Published by

UNICEF Area Office for Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan 15 Republic Square,

Almaty, 480013 Kazakhstan

U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty 67 Tole Bi Street, 4* Floor, Almaty, 480091 Kazakhstan

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

ADB: Asian Development Bank AIR: Apparent Intake Rates CA: Central Asia CARK: Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan CRC: Convention on the Rights of the Child DFU: Dakar Follow Up ECD: Early Childhood Development E C C E : Early Childhood Care and Education EFA: Education For All EMIS: Education Management Information System EWS: Early Warning Systems G M C : Global M o v e m e n t for Children IT: Information Technology MLA: Monitoring of Learning Achievement M o E : Ministry of Education M o E S : Ministry of Education and Science N F E : Non-Formal Education NGO: Non-Governmental Organization NPPT: National Programme for Personnel Training SPPD: Special Support for Project and Programme Development SRF: Sub-Regional Forum

U P E : Universal Primary Education

CONTENTS

List of abbreviations Ill

I. Introduction 1 1. B a c k g r o u n d situation 1 2. Objectives of the C A R K Education Forum 2 3 . Expected outcomes 2

II. Perspectives of U N agencies a n d civil society 4 1. UNICEF 4 2. UNESCO 7 3 . Civil society 11

III. C o u n t r y situations o n E F A progress 1 2 1. Kazakhstan 1 2 2 . Kyrgyzstan 1 4 3 . Tajikistan 16 4 . Uzbekistan 1 7

IV. Media Roundtable 20

V . Establishment of Central Asian Education Forum 21 1. Composition of C A R K Education Forum 21 2 . Steering committee meetings 2 1 3. Resolution 24 4. Conclusions 24

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Appendices 27

Appendix 1: Agenda 28

Appendix 2: List of participants 30

Appendix 3: Evaluation Form 39

Appendix 4 : Presentations 43

Appendix 4.1: "UNICEF's Role in Education in Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan".... 43 by M r . S. Strachan, U N I C E F C A R K

Appendix 4.2: " U N E S C O perspectives in education in Asia-Pacific region and mechanism ... 45 to review and improve E F A action plans" by M r . A . Hakeem, U N E S C O Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok

Appendix 4.3: "Perspectives on Education Reform-country and sub-regional issues" 49 by M r . J. Sequeira, U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty

Appendix 4.4: "Appraisal of E F A development and progress on completion of E F A plan" 52 by M r . N . Bekrurganov, Ministry of Education and Science, Kazakhstan

Appendix 4.5: "Appraisal of E F A development and progress on completion of E F A plan" ... 58 by M s . G . Alimova, Republican Education Centre, Uzbekistan

Appendix 4.6: "Role of mass media and communication for the promotion of E F A and 62 education reforms and partnerships" by M s . A . Muller, U N E S C O H Q s

Appendix 4.7: "Appraisal of E F A development and progress on completion of E F A plan" ... 65 by M r . K . Satkeev, Ministry of Education and Culture, Kyrgyzstan

Appendix 4.8: "Appraisal of E F A development and progress on completion of E F A plan" ... 67 by M r . A . Rashidov, Ministry of Education, Tajikistan

Appendix 4.9: "Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan Education Forum - Concepts, 76 Objectives and Working Mechanisms" by M s . N . Ulkuer, U N I C E F C A R K

Appendix 4.10: "Introduction to Education Forum Working Mechanism" 76 by M s . Y . Tokuda, U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty

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I. Introduction

1. Background situation

The Central Asian Education Forum is based on the example of the Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan Mother and Child Health Forum ( C A R K M C H Forum) that was initiated jointly with the C A R K countries and U N I C E F in 1997. Since then every country has hosted the Forum at least once. Through the years the Forum has provided a valuable opportunity for the policy makers, technical experts and implementers to identify the priority issues in the area of mother-child health. Through technical working groups they were able to elaborate the roots of the problems and search for practical solutions. The working groups, such as "Maternal and neo-natal care", "Micro-nutrient Deficiency" and "Breast feeding", have developed strategies and recommended solutions that are relevant to the context. The M C H Forum has enabled its member countries to produce and share information, and develop the skills of health personnel in order to improve the health of mothers and children. The C A R K Education Forum aspires to the success of the M C H Forum.

The C A R K Education Forum is also a follow up to the World Education Forum that was held in Dakar, in April 2000. The World Education Forum, reviewing the achievements as well as the unmet E F A goals of Jomtien in 1990, expressed a collective commitment to ensure that the right to a basic education of good quality is fully achieved by 2015. All countries of the world adhered to a universal E F A Declaration articulated around six major goals to be implemented by 2015. The six goals are as follows:

1. Expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children

2. Ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult circumstances and - those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to, and are able to complete, free and compulsory

primary education of good quality 3. Ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through equitable access

to appropriate learning and life skills programmes 4 . Achieving a 50 % improvement in levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for w o m e n , and

equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults 5. Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender

equality in education by 2015, with a focus on to and achievement in basic education of good quality

6. Improving every aspect of the quality of education, and ensuring excellence so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills

The C A R K Education Forum can help its m e m b e r countries to achieve these educational goals by building partnerships and developing a c o m m o n understanding of what is needed. This was already apparent during the country discussions of the first day. A m o n g the C A R K countries several c o m m o n problems were identified and solutions offered.

While national education systems have evolved in ways that broadly reflect the evolution of the five countries in Central Asia, they have also shared a c o m m o n starting point, and the difficulty for many Governments to maintain their education systems through a period of extreme fiscal pressure has also been evident in each of the countries. Against this background, there are limited opportunities for education policy makers to share their experiences of the last decade, and the challenges with which they are currently dealing. It was therefore decided to establish the Education Forum in order to draw policy makers together to review experiences of education reform, and to consider policy options relevant to current agendas.

The inaugural meeting for the Central Asian Education Forum took place on 17th and 18th January 2002 in the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Almaty, Kazakhstan. It was attended by more than 100 participants, including senior government officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan,

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representatives from international and national N G O s , the U N and other donor agencies, and from the embassies in Kazakhstan. Delegates from Turkmenistan were officially invited; unfortunately, however, they were absent from the Forum and did not submit any documents regarding their country situation on E F A progress.

2 . Objectives of the C A R K Education F o r u m

First of all, the Forum convened a meeting of senior officials of the Ministries of Education of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, to discuss a broad agenda of issues current to the education debate in these countries.

The primary objectives of the Forum were as follows: > To ensure continuous and systematic follow-up to the Global Education Forum in Dakar and

appraise current progress on the completion of national E F A action plans in the five Republics > To appraise current education reform processes in the five Republics, to develop partnerships

with international agencies and N G O s , and to foster inter-country collaboration and exchanges for a successful completion of the E F A campaign by the year 2015

> To ensure a broad understanding, of and commitment to, children's rights and quality basic education within the context of the Global Movement for Children ( G M C ) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child ( C R C ) Within these general objectives, the C A R K Education Forum aimed to achieve the following

specific objectives: • Networking and coordination among the m e m b e r countries • Promoting partnership and technical cooperation • Providing advice and guidance to countries on organizing E F A activities • Setting area-wide targets and establishing monitoring mechanisms • Sharing good practices from successful innovations • Starting a policy dialogue, advocacy and resource mobilization

3 . Expected outcomes

The C A R K Education Forum is an important milestone in the process of ensuring a child's right to quality basic education. The ultimate goal for the Education Forum, as in line with the six agreed E F A goals, is to achieve quality basic Education for All in the Central Asian countries.

It was anticipated that the Forum would provide a platform for high-level decision-makers to review and monitor activities that promote universal quality basic education. A further expectation was the provision of an excellent opportunity for professionals and practitioners to share their thoughts, experiences and results of their scientific work in achieving E F A goals. Through its technical working groups, it was hoped that the Forum would highlight the root causes of educational problems and recommend solutions.

More specifically, the five Republics in Central Asia were scheduled to complete and deliver their national E F A plans in 2002, with these expected outcomes:

> Establishment of national E F A coalitions, in the spirit of the Framework for Action that was adopted at Dakar

> Production of national E F A plans with measurable impact, quantifiable targets and linkages with current education reform processes

> Awareness and ownership of E F A by stakeholders and civil society, and the inclusion of E F A in the national political agenda through advocacy and broad participation

> Establishment of a nationally owned and managed E F A monitoring and evaluation system

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if

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II. Perspectives of U N agencies a n d civil society

1. UNICEF

A . Trends in child well-being in (CEE/CIS Baltic) C A R K

The collapse of the Soviet Union was one of the major events of the last decade, which not only changed the maps but also the social and economic living conditions in the newly emerging independent states. This change has mainly affected income level, as well as the health and education status of the people, primarily affecting children. The number of children left in public care has increased. This happened during the period in which the number of children aged 0-4 fell to around 36% (13 million) in the whole C E E / C I S Baltic Region. In 1989 there were 36 million children aged 0-4, and this number decreased to 23 million in 1999. More children were born outside of marriage during the period: 10% in 1989 and 23 % in 1999.

G D P in Central Asia decreased drastically during the first five years, then leveled out. It fell to 60%, and was still only 65% at the beginning of the new millennium.

Changes in G D P (1989 = 100)

Central Europe

South-East Europe

Former Yugoslavia

Baltic States

Central Asia

Western CIS

Caucasus

Within the C A R K area, income inequality varies from country to country. Income inequality widened during the decade, and the Central Asian countries n o w experience one of the most drastic gaps between rich and poor.

Income Inequality

Central Europe

South-East Europe

Baltics

Western CIS

Caucasus

Central Asia

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4

Gini Index

0.5 0.6

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A s a result, the Central Asian Countries ended the last millennium with around 20 million children pitched into poverty.

