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PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT PIFS(09) FEDMN.05 FORUM EDUCATION MINISTERS’ MEETING Nuku’alofa, Tonga 24-26 March 2009 SESSION THREE REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PACIFIC REGIONAL INITIATIVES FOR THE DELIVERY OF BASIC EDUCATION (PRIDE) PROJECT The attached paper was prepared by the PRIDE project. FORUM EYES ONLY PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT PIFS(09) FEDMN.05 FORUM EDUCATION MINISTERS’ MEETING Nuku’alofa, Tonga 24-26 March 2009 SESSION THREE REVIEW OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PACIFIC REGIONAL INITIATIVES FOR THE DELIVERY OF BASIC EDUCATION (PRIDE) PROJECT Purpose This paper provides a progress report on the implementation of the Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) Project. The period covered is since the last Forum Education Ministers Meeting in November 2007 to February 2009. Background 2. The PRIDE project is the major vehicle for implementing the Forum Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP). 3. The Forum Ministers of Education have a special role at the apex of the governance structure of PRIDE. Ministers played a key role in developing the design for the project. Recommendations 4 Ministers are invited to: (a) note the progress of PRIDE; and (b) continue to provide support for the PRIDE Project. Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Suva 3 March 2009 2 FORUM EYES ONLY P ACIFIC REGIONAL INITIATIVES FOR THE DELIVERY OF BASIC EDUCATION www.usp.ac.fj/pride Identification No.: 9 ACP RPA 001 Accounting No: REG/7724/000 PROGRESS REPORT December 2007 – February 2009 Implementation of activities by the PRIDE Project is made possible with financial assistance from the European Community and NZAID. The views expressed herein are those of the University of the South Pacific and therefore in no way can be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Community or of NZAID. Implemented by 3 FORUM EYES ONLY SUMMARY OF THE PROGRESS REPORT This is a report on the activities of the PRIDE Project in the fifteen months since the last meeting of the Ministers of Education in November 2007. With the appointment of a Project team leader on 1st January 2008, a replacement for education advisor Epeli Tokai in July, and the appointment of a Resource Centre assistant in September, the PRIDE team was able to accomplish much in 2008 even though a great deal of time was taken assisting countries finalise their subproject proposals, assessing the quality of these proposals and in monitoring the implementation of subprojects. Acknowledgments The PRIDE team is grateful to the University of the South Pacific for its decision to make the Project a priority in January 2008 and for making explicit the understanding that the agenda of integrating PRIDE into the Institute of Education (IOE) prevalent in 2007 was downgraded to strengthening the Institute where appropriate. The team is also grateful to the two donors, the EU and NZAID, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Regional Authorising Officer (RAO) for their support and understanding. It particularly acknowledges the assistance provided by the National/State Project coordinators, the Ministers of Education, and the Directors/CEOs/Secretaries and staff of the 15 participating Ministries or Departments of Education. Other stakeholders, particularly the Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), UNESCO, UNICEF, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the South Pacific Board for Educational Assessment (SPBEA) which collaborated with PRIDE on some activities, are also warmly thanked. Key Achievements 1. All countries now have educations strategic plans (the Federated States of Micronesia developed four separate state plans), with several countries engaged in developing their second strategic plan since the inception of the Project. PRIDE has assisted 12 countries since the inception of the Project. 2. The Interim Financial Report for 2008 (see Annex 1) shows total expenses of F$ 6,297,626 with a utilisation rate of 82%. The utilisation rate for subprojects is 93%, due in large part to the team’s proactive approach in working closely with the countries to submit subproject proposals in the first five months of 2008. The 2007 Financial Audit Report is also attached. (See Annex 2.) 3. Almost all subprojects have commenced implementation with a combined value of F$ 11,964,203. Of the total 140 subprojects, 25% have been completed, 54% are current and 21%, mostly short-term subprojects, were planned to commence in the first quarter of 2009. 4. The ongoing development and improvement of the Pacific Archive of Digital Data for Learning and Education (PADDLE), the digitisation of Directions: Journal of Educational Studies, a key education journal in the Pacific, and the increased usage of the centre, both physical and virtual have been key achievements for the PRIDE Resource Centre. 5. The 9th PRIDE regional workshop on ‘Pacific Knowledge Societies: developing equitable access to quality resources and information literacy’ was held in Nadi, Fiji from 8-13 September. PRIDE successfully collaborated with five other development partners to organise the workshop. 