56 Conflicts of interests arising from the jurisdiction of the maneaba and some of its decisions and rulings, disagreements between the older and traditionally-inclined members and the younger more educated individuals in the community, the low levels of women’s participation in public life and the status of children in general have serious implications for upholding of basic human, women’s and children’s rights. 57 Informants expressed the need to address these immediate challenges prior to focusing on good governance. It was felt that unless these social ills were taken care of, then the physical and mental health required for fuller participation and the rights to participate will continue to remain the prerogative of a smaller elite group. Like the other two countries visited, the church also wields considerable power and influence in the community and so that the authority of the village maneaba is now being shared with the church maneaba. 11 58 There is a growing awareness of rights within the community that has been brought about by rapid social and economic change. Much of this awareness has been initiated outside of the primary school system by development agencies like FSP and UNICEF, who undertake an advocacy role in a fairly transparent collaborative framework that is non-threatening, user-friendly and tailored to local conditions. Issues 59 There proved to be a low level of awareness and understanding among informants on the meaning and application of good governance. This was also reflected in a general inability to link global and regional concerns on good governance to the different levels of decision-making and organisational practices from national to the grassroots level. This absence of awareness of good governance was particularly marked below national levels. In the community, governance is instead perceived to be an issue that only politicians and senior bureaucrats are concerned with rather than an issue that effects every day life. 60 Given the sensitivity of the issues, the way forward is to establish and promote the culture of good governance in a non-threatening manner at the community level. Unless there is a sense of ownership and control from within the community, basic education for good governance programs are not likely to succeed. A strategy for “basic education for good governance” should be specifically incorporated into national educational development plans and component activities incorporated into and supported by the national education budget. 61 A further issue is the extent to which formal education provides sufficient reach, and hence the emphasis that might have to be given non-formal education systems. Table 1 provides a summary of the status of primary and basic education systems in the Pacific region. However, these statistics do not provide any indication about infrastructure, organisation and management of primary schools, curriculum content, modes of delivery and teaching styles, or the capacities of teaching staff. 62 An additional concern is that while there is an almost universal access to basic education in the formal system, this does not reflect the level of adult literacy in the community. The EFA 2000 Pacific report states an absence of available information relating to the literacy levels of 15-24 year olds. It is further reported that while “estimates of adult literacy are often cited in official statistics…their basis is uncertain”(EFA Pacific 2000, 1999:1). So while most countries in the Pacific with a history of “good primary school systems report very high adult literacy rates…these figures camouflage the problem of low functional literacy among adults”(ibid). Table 1 Primary and basic education systems in Pacific Island countries Country Official primary Official formal Compulsory Free schooling Net enrolment school ages basic education attendance ratio in primary ages education Cook Is 5-10 5-14 5-15 99.3 Fiji Is 6-11 6-15 6-15 or Class 8 Tuition fee-free 99.4 to Form 4 Kiribati 6-12 6-14 6-14 100.0 Marshall Is 6-14 6-14 7-16 Partially 103.1 Nauru 6-11 6-15 6-15 98.2 Niue 5-10 5-15 5-15 100.0 PNG 9-14 7-14 X x 12 Samoa 5-13 5-13 Class 1-8 92.5 Solomon Is X x 88.3 Tonga 6-11 6-16 6-14 Partially 99.0 Tuvalu 6-12 6-15 6-15 99.0 Vanuatu 6-12 6-16 X Source: EFA National reports, other than (1) Solomon Islands Department of Statistics, 1995 (for 1992); cited from EFA Assessment: 2000 Pacific Regional Report, 2000: 29 63 In addition, many island communities still utilise traditional systems of governance as a means of inculcating values of respect, tolerance, maintaining law and order, instituting redress, harmony, sharing and caring in their respective communities. Consequently there will be value in organisational strengthening and capacity building at all levels in systems of traditional governance. This should be directed at empowering leaders and leadership structures to effectively participate in and contribute to the functions of the delivery of basic education for good governance at community levels. Conclusions 64 The conclusions arising from the above assessment are set out below. These are aimed at strengthening the promotion of basic education for governance, but bearing in mind that their application should reflect the constraints of national budgets and expertise, varying levels of political development, the growth of civil society and the sensitivity surrounding good governance. Basic education for governance, while being acknowledged as a cornerstone of HRD, must also be integrated into current processes and practices of formal basic education for purposes of sustainability and long term credibility. 65 The lack of information on which to build good curricula and resource materials has been noted and suggests: • That agencies such as UNDP, UNESCO and USP be encouraged to set up web pages containing basic source material on education for governance. • That the Forum Secretariat or the USP establish a collection of printed source material on educating for good governance. • That a training component on case writing be integrated into CSO capacity building programs so as to encourage the documentation of field experiences and practices relating to education for good governance. • That a directory of expertise on basic education for good governance be compiled for purposes of strengthening networks and collaboration. 66 Education for governance needs widespread support to be effective and for the formal sector requires explicit government recognition. In this respect it is suggested that education for governance be incorporated into national educational development plans as a key policy for HRD and that the component activities be catered for and supported in the national education budget. 67 National efforts in education for governance be extended to the wider community, through non formal education, and to assist in this: • That a first phase of advocacy and awareness programs be undertaken with key stakeholders in education to build partnerships, networking and linkages aimed at promoting basic education for good governance. 13 • That formal and non formal providers of basic education be represented on national curriculum advisory bodies to provide advice on social science and the means for incorporating a governance focus in the content and delivery processes. Eci K Nabalarua, and Forum Secretariat Suva, Fiji Islands 9 April 2001 14 Attachment 1 Terms of Reference BASIC EDUCATION FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE Background Areas of economic and social well being cannot be dealt with without also addressing issues of governance and human rights. The one impinges on the other and vice versa. A key determining element of social well being is basic education. Much research indicates how sound basic education affects not only the health children, women and men but also builds social capital. The most often cited definition of governance in the development literature comes from the World Bank, first used in a 1989 report on Sub Saharan Africa the Bank identified a ‘crisis of governance’ which it later defined as: The manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social resources for development. (1994;vii). By now most donors have incorporated statements about governance, or ‘good government’ into their reports, discussion papers and ministerial statements. The ADB defines it in terms of accountability, participation, predictability and transparency. Proponents of ‘good government’ or ‘good governance’ are concerned with legitimacy, accountability and human rights. The OECD (1997), for example, links ‘good governance’ with ‘participatory development’ and ‘the improvement of women’s rights’. Within the UNDP, governance is often defined as follows: the mechanisms, processes and institutions of civil societies and of states through which people and groups can articulate their interests, discuss and solve their problems, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences. The challenge for all societies is to create systems of governance that promote, support and sustain human development, particularly for the poor, the disaffected and the marginalised. Systems of governance promote human development when they are inclusive and participatory, when they address issues of equity and accountability and when they uphold the rule of law. Basic education prepares members of the community for full participation through ensuring all a fully equipped with basic literacy and numeracy, understand decision making processes. Sustainable human development requires the strengthening of the management of economic, political and administrative authority. Objective To examine ways in which basic education can address issues of governance. Tasks (a) Survey literature on ways in which governance issues have been included in basic education; (b) Survey NGOs, church organisations and Forum Island Governments and document initiatives in basic education and governance and/or human rights. 15
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