Child poverty, end of 1990s (millions)

living on under living on under $2.15 a day $4.30 a day

Central Europe Former Yugoslavia South-East Europe Baltic states Western CIS Caucasus Central Asia

Total

0.3 0.5 0.9 0.1 9.2 1.8 5.0

17.8

4.0 2.4 5.7 0.7

26.8 4.3 13.7

57.7

This had an immediate impact on education. Pre-school enrolment dropped drastically to about 15% in Central Asia1.

Kindergarten enrolment

80

70

60

50

% 4 0

30

20

10

0

Central Europe Former Yugoslavia South-East Europe Baltic States Western CIS Caucasus

••••- Central Asia

0 > C ^ O > Q ) Q ) P ) Q ) 0 ) O i O > < í i

Upper secondary school enrolment fell to under 50% in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, 65% in Kazakhstan, and barely 75% in Kyrgyzstan. The results are based on official school registrations. A recent study in Kyrgyzstan, however, revealed that the non-attendance rate was three times higher than official school records. Tajikistan, with U N I C E F and U N E S C O , is currently undertaking a study of school non-attendance.

140

120

o 100

g 80

60 a. a o o> 05

°2 40

20

0

Poland Slovenia • *

Croatia

. ÄJbäriiä ' Slovakia

- »Huni lary Czech Republic

R o m a n i a . » B l : ' a ™ • E s ' ° n i a

Kyrgyzstan , Bulgaria

Kazakhstan» • »Lithuania •

Turkmenistan» Armenia* *Russia L a t v i a

• Azerbaijan

» Ukraine

• *

Moldova Georgia

Tajikistan *

0 50 100 150

1999 upper secondary enrolment rates (1989=100)

1 Pre-school enrolment rate w a s lowest in Central Asia even during the period of the Soviet Union (40%)

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Education systems with their physical infrastructures, educational materials, irrelevant curriculums, 'conventionally' trained teachers and low salaries, m a y fail to achieve E F A goals if the countries fail to identify their needs and take immediate action. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the C A R K countries have embarked on national education reforms to address education problems, and to re-establish their education systems so that the new generation will be better prepared for life in a rapidly changing society.

B . Global, regional and area perspectives in education:

The problems are universal. End Decade Reviews revealed that the goals for the well-being of children in the 1990s are yet to be achieved. Accordingly, a series of global events addressing the issues took place at the beginning of the n e w millennium. These events identified major issues related to Education for All.

The World Education Forum in Dakar re-visited the E F A goals of Jomtien, which the participating countries had set and endorsed. Global and regional Reviews of E F A have revealed that the goals are yet to be achieved. The number of out-of-school children has increased, illiteracy (especially female) and gender discrepancy have persisted. The participating countries renewed their commitments to E F A and agreed to prepare a National Plan of Action to achieve the six major goals set by the Forum.

The Global Movement for Children, referring to the unmet promises for children that the heads of state m a d e in 1990, called for a partnership in which countries undertake the necessary measures to ensure the child's right to survive, to grow and to develop in a protective h o m e and society. The G M C aims to mobilize civil societies and ensure the full participation of young people to create a world fit for children. The G M C outlined three major expected outcomes, which fully overlap with the six major goals of E F A . These are:

• Early childhood development • Basic education • Adolescent participation and development.

Global A g e n d a - 3 O u t c o m e Areas

The G M C set the following education goals, which will contribute to the creation of a world fit for children:

• Expand and improve early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable

• B y 2010, decrease the number of children out of school by 50% and ensure at least 90% enrolment • B y 2005, eliminate gender disparities and achieve full gender equality by 2015 • 50% improvement in adult literacy • Meet the learning needs in child friendly environments • Meet the learning needs of adolescents (especially life skills)

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A region fît for children - action throughout childhood Regional Meetings for E F A in Warsaw, and for G M C in Bucharest, Budapest, Berlin and Stockholm,

have provided a platform for countries to review global perspectives and devise action plans to create a region fit for children. The C A R K countries, with their official representatives, experts, politicians, N G O s and young people, have fully participated in these meetings.

The Life Cycle Approach to addressing the problems was adopted. The meetings have addressed the complexity and interdependence of the issues that emerged at the different levels of society and at each stage of development:

• Infancy and early childhood • School-age children • Adolescence The U N I C E F C A R K Office has played a crucial role in mobilizing civil societies and their

governments, thereby ensuring their active participation in these global and regional events.

Role of U N I C E F C A R K in Education for All Although the Central Asian countries' social and economic developments moved in different directions

after independence, they still have similar institutional structures and a c o m m o n language for communication. They are in the process of setting new developmental and political goals that can be different in each country. However, they have formally adopted the goals set during the E F A and G M C global events. Hence, while the countries develop their o w n national policies and plans of action for improving the quality of life of their people, they will implement not only the national goals, objectives and indicators, but will also take into consideration the global goals they agreed upon, which is easier to say than to put into practice. It requires intensive work with specialists, teachers, policy makers, N G O s and field implementers, to elaborate every component of quality E C D and basic education. Governments should provide support in terms of the allocation of funds and human resources. Research and training institutes must produce information and help to improve the capacity of the staff w h o field implement the programmes in the field. International organisations should revise their programmes of Cupertino and provide technical assistance to those countries working to implement these important reforms.

U N I C E F , mandated by the U N to advocate for C R C and as a leading organisation for G M C , as well as a co-supporter of E F A , can play a dual role in the C A R K area:

a) U N I C E F C A R K could assist countries to learn about new approaches in producing and sharing information among the countries in the Area. The Education Forum, with its thematic working groups, could facilitate this process. The U N I C E F C A R K Office can ensure networking among the countries as well as with the international research and training institutions, to help produce information and build capacity in achieving E C D and E F A goals.

b) U N I C E F C A R K , through its country offices, can continue to assist countries in further elaborating the concepts and processes of E C D and of Child Friendly Learning Environments. Efforts should be focused on designing action plans for the initial phases, and advocating policy development for national coverage of E C D and E F A . Current Master Plans of Operations, with their specific projects of Early Childhood Growth and Development and Learning Enrichment, will be the instruments for this process. Based on the results of the Forum, and M T R this year, these projects may be revised and adjusted to meet more fully the specific needs of the countries.

2. UNESCO

A . Vision and strategies for achieving E F A goals by 2015 : an Asia-Pacific regional perspective The World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal in April 2000, culminated in the adoption of the

Dakar Framework for Action, which embodies a revitalized collective commitment to achieve Education for All (EFA) by 2015. The emphasis of the Dakar Framework is unequivocally upon the need for well-directed, determined action to ensure the fulfilment in practice of the commitments made, not only in

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Dakar, but also in a series of international meetings in the 1990s, as well as through the World Declaration on Education for All in Jomtien, 1990. The time has come for promises to be kept and for commitments to be fulfilled as far as the right to education is concerned. The Dakar Framework is a call to action.

In the Asia-Pacific region, each sub-region has some specific issues that must be addressed in order to achieve E F A goals:

• A persistent gender gap in the large countries of South Asia • Need to address the problems of young people in the particular circumstances of the Pacific States • Need to sustain E F A gains in the economic crisis situations in East and South-East Asia • Need for educational management reforms in the changing economies of the Trans- Caucasus

and Central Asia There are some c o m m o n characteristics and issues raised by observation of the Asia-Pacific situation: • E C C E has not been extensively developed, with the exception of a few countries, and the situation

is more serious in rural areas • Preoccupation is with formal schooling; non-formal routes to education are neglected • Participation rates have increased in nearly all countries, along with an increase of age appropriate

enrolment • Improving the quality of education is important and urgent • Disparity in favour of males was reduced in East and South-East Asia, but not in West and South

Asia. A closer look at the problem revealed that the problem is most acute in the remote areas and rural provinces of some countries

• While repetition and survival rates show improvement, many countries have introduced automatic grade promotion policies

• Not all targets were pursued with the same vigour; adult literacy and non-formal education ( N F E ) were not accorded sufficient priority

• There has been remarkable progress in adult literacy in a few countries, including China, but only modest progress in some others

• In m a n y countries there was poor funding of N F E programmes and a lack of related data. However, the number of N F E providers has been increasing and there is a diversity of N F E client groups

• N F E and basic skills programmes are generally not linked to the formal sector The Dakar Framework for Action called for a broad national partnership between government and civil

society. Creating such a partnership may be a new experience for those inside as well as outside government. O n e of the most critical actions is to develop productive intra-governmental working relationships that forge links with partners outside government, such as N G O s and communities, and to mobilize country-based partnerships around E F A . Recent key achievements of N G O s , and challenges for them, are as follows:

K e y achievements • Giving a more inclusive meaning to the word 'all' in E F A • Encouraging development of methodologies that seek to empower communities to be more

assertive and independent • Providing integrated approaches to learning and development by creating links with other

development sectors (income-generating activities, health, agriculture etc. Challenges n o w • Strengthening collaboration with governments • Forging solidarity and sustainable partnerships with other civil society organizations • Strengthening monitoring and evaluation • Collaborating with governments to create synergy between formal and non-formal education With regard to the partnership between governments, international organizations, N G O s and civil society,

the Sub-Regional Forum (SRF) is a mechanism to respond to the requirements of the Dakar Framework of Action. The S R F is supporting the establishment and operation of National E F A Forums and capacity building for the implementation of national E F A plans. So far, there are three SRFs in the Asia-Pacific region and the C A R K Education Forum is the fourth. The major challenge for the C A R K Education Forum is h o w to play a role in creating a greater sense of commitment among its members to achieve E F A goals.