6. Three publications in the PRIDE Pacific Education Series were launched: on teacher education, literacy and numeracy, and early childhood education. Two more (on inclusive education and TVET) are expected to be launched at the PRIDE Showcase Exhibition planned for 24 March 2009 in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga. 7. The PRIDE team developed an internal impact assessment study design specifically for subprojects, and completed a pilot assessment for a completed subproject (on drug awareness education) in Fiji. Preliminary findings indicate the following impacts on beneficiaries and stakeholders: a national policy was developed; a large number of principals, school counselors 4 FORUM EYES ONLY and teachers are better informed on drugs and their negative effects; follow-through at school level (e.g. school bulletin/display boards, police and health officers invited to speak to students); and close collaboration between agencies, such as the mental institution, the police, and health and education ministries. More impact assessments will be carried out in at least five more countries in 2009 once the pilot design is refined. 8. The Draft EU Monitoring Report has provided a B rating for the Project for each of the criteria used: relevance and quality of design, efficiency of implementation to date, effectiveness to date, impact prospects, and potential sustainability. Major Issues 1. National subproject implementation was delayed until the last quarter of 2008 due to late receipt by USP of funds from both the EU and NZAID and the time-consuming process of clearing subprojects funds with Fiji’s FIRCA and Reserve Bank. We are glad to report that these issues have now been sorted out. 2. Of the 140 viable subprojects, 25% have completed implementation, although PRIDE is still waiting for acquittal documentation for six recently completed subprojects. 54% of subprojects are ongoing or have recently commenced, while 21% will commence in the first quarter of 2009. Of the 105 ongoing or yet to commence subprojects, 71% are ongoing while the commencement date for the other 29%, which were approved in May 2008, was delayed to the first quarter of 2009. The delay in commencement of these subprojects will have serious implications for their completion dates. With only 35 subprojects completed and only 28 fully acquitted, the PRIDE team will have its hands full, closely monitoring and collecting the reporting and acquittal documentation for the bulk of subprojects in 2009. 3. Countries not responding in a timely fashion to M&E requirements have prevented the PRIDE team from conducting appropriate analyses. At least half the countries have been negligent in providing their quarterly subproject progress reports in any given quarter. The same can be said for the late or non-submission of national education outcomes reports and national benchmarks reports. 4. This is compounded by another major issue: the difficulty the PRIDE team has had since the inception of the Project in obtaining planning, policy, curriculum and statistical data and other documents to put in the online Resource Centre so that they can be shared regionally. This has contributed to the difficulty the team has had in conducting analyses of relevant educational data. Priorities for 2009 1. January to mid-March – prepare for a series of PRIDE meetings in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga around the Forum Ministers of Education Meeting (FEdMM). This includes the following: • National and State Project Coordinators’ meeting: 18/3–19/3 • PRIDE’s 10th Regional Conference on ‘Showcasing best practice in Pacific education’: 20/3– 23/3 in partnership with the Tonga Ministry of Education, Women Affairs and Culture (MEWAC) • Showcase Exhibition: 24/3 (for members of FEdMM) and 25/3 (for Tongan public) • Project Steering Committee meeting – 25/3. 2. Closely monitor 105 ongoing subprojects, particularly through country visits when necessary, and assist countries with acquittals and closure for completed subprojects. 3. Continue with impact assessment of subprojects in at least five countries. 4. Continue with analyses of appropriate PRIDE-related data, especially around subproject implementation. 5. If approval is given by the donors for PRIDE to be extended to the end of 2010, the preparation of a work programme in June will be critical, and the team will collaborate with other development partners to hold another Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting in the second half of 2009. 5 FORUM EYES ONLY BACKGROUND This progress report covers the 15 month period from December 2007 to February 2009, reporting on the achievements of the PRIDE Project deliverables in three key result areas: 1. Development of strategic plans 2. Implementation of strategic plans 3. Strengthened regional and national capacities ACTIVITIES FOR PROJECT DELIVERABLES Result Area 1 – Development of strategic plans Activity 1.1 – Benchmarks for national strategic plans The PRIDE Project benchmarks document is now an integral part of the strategic planning process for the education sector where it is routinely used to review draft education strategic plans before they are finalised. It was last used to review the draft education strategic plans in Kiribati and Nauru and will be used in Tokelau before their second education plan is finalised. Activity 1.2 – Establish, train, and equip