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B . Perspectives on education reform: country and sub-regional issues in Central Asia Central Asia has a total population of over 52 million. All countries have either low or negative

population growth due to low birth rates and relatively high emigration rates. Social and economics upheavals have caused social indicators to decline.

1. Country issues • Kazakhstan. The hazardous situation in the field of education led to the introduction of the

Education L a w in June 1999, and a state education programme for the years 2000-2005 was prepared. Positive developments in pre-school enrolment were witnessed in 2000.

• Kyrgyzstan. The Education L a w , enacted in 1996, called for "equal access for all citizens and free education in state institutions". Public expenditure in education has not decreased. However, pre-school enrolment reduced to around 8% in 2000. There has been emphasis on democratization and the participation of civil society in education has emerged.

• Tajikistan. Immediately after independence, as a consequence of civil war, education standards deteriorated rapidly, and many people emigrated. State expenditure on education remains the lowest among the five Republics. Pre-school enrolment and participation have seriously declined. The education programme for 2000 calls for the democratization of education.

• Turkmenistan. Unfortunately, there was no official information submitted about the country situation regarding E F A progress; Turkmenistan did not submit an E F A 2000 assessment report or any official documents regarding D F U .

• Uzbekistan. In terms of E F A , the National P r o g a m m e for Personnel Training ( N P P T ) was implemented in 1997. Emphasis is placed on the re-training of teachers (in-service teacher training). State expenditure on education is the highest among the five Republics at over 8%. However, pre-school enrolment remains a serious concern. The government has m a d e great efforts to safeguard and maintain gains from the pre-independence period.

2 . Sub-regional issues 2.1. Early childhood care and education ( E C C E )

The enrolment rates have declined (around 10.1% in 2000) and there is a disparity in participation levels both between countries, and between urban and rural areas. During the past 10 years, gender disparity favouring male children in E C C E participation has emerged. Decline in E C C E participation affected the ratio of n e w entrants to primary education with pre-school exposure and the level of internal efficiency in the primary stage. In order to stabilize and expand E C C E , the following are required:

• Urgent policy measures to mitigate the negative impact of economic transition • Definition of roles: state, communities and private sector • Relationship between family, community and the pre-school system • Development of reliable baseline information • Integrated approach in the programming and implementation of activities by institutions working

with children's issues, by ministries or international partners 2.2. Education management and decentralization of education

A s stated in section A , education management is one of the most serious problems in Central Asia. The following are crucial to the improvement of education management and to implementing the decentralization of education:

• Delegation of authority to local levels, such as oblasts and raiyons • Appraisal and development of the regulatory role of M o E S • Participatory approaches involving civil society (communities, parents, parent-teacher

associations, and teachers) • Establishment and consolidation of m a n a g e m e n t information systems; indicators for

benchmarking, quality assurance, monitoring and decision-making • Re-allocation of resources to improving quality without undermining quantitative past

achievements • Transparency and accountability of finance management

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2.3 Access to and participation in primary education Central Asian countries had achieved Universal Primary Education ( U P E ) before the World

Declaration on Education for All in Jomtien and the World Education Forum in Dakar, as reflected in the apparent intake rates (AIR) and gross enrolment rates. Participation levels in primary education and the degree of under- and over-age enrolment have been relatively stable with some variations in intake and participation. Both intake and enrolment rates were high with little indication of gender disparity during the decade, and country data show modest improvements in participation level. Poverty at h o m e and an unsupportive school environment are the main reasons for non-attendance. The decline in G D P as a whole and prolonged financial distress resulted in a drastic reduction in budget allocations for education, although families and communities still value education highly. The gap between the size of the teaching workforce and the number of enrolments in primary education, which narrowed between 1992 and 1996, started to widen again after 1998. While expenditure on primary education declined, survival rates and coefficients of efficiency actually improved.

In order to expand universal access to basic learning opportunities and skills, children in rural and remote areas and children with special needs should receive more attention. It is also important to provide education services for the poorest sections of society and to ensure a balanced provision of education services, which include issues related to the mother tongue as a med ium of instruction. 2.4 Learning achievement

It is difficult to assess changes in learning outcomes over the 10-year period unless instruments, sample selection and scoring methodology are comparable. There is no comprehensive, reliable evidence concerning changes in learning achievements. S o m e countries have undertaken studies in this area, although there is no national 'culture' of monitoring. Recently, there has been recognition of the need to measure quality in the context of economies in transition; and modern and innovative teacher training programmes, upgrading and qualifications have increased.

2.5 Vocational education and N F E Central Asia is characterized by networks of vocational colleges for the training of trade and sub-

professional personnel. However, the number of these institutions has steadily declined. Vocational training programmes aim at building commercial skills or providing information on healthy lifestyles. Recently, programmes for marginalized groups to develop their life skills have been implemented in all the countries.

N F E programmes are often implemented by community organizations with limited or zero funding from the governments. It is difficult to present a comprehensive account. D e m a n d for N F E has increased in a wide variety of areas and for diverse client groups. In fact, access to education services for marginalized groups, such as minorities, refugees, internally displaced people, girls and w o m e n has increased. Special attention should be focused on preventive education programmes in HIV/AIDS/STIs , substance abuse and healthy lifestyles.

C . Challenges ahead The C A R K Forum countries share a number of c o m m o n characteristics. In order to share the same

education aspirations and to address several c o m m o n challenges, suggestions to keep in mind are as follows: • Formulation and implementation of educational reform policy and strategies • Improved management and financing mechanisms • Decentralization of decision-making and management • Adequate budget provision to ensure access to education for all school-age children • Increased private sector investment in education at all levels through incentive schemes • Increased access to quality E C C E and primary education • Expansion of pre-school facilities and programmes • Integration of children with special needs into general education establishments • N e w standards for education plans, curricula and textbooks • N e w norms for class size, teachers' working conditions and workload • In-service teacher training programmes for education personnel including education managers

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• Restructuring and re-orientating of vocational institutions and programmes • Expansion of vocational education institution network • Establishment of independent commissions to measure pupils' learning outcomes • Increased use of media for educational purposes • Continued development of E M I S using modern IT • Active participation of family, parents, communities, and N G O s in the education process at all

levels

3 . Civil society During the panel discussion, four N G O s were brought together to discuss their approaches and

initiatives in education. The main theme that arose during the discussion was the need for clear and solid partnerships. There was a consensus that meeting all goals would not be feasible without a clear and concise plan that coordinated all stakeholders: governments, international agencies and N G O s . The leading role should be taken by the state, followed closely by a number of well-positioned organizations, including international partners, donor agencies and N G O s . In this way, real coordination would be developed.

A government should view education as a tool for developing comprehensive policies and furthering its country's goals. T o include education for all as an action plan for non-governmental organizations, a government must have clear-cut policies in forming partnerships. This contributes to clearer vision, facilitates problem solving, and provides a stronger base for advocacy. Cooperation leads to innovation, n e w approaches, and strong partnerships to meet the needs of children, and helps to realize the goal of education for all.

Attention was given to key initiatives from the N G O s , which demonstrate their innovative approach to education, and the importance of keeping partnerships alive and active. For example, Save the Children U . K . in Kyrgyzstan introduced a project for 98 sustainable rural kindergartens. The project concentrates on community development, capacity building of teachers, quality control, and a child-focused approach. Save the Children U . K . is also working on sustainability through financial stability, by examining income generation, identifying donors, etc. The kindergartens ideally act as a resource for home-based learning. The project offers a financially viable alternative.

The Soros Foundation is supporting the long-term pilot project of a 12-year school curriculum for Kazakhstan, and developing curriculum reform, with the theme of long-term visions, solid partnerships and the creation of child-friendly environments.

These initiatives stress the validity of the role that N G O s can play in meeting mutual goals and furthering education reform.

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III. Country situations on E F A progress

1. Kazakhstan For Kazakhstan, progressive policy in the field of education is a priority objective. The participation

by Kazakhstan in the world movement 'Education for All' (EFA), has enabled the state to achieve two main objectives:

1) To conduct an assessment of the achievements and difficulties of E F A for the 10 years following the agreement of global objectives for education for all in Jomtien, Thailand, 1990

2) To define strategy objectives and actions which would enable the improvement of the quality of our education within the next five years and provide access to pre-school, out-of-school, primary, professional and undergraduate education.

For the past decade in Kazakhstan, guided by the decision of the Forum, a great deal of work was conducted at all levels of the education system. Kazakhstan implemented the following programmes, in line with E F A goals and strategies:

• In M a y 2000, the U N E S C O Cluster Office Almaty and the Soros Foundation in Kazakhstan implemented a pilot project 'Quality of primary education: process of monitoring and improvement'. The project's goal was to develop a mechanism of long-term monitoring aimed at improving the system of control and assessment of the knowledge, skills and abilities of pupils, the professional level of teachers, and the quality of educational programmes and textbooks.

• The pre-school education system has made significant positive changes. In 2001, the number of pre-school institutions grew and the contingent of pupils in pre-school institutions increased to 1,462,000 children. Most pre-school institutions have been reconstructed in the oblasts of West Kazakhstan (8 kindergartens), Kyzyl-Orda (8 kindergartens), and North Kazakhstan (5 kindergartens).

• In the Republic of Kazakhstan 8,068 secondary schools offer language teaching. This does not include special correctional institutions for children with limited opportunities of development. O f these schools, 3,648 (45.2%) offer Kazakh, 2,321 (28.8%) offer Russian, 1,999 (24.8%) offer both Russian and Kazakh, 82 (1%) offer Uzbek, 14 (0.2%) offer Uigur, 3 (0.03%) offer Tajik, and 1 (0.01%) offers Ukrainian.

Dynamics of the growth of secondary schools with various languages of instruction,

1 - Kazakh, 2 - Russian, 3 - Mixed languages

1999

2321

3648

• Kazakh

• Russian

• Mixed

D

12

•

The Kazakh, Russian and Uigur languages have been introduced into secondary school textbooks and pedagogic packages for primary school and fifth grade. This year, textbooks for the first grade have been re-written and supplemented with comments and suggestions from teacher-practitioners, scientists and parents. They are ready for reissue. The textbooks for grades six to nine have been used in trials in 77 schools.

The 'Internet for schools' programme has been developed through interagency cooperation. At present, 857 schools (including 300 village schools) are enjoying Internet services. The Internet is acknowledged to be a huge information resource. That is w h y the Ministry of Education is currently working on defining the contents of the Internet, which are appropriate for children, by selecting specific scientific-cognitive and educational programmes. Working with specialists from Kazakhtelecom, a project was developed to facilitate access to the Internet for village schools. In view of the level of computerization and informatics achieved in Kazakhstan, U N E S C O assisted with implementation of a pilot project to organise distance teaching for village schools in six oblasts.

A n important step has been taken in the operative management of education. The education management information system (EMIS) has been implemented. The first stage has been completed of connection between the corporate telecommunication network and oblast education managers. A s a result, Kazakhstan is able to receive and send information by eight sub-systems. The second stage, connection to the system of raiyon (urban) education departments, is on the verge of completion.

Fruitful co-operation has taken place with non-governmental organisations such as the Soros 'Step B y Step' education centres; the Centre for Effective Schools, the Association of Initiative Schools, and the 'Youth Achievement Fund ' . The Republican S A T R Centre and the Akbota League also m a k e significant contributions to the development of children with special needs.

The independence of Kazakhstan, and its sudden prominence on the international stage, persistently demand the expansion of international policy in education, and the establishment of direct contacts with representatives of government and non-governmental organizations which are engaged in the issues of education.

Future plans to meet E F A goals, and future areas of co-operation for the Republic of Kazakhstan are as follows:

• Definition of approaches and methods of implementing 12-year education in the schools of Kazakhstan.

• Expansion of the network of secondary schools, and the opening of schools for children with health deficiencies.

• Strengthening of the material-technical base of pre-school institutions with modern equipment.

• Monitoring the fulfilment of the commitments accepted in Dakar, which will require assistance from the U N E S C O Institute of Statistics, with the purpose of creating a national system of statistics for education, adapted to the international system.

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2. Kyrgyzstan

E F A activities in Kyrgyzstan are developed around a survey conducted over the decade. Education programmes have been focused on H u m a n Capital for the 21st century and access to quality education has been improved. In the area of basic education, there have been m a n y accomplishments. A s Dakar Follow-Up ( D F U ) , some actions have been taken since the Dakar Forum in 2000. The national E F A working group was established in 2001, and strategies to meet the goals of the Dakar Forum, identified and linked to the new education reform concept document to the year 2010, were discussed in the group's meetings.

The major priorities of education reform are to expand basic education, to increase access to education, especially in rural schools, and to achieve the six E F A goals. More specifically, education reform and implementation of the national E F A plan require focus on the following strategic areas:

> Policy development in basic education > Introduction of new subjects, such as life skills and foreign languages > Elimination of gender disparity > Increased efficiency of quality education > Increased enrolment rate of E C D , which has declined in the last ten years > Review of quality of education (especially in rural schools) > Improved quality control of education > Mobilizing market resources and supporting school initiatives > Modernization of the education management system (EMIS) > Improvement of school management > Improvement of the status of teachers > Textbook development for the new generation > Non-formal education (NFE) for young people and adults w h o are unable to access formal

education In order to expand E C D programmes, the number of pre-schools should be increased; it is possible

to renovate pre-school centres in the existing pre-school institutions in addition to opening new pre­school groups. Alternative forms of E C D (e.g. Mother schools) will also be developed and the standards of E C D will be re-examined for the new generation. The development of teacher training materials for E C D is also under review.

Several on-going projects have been implemented in cooperation with other international agencies, such as the Asian Development Bank ( A D B ) project. This is a community-based E C D pilot project, launched and funded by A D B . A s a consequence, the network of pre-schools has been increasing and alternative forms of E C C E have been developed.

Regarding quality of education, pilot activities have been started, which are specifically orientated towards sustainable development in primary schools. In addition, the revitalization of basic education structure and standards in 41 pilot schools is in progress. O n e school is selected in each province of the country, with preference given to rural schools. Advanced, flexible and well-trained staff are allocated to the schools and necessary facilities such as communication channels, resource centres and multimedia equipment for leaning activities are planned.

In order to maintain high standards in basic education, key strategies are to focus on the content of education for a sustainable future, learning and teaching materials for the new generation, and creating reliable assessment systems. Providing equal access to basic education is another important aspect of the national E F A plan. Education programmes that include individual support for pupils, and gender equality, are under consideration.

Improvement of education management is expected through the implementation of the national E F A plan. Reinforcement of the Education Management Information System (EMIS) and quality control authorities and the establishment of funding committees, resource centres and counselling services are planned.

14

Regarding adult education, socially vulnerable people need more attention. Therefore, assessing the learning needs of adults, and organizing appropriate training courses for adults to obtain life skills, so as to adapt to the market economy, are also actions to be taken in Kyrgyzstan.

A good partnership between Ministries, N G O s , and international organizations has been developed to achieve the E F A goal of expanding partnerships. There has been an increase of public awareness of E F A through the mass media, and several education programmes which are closely related to E F A (e.g. Monitoring of Learning Achievement) have been implemented under the supervision of U N I C E F C A R K and the U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty.

Kyrgyzstan is an advanced Central Asian country in terms of D F U , notably with regard to national E F A plan preparation and commitment. After D F U , a National Forum was held and guidelines prepared in close cooperation with U N E S C O and U N I C E F . The national E F A working group was constituted in June 2001 (22 members), headed by the Minister herself. Preliminary discussions of a draft national E F A plan were conducted several times during a teachers' meeting, a republican meeting of educators with the participation of the President of Kyrgyzstan, a workshop for pilot-school teachers and E F A working group meetings with the participation of international organizations, Ministries and institutions. The preparation of the national E F A plan is underway with technical and financial support from U N E S C O Almaty. The draft national E F A plan was finalized in December 2001 and the national E F A forum was held in Kyrgyzstan on 24 th January 2002. Therefore, the major task for this year is to complete the national E F A plan and to prepare for implementation of the plan.

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3. Tajikistan

For several years after independence, the Ministry of Education tried to retain the achievements of the former Soviet Union. The primary goal of education reforms in the last decade was also to adapt the education system to the completely new political and economic conditions. After the civil war, Tajikistan started to implement reforms of its economic sectors and the education system. However, the civil war had fully curtailed the socioeconomic development of the country and set it back several decades. Currently, there are some serious challenges, resulting in very slow social and economic development. O n the other hand, after the civil war more attention was given to education.

In 1999, the national E F A report was prepared for the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal with consultative and financial assistance provided by U N E S C O , U N I C E F and U N D P . This report contains a comprehensive study of the current situation in the education sector for the preceding decade, and top priorities and the direction of further development were identified. After the Dakar Forum, U N I C E F Tajikistan conducted a roundtable meeting in October 2000, supported by the U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty.

The main policy for education is the preservation of high standards and the renovation of an education system in transition. Attempts have been made to adapt to new political and economic systems over the last 10 years. One example is curriculum development in E C C E , primary and secondary education.

The U N E S C O Cluster Office Almaty supported the national E F A report in 2000. The national roundtable was conducted in October 2000, to increase public awareness of E F A . T h e national E F A working group was established for further development of the national E F A action plan. There are 15 national advisors and 4 technical working groups.

O n e of the major problems in education is E C C E . Accompanying high infant mortality, the number of pre-primary schools has been decreasing. With this situation in mind, a guideline for day-care centres was prepared with U N I C E F . In 1991, the enrolment rate in pre-schools was 30.7%, however, it fell to 5.5 % in 1999. The drastic situation prompted international organizations, such as U N I C E F and U N E S C O , to support E C D in Tajikistan, both financially and technically. The E C D workshop in Istanbul in 2001, conducted by U N E S C O Almaty, received a favourable review from participants from Tajikistan. Since current demand for nursery school and family-based E C C E have increased, special training programmes for parents, supported by U N I C E F , are also very helpful.

Maintaining the teacher training system and eliminating gender disparity are also high priorities from the political point of view. Education for drug prevention is also a new focus in education reform in Tajikistan. H I V / A I D S preventive education has been developed in cooperation with international organizations.

Special programmes for girls' education are needed. There is still gender discrimination, especially in rural areas, and early marriage is a barrier for girls to access higher education. Taking this into account, girls' education has therefore already been included as a priority in the national E F A plan.

The budget for education is also a serious issue. The percentage allocated to education in 1990 was 10.8 %. It fell to 2.3% in 2001, so government investment for education does not meet the demand.

The national E F A conference was held in June 2001 to discuss issues of the national E F A plan. A national E F A working group was then established, headed by a Deputy Minister of Education. The work to prepare and complete the national E F A plan has started. The working group has already discussed preliminary priority areas such as:

a) Expanding access to education for girls and children with special needs b) Quality education, and early childhood care and education ( E C C E ) c) Textbook development d) Technical/vocational education e) Education planning management and E M I S . The mechanism of national E F A planning is a participatory, bottom-up approach. There are four

technical sub-groups, working in specific areas, to provide research results and recommendations for the national E F A working group, with the purpose of consolidating national E F A strategy.