national/state project coordinators The annual state/national project coordinators’ workshop was held in Nadi, Fiji from 14-18 April and was attended by all 14 national and four state project coordinators (S/NPCs). With the theme Monitoring the Success of Implementation of the PRIDE Project at National Level, the workshop goals included: (a) Strengthening the capacity of the S/NPCs to implement and monitor national education plans and in-country subprojects; and (b) Reviewing the implementation of the PRIDE Project at the national level and making recommendations for improvement, through S/NPCs reporting on the status of national education plan and in-country subproject implementation. An important outcome of the S/NPC workshop was the finalisation of over 70 new subproject proposal drafts, including some non-formal proposals. Four countries changed their NPCs during the reporting period. Dr Maria Gaiyabu replaced Jarden Kephas as NPC/Secretary for Education in Nauru, Kinta Eram replaced Tebania Tabakabo in Kiribati, Joseph Logha replaced Uke Kombra in Papua New Guinea (PNG), and John Niroa replaced Antoine Thyna in Vanuatu. These new NPCs have been trained in their new roles and responsibilities. Activity 1.3 – Analysis and review of national education plans A comprehensive analysis of 14 national and four state education strategic plans was undertaken through an IOE consultancy as part of the Project’s focus on gathering relevant evidence of PRIDE work. In particular, these education plans were reviewed against PRIDE benchmarks to assess the extent of compliance in the 15 countries, as well as against the priority areas reflected in the Forum Basic Education Action Plan (FBEAP). The reports are available in the PRIDE office. This analysis, together with the detailed analysis carried out by the FBEAP Review Team of key priorities and challenges facing education in the 15 countries, provides a holistic view of country priorities, challenges and needs. Activity 1.4 – Enhancing planning methodology PRIDE provided funding support for a subregional capacity building workshop on the Pacific Education Data Management System in close collaboration with PREL, which funded the workshop consultant. The workshop was held from 10–14 November in Pohnpei with 30 participants from six countries/states in the Northern Pacific: Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Yap, Marshall Islands and Palau. 6 FORUM EYES ONLY The Project provided technical support in the use of M&E as a tool and policy development in three countries (Solomon Islands, PNG and Tuvalu). Although capacity-building and technical assistance were provided for in PRIDE’s 2008 Work Programme, countries did not ask for assistance in the development of their annual implementation plans. In the area of developing a user-friendly financial model to cost education strategic plans, we did not make much progress, as the general consensus from the countries seemed to be either that they had assistance in the costing of their plans or, in the larger countries, that they had the appropriate capacity. The Project did not make any progress with national or subregional capacity-building workshops in implementation plans or financial planning of education/costing of education strategic plans as per our 2008 Work Programme because countries did not ask for assistance. PRIDE began the preliminary work to ascertain if countries saw a need for the development of a regional, user-friendly, financial model to cost education strategic plans. From the responses received, it seemed that many countries either had the capacity or had assistance to do this, so PRIDE has shelved this activity. Activity 1.5 – Technical assistance and capacity-building for strategic plan development Regional Workshops and Publications The 9th PRIDE regional workshop was held from 8-13 September 2008 in Nadi, Fiji. The workshop was organized by PRIDE in collaboration with the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), SPC, UNICEF, UNESCO and PREL. The theme was Pacific Knowledge Societies: developing equitable access to quality resources and information literacy. The 5½-day workshop pushed the 32 regional participants to answer big questions and rethink current practice. Participants, through their country presentations, showed that there is much to be understood and shared to ensure that Pacific schools, students, teachers and school communities become knowledge societies. An exciting feature of the workshop was the the participants’ exposure to and hands-on experiences of the XO laptop, made available through ‘one laptop per child’ (http://laptop.org/). A tangible outcome of two previous PRIDE regional workshops, one held in late 2005 and the other in 2006, was the publication of two overdue books in the PRIDE Pacific Education Series (numbers 3 and 4). Pacific voices: teacher education on the move and The basics of learning: literacy and numeracy in the Pacific were launched on 19th March, 2008 by the Chargé-d’affaires, European Commission, Mr Robert de Raeve and the Acting New Zealand High Commissioner, Ms Caroline McDonald. In addition, a third publication (PRIDE Pacific Education Series No. 5) entitled Early childhood care and education in the Pacific was launched on 14th November by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, Professor Rajesh