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4 . Uzbekistan

In March 1990, Uzbekistan sent representatives to the world conference on Education For All, held in Thailand. Subsequently, Uzbekistan worked on a national action plan that focuses on:

• Ensuring access to education for everyone • Improving quality of education • Developing solid coordination of partners

Uzbekistan hosted a regional conference in 1998 in Tashkent, in partnership with U N E S C O , which focused on management, policy and information in education. In January 1999, the National Working Group on E F A assessment was established. In January 2000, Uzbekistan was represented at the Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Bangkok on E F A assessment, and presented the national report. Also in 2000, representatives from Uzbekistan attended the Dakar World Education forum.

From 1997-2001, the first stage of education reform took place. The reform was implemented using E F A goals. The first stage focused on the creation of legal, personnel, scientific-methodological, financial and technical-material conditions for reforms. In September 2001, Uzbekistan hosted an international conference on the results of implementation of the first stage of reform.

The period 2001-2005 is the second stage of reform. The focus is on large-scale implementation of the national programme, adjusting and refining according to accumulated experience, as the reform is in progress. Factors such as the development of the labour market, and socio-economic conditions are also taken into consideration. The third stage of reform is scheduled for the period after 2005. This will focus on the further development of the personnel training system, on the basis of analysis and on accumulated experience in accordance with the socio-economic conditions.

Following E F A guidelines, Uzbekistan has implemented these projects:

• A twelve-year education system • Introduction of a n e w primary education curriculum that includes foreign languages • There is a new generation of secondary education textbooks which have been produced with the

support of A D B • Development of human resources in both the formal and non-formal systems of education • Uzbekistan has added to the non-formal education system through community learning centres

established in co-operation with U N E S C O . In 1999-2001, seven centres were established. In December 2000-2001, five seminars were organised on community learning centres (Namangan, Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand and Andijan). U N E S C O ' s training manual for small-scale enterprises has also been translated into Uzbek and published, to support these centres.

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Indicators for the Education for All P r o g r a m m e in the Republic of Uzbekistan

Indicators

1

2

3

4 5 6

7

8

9

10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17

18

Description

Gross enrolment ratio in early childhood development programmes (Governmental, private, community) Percentage of new entrants to Grade 1 with E C D exposure (not less than 20 hours) Apparent (gross) intake rates in primary education (7 years of age till October 1st of current year) Net intake rates in primary education Gross enrolment ratios in primary education Net enrolment ratios in primary education

Public expenditure on primary education as percentage of G N P Public expenditure on primary education as percentage of total public expenditure on education Percentage of primary school teachers with required academic qualifications Percentage of certified primary school teachers Pupil-teacher ratio Average repetition rate of Grade 1 to Grade 5 Survival rate to Grade 5 Coefficient of efficiency Percentage of grade 4 pupils achieving basic learning competencies Literacy rate of population aged 15-24 Adult literacy rate of population aged 15 years and over Literacy Gender Parity Index

1991/9 2

N/A

N/A

96.80%

87.70% 95.60% 92.50%

N/A

N/A

92.00%

8.00% 20:1

0.42% 99.88% 99.90% 98.90%

95.90% 100.00%

100.00%

1998/9 9

N/A

N/A

98.00%

83.40% 99.60% 87.80%

N/A

N/A

94.40%

5.60% 21:1

0.08% 99.89% 99.90% 98.90%

99.30% 100.00%

100.00%

Continued improvement and completion of the database is planned, using the 18 indicators of the Education for All programme. This will also be achieved by the introduction of n e w technologies, such as quantitative and qualitative indicators, and internal and external reviews.

The Republic of Uzbekistan plans to meet E F A goals, and has mapped out future areas of cooperation. Uzbekistan would like to conduct further research in pre-primary education, education of girls and disabled children, out-of-school young people, pupils in remote areas, new approaches in learning systems and life skills programmes, adult education and functional literacy, and an analysis of the quality of primary education. Uzbekistan would also like to progress in planning and management, monitoring, and the development of professional relationships to facilitate communication with potential donors.

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IV. Media Roundtable

A media roundtable was the special event on the first day of the meeting. Organised jointly by U N E S C O and the U N Department of Public Information (UNDPI) , it brought together more than 20 participants from regional and national media outlets in Almaty, as well as several deans of journalism faculties. This high-level attendance was a major achievement, as education is not considered an important issue in the region, and coverage generally tends to be descriptive rather than analytical.

Global Perspectives The Education for All movement took off in 1990, when educators and world leaders met in Jomtien,

Thailand for the World Conference on Education for All. They adopted the expanded vision of basic education, which sees education as learning throughout life, covering the entire period from early childhood to old age. They also committed themselves to achieving Education for All, and set the objective of eliminating illiteracy by 2000.

In April 2000, the World Education Forum was held in Dakar, Senegal and the world's leaders and educators met again to assess their progress. In Dakar it became clear that despite the effort since Jomtien the global situation of education remained unsatisfactory. Worldwide, there are 113 million children, 60 % of them girls, w h o do not go to school. At least 880 million adults are illiterate, two-thirds of them w o m e n . Since education is a fundamental human right, this is unacceptable. It provides children, young people and adults with the power to reflect, make choices and enjoy a better life. It breaks the cycle of poverty and is a key factor in economic and social development. With this in mind, 164 nations, including Kazakhstan, agreed at the Dakar conference to the Dakar Framework for Action, which sets six goals for E F A .

In Central Asian countries, not all six goals are equally relevant, as the basic enrolment rate for primary schools and the adult literacy rate are relatively high. However, the quality of education remains a major concern in all countries. Moreover, all Central Asian countries face major challenges in the area of early childhood programmes, the management of education systems, the production of textbooks, life-skills training for young people and education for the prevention of H I V / A I D S .

F rom the very beginning of the E F A movement the media were singled out as being crucial partners in achieving the E F A goals. National governments have the prime responsibility for providing Education for All. However, parliamentarians, teachers, business leaders, media organizations, parents, and civil society groups working in education must also be involved. They all play key roles in mobilizing governments and citizens to work towards E F A . Clause N o . 74 in the Expanded Commentary of the Dakar Framework requires the E F A partners to engage with news media to promote, among other things, "informed coverage of education issues".

The role of the media is not only to inform the public about E F A and w h y it is important, but also to link the global movement to national education systems and m a k e E F A regionally relevant. Crucially, more and better communication of E F A issues could also raise questions about whether E F A goals are being achieved locally.

In short, w e need the media for two reasons. Firstly, media organisations often have an agenda-setting function and play a crucial role in shaping public opinion. Through the coverage of education issues they can mobilize popular pressure and motivate national governments and other E F A partners to fulfil their international commitments to E F A and allocate more resources to education. Secondly, the media have the advantage of being able to reach people in every corner of a country and can therefore be central in creating a demand for education. In Brazil for example, a successful radio programme entitled ' W a k e up Brazil, it's time to go to school', headed by the Brazilian President Cardoso, led to the creation of new school places and encouraged poorer families to use them.

U N E S C O publishes a monthly electronic bulletin that provides information on E F A worldwide. W e have an E F A website with up-to-date information on the situation of E F A at national, regional and international levels and w e send out press releases on new figures and trends in E F A . U N E S C O also publishes press kits, documents and research on E F A through our media contacts around the world.

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There have been training workshops for education journalists in Africa, South Asia and Latin America and w e are currently working on designing innovative training methods for education journalists and senior journalists and managers about education issues and E F A . W e are convinced that good training could help raise the craft-skills levels among journalists and would encourage both E F A , awareness and more and better coverage of education. Education is a complicated issue. It often involves tricky statistics and sometimes it is difficult for journalists to obtain the right information.

U N E S C O and other E F A partners are currently working on developing a global comprehensive strategy to mobilize the six Dakar goals. This strategy will include a communication and information component, which U N I C E F will coordinate.

Issues highlighted in the discussion - The U N agencies should make use of alternative media publications as a way of reaching a different,

perhaps wider, audience. However, alternative and smaller media representatives are not often invited to attend press meetings, etc. Knowledge about the E F A movement is close to non-existent and education is considered an issue that does not 'sell'. The few N G O representatives present at the roundtable underlined h o w difficult it is to obtain media coverage of their activities.

- The information must be properly presented to journalists, in creative and newsworthy ways. Instead of presenting a statistical report, it would be better to present the data in a way that is interesting and that would capture the attention of the target audience.

- The need for more practical training of journalists was highlighted, as most media outlets in the region are young and have little experience of education coverage. .

- The local U N agencies could play a more important role in generating greater interest for education stories by facilitating access to official national reports submitted to the U N , and by ensuring that interesting studies, surveys and documents produced by the U N are made available to journalists. The roundtable did not result in any concrete commitments, which is probably due to the fact that

E F A was a n e w issue for the participants. Concrete follow-up activities are n o w required, to build on the m o m e n t u m created at the roundtable.

V. Establishment of Central Asian Education Forum

1. Composition of the C A R K Education F o r u m The C A R K Education Forum is a permanent, action-orientated and flexible development and cooperation structure that is composed of the following members: • Education Ministers and Deputy Ministers • National E F A coordinators • Representatives of N G O s • Representatives of education and research institutions • Representatives of donor agencies and embassies • Representatives of U N I C E F and U N E S C O

2 . Steering committee meetings T w o steering committee meetings were held during the Forum: the first meeting took place during

the Media Roundtable on 17th January and the second meeting was held after the closing session of the Forum on 18th January. During the first meeting, the steering committee members (the most senior officials from each country and delegates from N G O s ) attended and discussed the following points: > The first host for the Forum > Contents of the resolution and working mechanisms of the Forum (Executive Committee, Secretariat,

technical working groups and annual meetings)

21

The main objective of the second meeting was to take stock of amendments that were suggested and agreed by participants during the session 'Consensus and adoption of resolution establishing the Education Forum' . The following are the decisions made during the two steering committee meetings.