Chandra. The book is an outcome of the ECCE workshop held in Honiara, Solomon Islands in March 2007. It is written by workshop participants and resource people. Together with two earlier publications – a book on educational planning and a CD-Rom on the financing of education – the PRIDE Project now has five publications in the Pacific Education Series which are available on the PRIDE website: www.usp.ac.fj/pride. Two more books are in the pipeline for publication in early 2009 (Inclusive Education and TVET) with the expectation that they will be launched at the PRIDE showcase exhibition on ‘Sharing best practice in Pacific education’ on 24th March 2009 just before the Forum Ministers of Education meeting in March in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga. Course development and post-graduate supervision This is the third and final year that PRIDE is assisting the USP School of Education through a regional subproject that has included the writing of courses in three areas: educational planning, early childhood 7 FORUM EYES ONLY education (ECE) and inclusive education (IE). This year, the Project continued to assist the School of Education in the writing of five new courses: four in IE and one in ECE. The courses are: • ED 210 Education of individuals with behaviour disorders (IE) • ED 303 Health, safety and nutrition (ECE) • ED 305 Early intervention (IE) • ED 309 Educating individuals with intellectual differences (IE) • ED 323 Education individuals with physical, multiple and health impairments (IE). PRIDE continued to assist the School of Education with the supervision of a PhD student on a topic of relevance to the Project. National Strategic plan development All countries have made significant progress in developing and implementing strategic plans. With PRIDE assistance, all four states of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) now have state education strategic plans in place. Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Nauru completed the development of their new plans. Tokelau has commenced consultations on the three islands for their new strategic plan. Since the inception of PRIDE, it has provided support in the development or review of education strategic plans in 12 out of 15 countries, including the four states of FSM. The three exceptions are Niue, Tonga and Vanuatu, who obtained assistance through bilateral funding. Other assistance in national contexts Through PRIDE funding, two training attachments/study visits were completed during the year. This is in keeping with the principle of countries sharing and learning from each other. Tuvalu sent two senior staff members, the SEO (Assessment & Examinations) and the Principal of Motufoua Secondary School, on a week-long study tour in Tonga. The main purpose of the study tour was to understudy the Tongan education system, particularly the implementation of its national examinations and various external examinations: the Augmented Foundation Programme (AFP), the South Pacific Form Seven Certificate and the IGCSE at the senior secondary level, as well the policies guiding these practices. The two-member team also studied what Tonga’s Ministry of Education is doing to undertake the sector-wide approach. The two officers also went to Fiji and visited the SPBEA and the Fiji Ministry of Education to learn how they conduct national and regional assessment. As part of learning from the accomplishments and successes of the TVET programmes in Palau, three senior officers from Pohnpei visited Palau for a week in late September (only two were funded by PRIDE). Joseph Villazon, Pohnpei’s Director of Education; Reynold Albert, Chief of Curriculum and Instruction and PRIDE State Project Coordinator; and Catalino Damarlane, Administrator of the Workforce Development and Skills Training Programme and coordinator of the Alternative Secondary Education subproject, went on this study visit, as Pohnpei is embarking on TVET reform as a major subproject. The visit earned a spot in the Palau Horizon, one of three main newspapers in Palau. Two more study visits were approved but were shelved – these were the planned study tour by Solomon Islands to PNG to understudy their inspectorate system and Tonga to Cook Islands for IE and ECE. Technical assistance/country visits by PRIDE staff and participation at regional/international meetings/conferences Since January 2008, PRIDE staff have visited 12 countries and the four states of FSM to follow up on PRIDE activities and/or provide advice/technical assistance. Cook Islands was not visited by any of the PRIDE staff as they did not request any technical assistance. More than 15 visits were made with seven countries/states visited once, four visited twice and two visited three times for different purposes. Additionally Fiji, the host country, was visited more than three times. 