2.1 The first host for the Forum All members of the steering committee agreed that the first host country was Kazakhstan. The Minister

of Education in Kazakhstan designated the First Deputy Minister of Education in Kazakhstan as the Executive Secretary of the Executive Committee and promised to provide staff and facilities to host the first Forum Secretariat in the Academy of Sciences, Almaty in the year 2002-2003.

2.2 Executive Committee The C A R K Education Forum will function through its permanent Executive Committee consisting

of five Deputy Ministers of Education or other country representatives assigned by the Ministries of Education from the five Republics, representatives from the civil society and N G O s in the host country, and representatives from the U N E S C O Cluster Office in Almaty and U N I C E F C A R K . Its primary objectives are to ensure regular and systematic coordination and follow-up to the working groups' recommendations and resolutions.

The Executive Committee chairmanship will be rotated on an annual basis among Deputy Ministers of Education of each country. Until the next annual meeting of the Education Forum in 2003, the First Deputy Minister of Education and Science in Kazakhstan will function as the Executive Secretary of the Executive Committee. Representatives from the civil society and N G O s will also be rotated on an annual basis and will be elected by Forum members from N G O s at the annual Forum meeting. The Executive Committee will coordinate relevant education activities and facilitate information exchange and communication among the countries.

The initial meeting of the Executive Committee will be held in Almaty in April 2002. The meeting will concentrate on elaborating a charter, mandate, terms of reference and procedures for the Education Forum. The Executive Committee will meet twice a year, to identify the priority issues, set targets and monitor achievements, identify knowledge-based needs, assign technical working groups, set the dates for the Education Forum, identify participants and mobilize resources. The Executive Committee is also responsible for the publication of the C A R K Education Forum Digest.

2.3 Secretariat The Secretariat needs office space to perform its functions, complete with necessary equipment and

supplies. It also needs staff and information resources. The Minister of Education and Science in Kazakhstan promised to provide staff and facilities to host the first Forum Secretariat in the Academy of Sciences, Almaty in 2002-2003.

It will provide administrative and logistic support for the Executive Committee and will rotate with the chairperson of the Executive Committee. It is composed of regular staff appointed by the Ministry of Education. The Secretariat staff, w h o c o m e from the Government, M o E S , universities or the Academy of Education, are based in Almaty. The Secretariat will be responsible for administrative tasks, the preparation and organisation of meetings, and the coordination of relevant educational activities. It will also act as the 'liaison office' and be responsible for the publication of review journals. The Secretariat will also require moral and institutional authority in order to execute its responsibilities at optimal level.

2.4 Technical working groups The Executive Committee will assign technical working groups to the issues in education identified

as priorities. The technical working groups will actively work in priority areas. These include E C D ; access to, and participation in, primary education; learning achievements; new technology in education, support for pre-service and in-service teacher training, management and monitoring information systems; vocational and technical education; non-formal education; life-skills education and health-based school programmes; education for girls and inclusive education. The Executive Committee will decide the

22

number and aims of the technical working groups and will create the working groups for those priority areas to be discussed at the next Education Forum. The main themes of the working group sessions will be identified at the annual meetings of the Forum. The technical working groups will carry out the tasks and prepare reports for the C A R K Education Forum.

2.5 Annual meetings Meetings of the Forum will be held once a year. The next annual meeting of the Education Forum

will be held in winter 2003.

2.6 Communication Channels and Information Sharing The periodical ' C A R K Education Forum Digest' will be the main channel for communication and

dissemination of information. The Executive Committee, with the help of Education Ministries, U N I C E F and U N E S C O , research institutions and experts, will publish the periodical twice a year. The Forum will also utilise information technology for continuity of information, and for networking.

2.7 National Level Support for the C A R K Education Forum M e m b e r countries of the Education Forum should establish national working groups to parallel the

Central Asian Forum. It is recommended that existing national Education Forums establish the primary link between the C A R K Education Forum and the national (or, if necessary, provincial) Education Forums. Similarly, area-based technical working groups can benefit from the work of technical groups established at national level. The C A R K Education Forum will support and assist the national Education Forum.

2.8 Points for further action The Education Forum requests that the governments and civil societies of member states support the

establishment of the Forum and render all assistance for its effective functioning. In order to facilitate the work of the Forum Secretariat, the U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty and the

U N I C E F C A R K office will undertake the following tasks with the agreement of the Executive Secretary of the Executive Committee:

a) Recruitment and nomination of a Secretariat Coordinator based in Almaty, working under the supervision of the Executive Secretary, in charge of all the logistical and substantive arrangements of the Forum's daily work.

b) Request designation by M o E S of a link officer in M o E S , Astana to ensure liaison between the Secretariat Coordinator in Almaty and the Executive Secretary (Deputy Minister) in Astana

c) Request designation by M o E S of Secretariat staff based in Almaty (either covered by the Government, M o E S , universities or the Academy of Education)

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3 . Resolution

R E S O L U T I O N

Education Forum of Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan W e , the representatives of the Ministries of Education; educational, scientific, research and public

institutions, and non-governmental organizations of the Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan, convened in Almaty on 17-18 January 2002 to define effective strategies to generate dialogue amongst education policy makers in Central Asia, and to support commitment to the furthering and maintenance of universal quality basic Education for All and the fulfilment of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

W e acknowledge that the proceedings of the Education Forum have provided a useful, practical platform to review both achievements and challenges in ensuring Education for All and the Convention of the Rights of the Child in Central Asia. This is a m o m e n t to evaluate, reaffirm and renew commitments in education and children's rights, bearing in mind our countries' long-term commitments.

W e are proud to have developed innovative and fertile ideas, approaches and experiences in education, appropriate to our circumstances. W e remain committed to continuing to improve quality in education and greater equity in the distribution of opportunities of educational access, and learning throughout life.

W e renew our national commitments to the original spirit of Education for All in its "expanded vision of basic education" around the six goals adopted in Dakar, April 2000, bearing in mind those education structures which are capable of satisfying the education and training needs of all (children, young people and adults), both within and outside the school system.

W e strongly urge societal participation, not only in the implementation of educational plans and programmes, but also in policy design, discussion and implementation.

W e also commit ourselves to developing increased collaborative efforts through the active participation of governments and civil society, to articulating educational programmes with national and regional policies aimed at improving education, and to ensuring that children, young people and adults are equipped with the skills necessary to meet the challenges emerging in our evolving societies. Through the establishment of the C A R K Education Forum as an institutional mechanism to reach these ambitious objectives, w e strongly commit to undertaking these actions that should result in successful and tangible education and socio-economic progress by 2015.

4 . Conclusions Taking into full account the above considerations and observations, w e reached a consensus on the

following: 1. To declare the Education Forum of the Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan a permanent action-

orientated and flexible development and cooperation structure.

2 . The Education Forum should allow for: a) Advocacy for concerted actions at all levels, aimed at full implementation of the goals and

objectives of Education for All and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Central Asia b) Reviewing existing education experiences, disseminating innovative technologies for quality

education, and ensuring that children's rights are met c) Regular regional and international exchanges of knowledge and experience pertaining to

priority education and children's rights issues, related to quality basic education and equity of education throughout life

d) Coordination of education activities of donor organizations e) Dissemination of the ideas and principles of Education for All via the mass media

3. The Central Asian Education Forum will actively work towards significantly increasing efforts in priority areas such as early childhood care and development; access to and participation in basic education; learning achievements; n e w technologies in education, support for pre-service and in-

24

service teacher training, management and monitoring information systems; vocational and technical

education; non-formal education; life skills education and health-based school programmes; girls

education and inclusive education.

4 . The Education Forum will be held once a year and will be supported by an Executive Committee

functioning throughout the year. The main topics for discussion will be identified at the annual

meetings. It is decided that the next annual meeting of the Education Forum will be held in winter

2003; a decision on the venue and date of the meeting will be determined.

5. The Executive Committee consists of the Deputy Ministers of Education or other country representatives,

designated by the Ministries of Education (one participant from each country), a representative from

the civil society of the host country and a representative from the U N E S C O Cluster Office in Almaty

and from U N I C E F C A R K . It is chaired by an Executive Secretary. It is agreed that:

a) The position of the Executive Secretary will rotate on an annual basis among Deputy Ministers

of Education. Until the next annual meeting of the Education Forum in 2003, the First Deputy

Minister of Education and Science of Kazakhstan will function as the Executive Secretary of

the Executive Committee. The civil society representative will also rotate on an annual basis

and will be selected by the civil society members of the Forum at the annual meeting.

b) The Executive Committee will coordinate relevant education activities and facilitate

information exchange and communication a m o n g the C A R K countries. The Executive

Committee will ensure the establishment of working groups based on those priority areas

discussed and approved at the Education Forum meeting.

c) The first meeting of the Executive Committee will be held in Almaty in April 2002. The meeting

will concentrate on elaborating a charter, mandate and procedures for the Education Forum.

The Executive Committee will approve the final report of the Education Forum held in Almaty,

2002, and will decide on the number, and terms of reference, of the working groups.

d) M e m b e r countries of the Education Forum should establish national working groups.

6. The Education Forum will have a periodical 'Education Forum Digest on Central Asia and

Kazakhstan', to be published twice a year by the joint efforts of the Executive Committee, U N E S C O

and U N I C E F , with technical and information support from the Ministries of Education, research

institutions and experts concerned.

7. The Education Forum requests the Government and civil society of M e m b e r States to support the

establishment and work of the Forum and provide any assistance required for its effective functioning.

8. The Education Forum requests U N E S C O and U N I C E F to assure regular financial, technical and any

other appropriate support.