8 FORUM EYES ONLY The PRIDE Team also participated in various regional and international for a, not only for PRIDE purposes but also as part of professional development. Result Area 2 – Implementation of strategic plans Activity 2.1 – Facilitate donor co-ordination and financing of strategic plans During the reporting period, the PRIDE team did not engage in this activity in any of the countries. This was due in large part to a recommendation in the 2006 Mid-Term Review of PRIDE that PRIDE should no longer carry out this activity. Activity 2.2 – Facilitate multi-stakeholder processes for plan implementation In line with the request by the Forum Ministers of Education for collaboration with other agencies on common interest regional workshops, the PRIDE team sought collaboration with three regional development partners in late 2007 and early 2008 on two possible workshop topics - school libraries/resource centres and ICT in education - but met with little success. The April meeting of the NPCs resolved that the focus of the 2008 regional workshop ought to be information literacy and ICT. PRIDE collaborated closely with PREL, SPC, UNESCO, UNICEF and PIFS, and the workshop was held Nadi, Fiji in September as reported earlier. It is pertinent to note that PRIDE also collaborated closely in 2007 with five organisations and the two host Ministries of Education o n two other regional workshops: ECCE in the Solomon Islands and inclusive education in Fiji. Activity 2.3 – Develop operating procedures for plan implementation The Project continued to refine its operating procedures for plan implementation, both in-house and collaboratively, with NPC/SPCs at its recent NPC workshop. The following revised timelines were finalised at the April 2008 NPC workshop to assist the Project staff and the countries to implement the Project in a timely fashion: Revised/new proposals: Friday 25 April 2008 Outstanding SP1/SP2 Friday 25 April 2008 Subproject Approval Committee Meeting(s) First week of May 2008 Decision on ‘reserve’ subprojects June 2008 Overdue 2007 Benchmark Report Friday 30th May 2008 Overdue Education Outcomes Report Monday 30th June 2008 2008 Benchmark Report Friday 9th January 2009 2008 Education Outcomes Report Friday 9th January 2009 A decision on ‘reserve’ subprojects was made in July, once the PRIDE team was clear about leftover funds in the subproject basket. At the S/NPC workshop, the following guidelines were developed to assist the PRIDE team in allocating any underutilised subproject funds. Countries need to have: • demonstrated that they have utilised most or all of their allotted country allocation • commenced the implementation of all approved subprojects • sent in all their SP1 and SP2 M&E reports • have no outstanding acquittals • have no subprojects on hold • shown themselves on schedule with their subproject implementation. Countries are also aware that progress made in the implementation of subprojects will be monitored closely by the PRIDE Team. Countries with a subproject that had not shown any progress by the end 9 FORUM EYES ONLY of June 2008 were asked to justify why the funds should not be retracted. Countries were urged to do something about ‘difficult’ subprojects and to also make sure that everything is in place so that new subprojects are implemented according to the proposed schedules as stated in subproject proposals. Activity 2.4 – Assist countries to implement education strategies using in-country subproject resources With FSM completing all their state education strategic plans, all four states have submitted subproject proposals to help implement their plans with PRIDE funds. The development and implementation of subprojects is a core feature of the Project, estimated to absorb up to 54% of the total budget. There has been a significant increase in the number of subprojects received in 2008, compared to the previous three years. In 2005, only 11 subprojects from nine countries were ratified at the PSC meeting. This increased slightly to 12 in 2006. However, in 2007, 31 subprojects were ratified during the PSC meeting. A further 61 subprojects were ratified at the PSC meeting in July. The final group of subprojects will be presented to the next PSC Meeting for ratification. With countries trying to meet the PRIDE deadline of 31st March 2008 for final subprojects submission, a record 78 new proposals were submitted by the end of April, bringing the total number of subprojects received to 150. The Subproject Approval Committee met three times in the first week of May to review 52 new proposals with a final meeting scheduled in late May to make a decision on the last 26 proposals. A summary of the status of subproject implementation is provided in Table 1. From the table, several points can be made. (a) All countries are now engaged in implementing their education strategic plans through a total of 140 viable subprojects. (b) 25% of subprojects have completed implementation, although PRIDE is still waiting for acquittal documentation for six recently completed subprojects. 54% of subprojects are ongoing or have recently commenced, while 21% will commence in the first quarter of 2009. (c) Of the 105 ongoing or yet to commence subprojects, 71% are ongoing while the commencement date for the other 29% was put off to the first quarter of 2009. (d) The delay in commencement of these new subprojects that were approved in May will have serious implications for their completion dates. (e) Five earlier approved subprojects were retracted by countries as circumstances had changed. The amounts were credited back to the country allotment or to the PRIDE pool. (f) With only 35 subprojects completed and 28 fully acquitted, the PRIDE team will have its hands full in closely monitoring and collecting reporting and acquittal documentation for the bulk of subprojects in 2009. The actual expenditure of the approved subprojects to date is F$ 9,825,818 which equals a spending rate of 82%, based on the adjusted budget amount of F$ 11,964,203. It is hoped that by September 2009 we will have expended the remaining 18%. Some projects have had a slow start as the Project faced some heavy delays in submitting funds to the countries due to the late arrival of the 2008 payments from both the EU and NZAID and the long approval process it is experiencing with overseas transfers by USP caused by the Reserve Bank of Fiji and FIRCA. 