25

; v 4*r

^ )

26

Appendices:

Appendix 1: Agenda

Appendix 2: List of participants

Appendix 3: Evaluation Form

Appendix 4: Presentations

Appendix 4.1: "UNICEF ' s Role in Education in Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan" by M r . S. Strachan, U N I C E F C A R K

Appendix 4.2: " U N E S C O perspectives in education in Asia-Pacific region and mechanism to review and improve E F A action plans" by M r . A . Hakeem, U N E S C O Principal Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok

Appendix 4.3: "Perspectives on Education Reform-country and sub-regional issues" by M r . J. Sequeira, U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty

Appendix 4.4: "Appraisal of E F A development and progress on completion of E F A plan" by M r . N . Bekturganov, Ministry of Education and Science, Kazakhstan

Appendix 4.5: "Appraisal of E F A development and progress on completion of E F A plan" by M s . G . Alimova, Republican Education Centre, Uzbekistan

Appendix 4.6: "Role of mass media and communication for the promotion of E F A and education reforms and partnerships" by M s . A . Muller, U N E S C O H Q s

Appendix 4.7: "Appraisal of E F A development and progress on completion of E F A plan" by M r . K . Satkeev, Ministry of Education and Culture, Kyrgyzstan

Appendix 4.8: "Appraisal of E F A development and progress on completion of E F A plan" by M r . A . Rashidov, Ministry of Education, Tajikistan

Appendix 4.9: "Central Asian Republics and Kazakhstan Education Forum -Concepts, Objectives and Working Mechanisms" by M s . N . Ulkuer, U N I C E F C A R K

Appendix 4.10: "Introduction to Education Forum Working Mechanism" by M s . Y . Tokuda, U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty

27

Appendix 1

AGENDA Central Asian Education Forum

Day 1 - 1 7 January 2002

Time 10:00

10:30

11:15

Activity Registration of participants

Welcoming addresses:

Coffee-break

Participants

M r . N . Bekturganov Minister of Education and Science, Kazakhstan M r . F. Akcura, U N Resident Coordinator M r . P. Heffinck, U N I C E F C A R K Area Representative M r . J. Sequeira, U N E S C O Head Cluster Office

Session 1. U N I C E F and U N E S C O perspectives - Organizational announcement Chairperson: M r . N . Bekturganov, Minister of Education and Science, Kazakhstan 11:45

12:15

12:45

13:00

U N I C E F role in Education in CAflC

U N E S C O perspectives in education in Asia-Pacific region and mechanism to review and improve E F A action plans

Perspectives on Education Reform-country and sub-regional issues Discussion

Lunch

Mr. S. Strachan, Senior Programme Officer, U N I C E F C A R K

Mr. A . Hakeem, A P P E A L Coordinator U N E S C O Regional Bureau, Bangkok

Mr. J. Sequeira, Head, U N E S C O Almaty Cluster Office

Session 2. Country situation on E F A progress Chairperson: M r . K . Satkeev, Head of Administration of Ministry of Ed ucation and

Culture, Kyrgyzstan 14:30

15:00

15:30

Appraisal of E F A developments and progress on completion of E F A plans Kazakhstan presentation Uzbekistan presentation

Coffee-break

Mr.N.Bekturganov, Minister of Education and Science

Ms.G.Alimova, Director of the Republican Education Centre

Special event: Roundtable Role of Media in Education

Chairperson: M r . V . Polyakov, Representative of U N Department of Public

Information

16:00

16:00

19:00

Role of mass media and communication for the promotion of E F A and education reforms and partnerships Roundtable discussion

Meeting of Forum steering committee

Reception hosted by organizers

M s . A . Muller, M s . I. Alpeyeva UNESCO HQs

Media specialists, U N I C E F , UNESCO, UNDPI

28

Day 2- 18 January 2002

Session 3. Country situations on E F A progress (cntd) Chairperson: 'Mr . A . Hakeem, Regional Adviser and A P P

Time 09:30

10:00

10:30

11:00

11:30

Activity Kyrgyzstan presentation

Tajikistan presentation

Turkmenistan presentation

E A L Coordinator, U N E S C O Bangkok

Participants M r . K . Satkeev, Head of Administration of Ministry of Education and Culture M r . A . Rashidov, Deputy Minister, National E F A Coordinator

Coffee-break

Panel discussion: Perspectives in international cooperation in education

Panellists: M r . A . Rashidov, National E F A Coordinator, Tajikistan M s . S. Kalikova, Director of Education Programmes, Soros Foundation Kazakhstan M s . S. Akhimbekova, President, Association of Initiative Schools

Session 4. Establishment of Central Asian Educ ation Forum Chairperson: M r . A . Rashidov, National E F A Coordinator, Tajikistan 12:00

12:30 13:00

Introduction to Education Forum: concepts, objectives, working mechanism Maternal and Child Health Forum ( M C H ) : lessons learnt Introduction to Education Forum working mechanism Questions and discussion

M s . N . Ulkuer, Programme Officer UNICEF CARK

Ms. Y. Tokuda, UNESCO Almaty

Press -Conference Lunch

Chairperson: M s . G . Alimova, Director of Education Centre, Uzbekistan 14:00

14:30

Discussion: Establishmentof Education Forum

Consensus and adoption of resolution establishing the Education Forum

Chairperson: M s . S. Kalikova, Director of Education Programmes, Soros Foundation Kazakhstan

15:00

15:30-15:45

Closing Official delivery of Forum Statement for Heads of National Delegations Final remarks Meeting of Forum steering committee

29

Appendix 2:

List of Participants for Education For All Forum in Central Asia.

(17-18 January 2002, Almaty, Kazakhstan. )

CnncoK ynacTHMKOB AJIA (PopyMa "06pa30Bamie flnn Bcex" B UeHTpanbHoñ A 3 M M

(17-18 AHBapw 2002 r, AnMaTbi, Ka3axcTaH. )

Organization

K A Z A K H S T A N K A 3 A X C T A H

Official Delegation OdpMUnajibHan AexierauMH

Ministry of Education and Science MMHMCTepCTBO o6pa30BaHHH M HayKn

Ministry of Foreign Affairs MMHMCTepCTBO

MHOCTpaHHblX Ae/1

National N G O s HauMOHaribHbie

Hno National Observatory -A R T C Resource Center HaLiMOHajibHan OScepBaTopnH

Initiative Schools Association of R K Accou.nau.wfl HHMMHaTMBHblX IÜKOJ1

PK Centre Effective School SdDCpeKTMBHaa ILlKona

Conflict Management Centre LJeHTp ynpaBneHun KOHdJHMKTaMM

Step by Step Cíen 6aü CTen

Position N a m e Contacts

1

2

3

4

Minister M M H M C T P

Senior Assistant to Minister COBeTHMK MklHMCTpa

Director of Department of General Secondary Education Awpeicrop flenapTawieHTa o6mero cpeAHero o6pa30BaHkm Head of Political Group Department TjiaBa oTflena nojiHTMHecKoti rpynnbi MMfl

Mr. Nuraly Bekturganov * r-H Hypajibi BeicrypraHOB*

Mr. Zhumazhan Zhukenov * r-H >KyMa>KaH >KyKeHOB *

Mr. Zhambyl Zhylbayev * r-H >KaM6bi/i >Kbin6aeB *

Mr. Erlik Ali r-H EpnuK AJIM

60, Republic Ave., 4730000, Astana

tel: (3172) 333325 fax:(3172)333178

60, Republic Ave., 4730000, Astana

tel: (3172)333015 fax:(3172)333178

60, Republic Ave., 4730000, Astana

tel: (3172) 333325 fax:(3172)333178

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Director flupeKTop

Expert SKcnepT

President npe3Ki,qeHT

Director flnpeKTop

Director flwpeKTop

Programme Coordinator KoopflMHaTop nporpaMMbi

Programme Director flupeiaop nporpaMMbi

M s . Shaizada Tasbulatova r->Ka llJaií3afla Tac6ynaTOBa

M s . Valentina Belosludseva r->Ka BaneHTMHa BenocjuoflueBa

M s . Shamen Akhimbekova * r-x<a LUaMeH AxnM6eKOBa *

M s . Aliya Viculovskaya r->Ka AJIMS BHKynoBCKan

M s . Elena Sadovskaya r->Ka EjieHa CaflOBCKan

M s . Svetlana Bekmagambetova r->Ka CßeTJiaHa BeKMaraMÔeTOBa M s . Dina Aitzhanova r-wa flMHa AtiT>KaHOBa

Almaty tel: 650007 fax: 641286

shaizada@kaznet.kz

Almaty tel: 650007 fax: 641286

shaizada@kaznet.kz

tel: (32822)45980 fax:(32822)45160

aabay_1@hotmail.com

Almaty tel/fax: 509839

tel./fax.: 53-93-84. e-mail: ccm@online.ru

tel./fax.: 53-93-84. e-mail: ccm@online.ru

url: www.ccm.freenet.kz

30

National Institutions HauMOHajibHbie BeflOMCTBa

Almaty Education Department flenapTaMem o6pa30BaHnn rAniwaTbi

Altynsarin Kazakh Academy of Education Ka3axcK.afl aKafleMnn o6pa30BaHMH M M . AnTbiHcapnHa

National Commission for U N E S C O HaijMOHanbHafl K O M M C C M H no flenaM I O H E C K O Republican Teacher Training Institute PecnyBnviKaHCKMíí HHCTMTyr riOBblUJeHMfl KBanHdJuKaqnn

S A T R Centre LJemp C A T P

Others Apyme

British Council BpHTaHCKMM COBeT

CIDA CMflA

Islamic Development Bank

Delegation of European Commission fle/ierau.Mfl EBponeMCKoii K O M M C C M M

International Organization for Migration MewflyHapoflHaa opraHMsauMH no MMrpauMM

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

Deputy Director 3aMecTMTerib flupeiaopa

President ripe3MfleHT

Vice-President BMu.e-ripe3MAeHT

Advisor on international and public relations CoBeTHMK no Me>KflyHapoflHbiM M 06meCTBeHHblM CBA3&M Acedemician-Secretary AKafleMHK-CeKpeTapb