10 FORUM EYES ONLY Table 1: Summary of subproject implementation status by country at 31st December, 2008 Country Completed Current Retract- Total Comments ed Cook 6 13 19 All 13 subprojects have commenced implementation Islands and are targeted for completion before June 2009. FSM - 5 5 Due to difficulty in accessing in-country subproject Chuuk funds, Chuuk is yet to begin any of their five subprojects. FSM - 3 3 One subproject commenced implementation in Nov. Kosrae 2008, one in December and the third is expected to commence in March 2009. FSM - 2 2 Both subprojects have commenced implementation. Pohnpei FSM - 5 5 One subproject commenced implementation in Yap October 08. Two are scheduled to begin in January and two in March. The anticipated completion date is June. Fiji 1+1* 9 11 Implementation of all current subprojects has commenced. Kiribati 1 4 5 Two subprojects commenced implementation in Dec. 08 and two are ongoing. Marshall 3* 6 1 10 Of the six ‘current’ subprojects, five are being Islands implemented satisfactorily and one will start in February 09. A subproject will be retracted shortly due to the unavailability of a consultant. Nauru 2 4 6 Two current subprojects are being implemented satisfactorily, one will start in February 09 and one has had one of the activities temporarily suspended. Niue 2 7 9 Niue was geared to commence implementing all their subprojects but were delayed due to the late arrival of their funds in November 08. Palau 1 4 5 All four current subprojects have commenced implementation with expected completion date targeted for April 09. PNG - 8 2 10 Implementation of two subprojects is underway while the other six have been deferred to early 2009 because of the late arrival of funds. Samoa 8+1* 4 13 Four subprojects are ongoing. Solomon 1 8 1 10 Two subprojects are still ongoing while the other six Islands new ones have commenced implementation. Tokelau 1 3 4 Three ongoing subprojects are being implemented satisfactorily. Tonga 1* 11 12 Ten subprojects are ongoing; one was deferred and will commence in Jan. 09. Tuvalu 1 5 6 Three of the ‘current’ subprojects have commenced implementation while two will commence in early 2009. Vanuatu 3 3 1 7 Two subprojects commenced implementation in October and one is still ongoing. Regional 1+1* 1 3 One regional subproject is still ongoing. Total 35 105 5 145 There are 140 viable subprojects *The activities have been completed but PRIDE has yet to receive full acquittal documentation for these subprojects. 11 FORUM EYES ONLY Result Area 3 – Strengthened regional and national capacities Activity 3.1 – Establish and sustain the Resource Centre There have been some key achievements for the Resource Centre for the period January – December 2008. They include the ongoing development and improvement of the Pacific Archive of Digital Data for Learning and Education (PADDLE) and the digitisation of the Institute of Education’s journal Directions: Journal of Educational Studies. The journal became available online in December 2008: www.directions.usp.ac.fj. In addition, Libby Cass, the information specialist, provided technical assistance and training for school librarians in Nauru and RMI. She was also invited by UNESCO New Zealand to speak at the Pacific Information for All Programme – Pacific Committee, in Wellington. In May she spoke at the ‘Rethinking the RPEIPP’ symposium hosted by IOE, and she was also invited to speak at the Pacific History Association Conference held at USP, Suva. The Resource Centre continues to manage NOPE, an online knowledge sharing forum. Libby Cass was also the workshop coordinator for the 9th PRIDE regional workshop ‘Pacific Knowledge Societies: developing equitable access to quality resources and information literacy’, held on 8–13 September 2008, in Nadi, Fiji. She assisted USP’s School of Education lecturers and postgraduate students with promotion, training and advice. The Resource Centre conducted several group and training session for students and lecturers. This has raised the profile of the Centre and increased the use of our resources and collection. Activity 3.2 – Monitoring and evaluation systems at national and regional levels Much progress has been made in the development and implementation of the PRIDE M&E Handbook. After its ratification in November 2007 by the Project Steering Committee (PSC), compulsory compliance by the countries became a requirement for current and new subprojects from January 2008. The 2007 auditor’s report commented on poor follow-up by the PRIDE team on the acquittal of subprojects. This, together with the new focus on M&E, resulted in intensive activity on the collection of progress reports and acquittal records in the first quarter. To this effect, specific visits were made to PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu by the Project manager and Project accountant. While some countries have been active in completing their quarterly subproject progress and completion reports, other countries are having difficulty in submitting their reports on time. This has slowed down analyses of subproject implementation and their challenges and issues. Some countries have also taken a longer time to send back their reports on the PRIDE benchmarks and education outcomes. This has made it difficult for the team to compile regional reports. Impact evaluation of PRIDE-related activities The Review Report on FBEAP and associated regional processes provided some positive feedback on the impact of PRIDE activities in the 15 countries. While a more formal project evaluation, which is expected to also cover the impact of PRIDE activities, will take place at the end of the Project, the PRIDE Team has been proactive in developing an impact evaluation study which was trialed on a completed Fiji subproject. The methodology for the study included a desk study of appropriate documents, focus group discussions and individual interviews, and a questionnaire for relevant stakeholders in the subproject. The report on the trial is available at the PRIDE office. The instruments have been refined for the Fiji trial and it is anticipated that between three and five such impact assessment studies will be carried out in 2009 by the PRIDE team. In partnership with the Tongan MEWAC, the PRIDE team is working closely with countries to prepare for the 10th regional conference on ‘Sharing Best Practice in Pacific Education’ that will 12 FORUM EYES ONLY culminate in a showcase exhibition. Approximately 60 regional participants are expected, including PRIDE’s 18 S/NPCs. The audience for the exhibition includes members of and observers to the Forum Education Ministers of Education meeting (FEDMM). The exhibition will take place on the afternoon of 24th March in Nuku‘alofa, Tonga, prior to the opening of FEDMM, and will also be open to the Tongan public on 25th March. At the conference and the showcase exhibition, the countries and the PRIDE Project team will provide evidence of the impact of PRIDE activities at the national and regional level and will showcase a range of subprojects and their impact/benefits according to specific thematic areas. These include: educational planning, policy development, access, equity, quality, language and culture, school and community partnership. Activity 3.3 Strengthening IOE capacity Since the inception of the Project, there has always been the understanding that part of enhanced regional capacities would include the strengthening of IOE staff. During the reporting period, IOE staff were involved in two staff development sessions on educational planning by outgoing education advisor, Epeli Tokai, in the first quarter. The Project also utilised the expertise available in IOE through two consultancies in the first two quarters: one on developing an inventory on subproject implementation and the second on evaluating the NPC workshop held in Nadi in April. A third consultancy on reviewing 14 national and four state education strategic plans against the 11 PRIDE benchmarks commenced at the end of May. Dr Seu’ula Johansson Fua is a consultant for three subprojects in Nauru, Niue and Tonga. Dr Stan Manu was recruited as critical friend and workshop evaluator at PRIDE’s 9th regional workshop held in Nadi from 8–13 September. Additionally, the IOE editor, Frances Pene, was contracted to provide editorial support for two publications which have already been launched and two pending ones. PROJECT COORDINATION, MANAGEMENT, BUDGET Organisation structure, staffing Ten staff members make up the Project team – the Project director, the Project manager, two advisors, the information specialist, an accountant, an assistant accountant, a Resource Centre assistant, a Project assistant and a cleaner. A third education advisor will be recruited. A new Project team leader was appointed in January, education advisor Dr Priscilla Puamau. During 2008, she was responsible for the intellectual leadership of the Project and the professional leadership of the technical staff, as well as continuing in her role as education advisor. The Project Manager, John Stunnenberg, was responsible for the management/administration of the Project and provided leadership for the administrative staff. Education advisor, Epeli Tokai, resigned in February and was replaced by Sereana Tagivakatini on 1st July. The Resource Centre assistant was appointed on 1st September. The Project manager tendered his resignation from the Project on 24th December and took up a new position as the senior technical adviser to the RAO at PIFS. His position has been advertised and we expect a new appointment to be made soon. At the Project Monitoring Committee of 12 February 2009, the decision was made to change the title of team leader back to director. Education advisors and countries of responsibility In the first six months, John Stunnenberg looked after Epeli Tokai’s countries: Fiji, FSM (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap), Marshall Islands and Palau. Priscilla Puamau provide advice and support in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Tokelau and Vanuatu, while education advisor, Pala Wari, was responsible for PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. 13 FORUM EYES ONLY When Sereana Tagivakatini joined the Project as education advisor in early July, the team leader and two education advisors reallocated the countries in this manner: Pala Wari – Cook Islands, Palau, PNG, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Yap (FSM) Sereana Tagivakatini – Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Vanuatu Priscilla Puamau – FSM (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei), Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue. This arrangement will be revisited in 2009. Project Expenditure In 2008 the unaudited total expenses were recorded at F$ 6,297,626. That comes to a utilisation rate of 82% of the total 2008 budget with special mention of the subprojects rate of 93%. All other project expenses are well within their budgeted amounts and some are even far below it. This is a positive sign as some savings have been forecasted and are earmarked to be used for the 2009 Work Programme. The Meetings and Travel expenses are at the moment at 52% of what was budgeted for. This is due to a stringent approach to travel requests and through economies of scale. Project Management Secretariat 1. The Project management team continued to operate from its dedicated building on the USP Laucala Campus. The demolition of the building near the PRIDE building has caused some inconvenience. The team has been assured that it will be able to continue working from its current premises during the construction of the new ICT building in 2009 without too much inconvenience. 2. Regular meetings of the Project management team and education advisors were held throughout the year. A total of five staff meetings were held during the year (Jan, Feb, May, Oct. and Nov). There was no staff meeting during the third quarter due to the non-availability of the full team because of staff leave, travel and regional meetings/workshops. 3. The Project manager remains the established secretariat for both the Project Management Committee (PMC) and the PSC. The agenda and minutes for all PMC and PSC meetings are available at the PRIDE office. External relations 1. One meeting of the Project Steering Committee was held on 5th July 2008 back-to-back with the regional workshop on monitoring and evaluation at the Fijian Hotel, Coral Coast, Fiji. The 2007 Audit Report and Annual Reports were tabled, the Progress Report (Jan–Jun) was presented, 61 new subprojects were ratified and the 2009 Indicative Work Programme was endorsed at this meeting. 2. The PMC convened four times during the reporting period (February, June, October and February 2009). 3. The Project team leader, Project manager and Project supervisor managed external liaisons with stakeholders, donors and PIFS. 4. Regular monthly communiqués to Ministries/Departments of Education were prepared and sent out to the Heads of Education, NPCs and other key stakeholders. 5. The Communication Strategy Paper continued to be implemented: the PRIDE website [www.usp.ac.fj/pride] was maintained throughout the period as a dynamic and interactive portal to all Project activities and Issue 13 of the Project Newsletter, Pacific Pride, was published as scheduled in October. 14 FORUM EYES ONLY Annex 1: PRIDE Project: Budget and Interim Expenditure figures from January to 31 December 2008 The PRIDE Project 2008 EDF NZAID 2008 Utilisation YTD Budget rate TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 732,172 732,172 (0) 991,027 74% Long Term 624,713 62 4,713 (0) 770,863 81% Project Director - - - 120,000 0% Education Advisors 269,380 26 9,380 - 219,826 123% Support Staff: Project Manager, Finance Officer, 347,078 34 7,078 (0) 361,037 96% Librarian, Clerk/ Typist Recruitment Cost & Mobilisation cost 412 412 - 40,000 Resource Centre Assistant 7,843 7,843 - 30,000 Short Term 107,459 10 7,459 - 220,164 49% Workshop Consultants 2 ,305 2,305 - - Others 105,154 10 5,154 - 220,164 48% EQUIPMENT 43,228 43,228 - 103,080 42% Office equipment and supplies 18,150 18,150 - 36,380 50% Resource Center equipment and supplies 23,492 23,492 - 35,000 67% Office Furniture, fitting and refurbishment 1,586 1,586 - 27,500 6% Conference Center equipment and supplies - - - 4,200 0% MEETINGS & TRAVEL 500,388 (0) 500,388 966,815 52% Workshops 308,877 0 308,877 445,000 69% On site training/support - - - 87,325 0% Attachments 23,095 - 23,095 77,600 30% Conferences 14,617 - 14,617 20,000 73% Project Meetings 6,201 (0) 6,201 60,550 10% Offical Travel (Staff) 147,598 (0) 147,598 276,340 53% OPERATING COSTS 82,062 82,062 (0) 290,000 28% Administration - - - 30,000 0% Consumables 26,721 26,721 (0) 55,000 49% Utilities ( 22) (22) - 40,000 0% Resource Center 44,086 44,086 - 135,000 33% Financial Audit ( 1,614) ( 1,614) - 30,000 Publications 12,891 12,891 - - IN COUNTRY SUB-PROJECTS 4,850,739 4,667,477 183,263 5, 216,808 93% Initial Setup Costs 4 ,001 - 4,001 30,000 13% Projects 4, 846,739 4,66 7,477 179,262 5, 186,808 93% SUB-TOTAL 6,208,590 5,524,939 683,651 7, 567,730 82% Contingency (5% ) In Direct Costs (3% of Direct), EDF only 89,037 65,437 23,600 103,014 86% DIRECT PROJECT COSTS 6,297,627 5,590,376 707,251 7, 670,744 82% 2007 Audit Report Hard copies will be available at the Forum Education Ministers Meeting on request. 15
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