Attache AiTauje

Director flupeicTOp

Specialist CpeuManncT

Specialist CpequanncT

Director flnpeKTop

Expert SKcnepT

M s . Galina Samatokina r->Ka TanMHa CaMaTOKHHa

Mr. A . Kusainova r-H A.KycaMHOB

M s . M . Zhadrina r->Ka M . >KaApnHa

Mr. R. Myrzabek r-H P. Mbip3a6eK

M s . M . Syzdykova r-wa M . Cbi3flbiKOBa

Mr. Yerlan Danenov r-H EpnaH flaHeHOB

Mr. Berikzhan Almukhambetov r-H EepmoxaH AxibMyxaM6eTOB

M s . A . Zhaytpasova r-xa A . >KafÍTnacoBa

M s . A . Semchenko r-wa A . CeMHeHKO

M s . Roza Suleymenova r->Ka Po3a CyneüMeHOBa

M s . Gulnur Khakimzhanova r->Ka Ty/ibHyp XaKMMXOHOBa

4 , Republic Square., Almaty

tel: 626652

25, Zhambyl St., 480100 Almaty

tel: 910333 fax: 910703

25, Zhambyl St., 480100 Almaty

tel: 910333 fax: 910703 25, Zhambyl St., 480100

Almaty tel: 910333 fax: 910703

25, Zhambyl St., 480100 Almaty

tel: 910333 fax: 910703 65, Aiteke bi St.. 480091,

Almaty tel: 696055

fax: 501137/631387

6, Mitina 480020, Almaty

tel: 645844 fax: 645844

Almaty tel/fax: 547783

Almaty tel/fax: 547783

23

24

25

26

27

28

Director for Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan flMpeicrop no KasaxcTaHy M Kbiprbi3craHy

Country Operations Officer

Counter-trafficking Programme

Mr. James Kennedy r-H flxoMMC KeHHeflu

M s . Alma Issabayeva r-xa AnMa MccaoaeBa

M s . Bella Tormysheva

Mr. Brian Tall

M s . Kathleen Smith r-wa KaTJieiH C M M T

13, Republic Square, 480013, Almaty

tel: 633339 fax: 633443

71 A , Samal 2, 480099, Almaty

kathleen@iom.nursat.kz Tel: 533328 fax: 533329

31

S O R O S Foundation Kazakhstan «DOHA C O P O C A KaaxcTaH

USAID KDCAMfl

Interpreters nepeBOAHMKM

UN Agencies AreHTCTBa O O H

UNDP

npooH

UNESCO Cluster Office, Almaty PemoHanbHoe npeflCTaBMTenbCTBO IOHECKO, AjiMaTbi

UNESCO HQs LilTa6-KBapTkipa IOHECKO

U N E S C O Bangkok I O H E C K O BaHrKOK

U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty PernoHanbHoe npeAcraBMTejibCTBO IOHECKO, AnMaTbi

29

30

31

32

33

Director for Education Programme flupeiaop llporpaMMbi 06pa30BaHkin

Project Management Specialist Cneu.nanncT npoeicra

Information Specialist Cneu.ua/iiicT no MHCbopMaUJIH

Translator/Interpreter riepeBOflMMK

Translator/Interpreter flepeBOflHUK

M s . Saule Kalikova r-x<a Cayne Ka/uiKOBa

M s . Sholpan Makhmudova r->Ka LUonnaH MaxMyAOBa

M s . Barbara Taber r->Ka Eap6apa Ta6ep

Mr. Batyr Zhulamanov r-H BaTbip >KynaMaHOB

M s . Yevgeniya Leshchenko r-wa EßreHnn JlemeHKO

Furmanova 117-20 Almaty,

tel: 503811 fax: 503814 skalik@soroskz.glas.apc.org

39, Zharokov St., apt 19, Almaty

tel/fax: 433942 batyrkz@mail.ru

Almaty tel: 453393

leshchenko@hotmail.com

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

Resident Representative riOCTOflHHblíí ripeACTaBHTejib

Representative of the Department of Public Information

Head of Office HnaBa ripeACTaBmenbCTBa

Media Adviser COBeTHMK nO CBH3HM C npeccoä

Education Adviser and C o ­ordinator CoBeTHMK no o6pa30BaHMio M KOOpAMHaTOp

Education Specialist Cneu.nanncT no 06pa30BaHMK)

Education Specialist CnequanncT no 06pa30BaHMK)

Education Specialist CneunajiMCT no 06pa30BaHMK>

Education Programmes Assistant AccMCTeHT no nporpaMMaM o6pa30BaHMfl

Assistant ACCMCTeHT

Mr. Fikret Akcura r-H ct)MKpeT Aiwypa

Mr. Vladimir Polyakov r-H BnaAHMkip ["IOJIHKOB

Mr. Jorge Sequeira r-H Xopxe Cexeüpa

M s . Anne Müller r-wa AHHa MiojiJiep

Mr. Abdul Hameed A Hakeem r-H AoAy/i XaMMA A . XaKwu

M s . Aigul Khalafova r->Ka Akiry/ib XanacpOBa

M s . Irina Alpeyeva r-wa HpnHa AnneeBa

M s . Yumi Tokuda r-wa K ) M H ToKyAa

Mr. Bakhtiyar Ospanbayev r-H BaxTunp OcnaH6aeB

Mr. Bolatbek Amanbekov r-H BonaTÖeK An/iaHÖeKOB

67, Tole biSt., 480091, Almaty

tel: 582637/43

67, Tole biSt., 480091, Almaty

tel: (3172) 582637/43

67, Tole biSt., 480091, Almaty

tel: 582637/43 fax 695863

j.sequeira@unesco.org

7, Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 S P

a.muller@unesco.org

P.O. Box 967, Prakanong Post Office,

Bangkok10110 (662) tel: 3910577

fax: 3910866 a.hakeem@unesco-

proap.org

67, Tole biSt., 480091, Almaty

tel: 696034 fax 695863 a.khalafova@unesco.org

67, Tole biSt., 480091, Almaty

tel: 582637/43 fax: 695863 i.alpeyeva@unesco.org

67, Tole biSt., 480091, Almaty

tel: 582637/43 fax: 695863 y.tokuda@unesco.org

67, Tole biSt., 480091, Almaty

tel: 582637/43 fax : 695863 b.ospanbayev@unesco.org

67, Tole biSt., 480091, Almaty

tel: 582637/43 fax : 695f 3

32

UNICEF C A R K I O H H C E 0 pj\9\ CTpaH I4APK

World Bank BceMkipHbiii BaHK

W H O B03

UNAIDS KDHSMflC

K Y R G Y Z S T A N KblPrbl3CTAH

Official Delegation Odptujua/ibHaji AeneraMMfi

Ministry of Education and Culture MWHHCTepCTBO o6pa30BaHMflM KynbTypbi

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

Assistant ACCMCT6HT

Assistant AccucrreHT

Area Representative HnaBa npeflCTaBMTe/ibCTBa

Senior Programme Officer rnaBHbiñ cneuManncT nporpaMMbi

Programme Officer Cneu>iajiMCT nporpaMMbi

Communication Officer CnequanncTno KOMMyHMKaUHflM

Programme Assistant A C C M C T S H T nporpaMMbi

Intern for Young People's Wellbeing Programme

Kazakhstan Programme Assistant AccMcreHT nporpaMMbi no Ka3axcTaHy

Programme Officer CneunanncT nporpaMMbi

National Programme Officer HaqMOHanbHbiii CneuManncT

Intercountry AIDS Adviser for Central Asia CoBeTHHK noCnUfl B CpeAHeaskiaTCKOM pernoHe

M s . Takhmina Danakhunova r-x<a TaxMMHa flaHaxyHOBa

Mr. Andrey Moiseev r-H AHflpeü MonceeB

Mr. Phillippe Heffinck r-H Oun/iMn XecpdpuHK

Mr. Simon Strachan r-H CaÑMOH CTpaxaH

M s . Nurper Ulker r->Ka Hypnep YnbKep

M s . Patricia Light r-)Ka naTpucMfl JlaiiT

M s . Tatyana Aderikhina r-wa TaTbflHa AflepMXHHa

M s . Holly Anderson r->Ka XojiJiM AHflepcoH

M s . Torgyn Mukaeva r-x<a ToprbiH MyKaeBa

M s . Natalya Beisenova r-)xa HaTanbfl EeftceHOBa

Mr. Murat Ussataev r-H MypaT YccaTaeB

Mr. Rudick Adamian r-H PyAMK AflaMiiH

67, Tole bi St., 480091, Almaty

tel: 582637/43 fax : 695863

67, Tole bi Str., 480091, Almaty

tel: 582637/43 fax : 695863

15, Republic Square Almaty

tel: 503927-30 fax 501662

15, Republic Square Almaty

tel: 503927-30 fax 501662

15, Republic Square, Almaty

tel: 503927-30 fax 501662

15, Republic Square Almaty

tel: 503927-30 fax 501662

15, Republic Square Almaty

tel: 503927-30 fax 501662

Astana tel: (3172) 326206

13, Makataev St., 480002 Almaty

tel: 301485 fax: 301655 who@kaznet.kz

67, Tole bi St., 480091, Almaty

tel: 582637/43

56

57

58

Chief of Administration HnaBa AflMUHMCTpaLinn

Head of Planning Department HananbHkiK flenapTaMeHTa nnaHMpoBaHun M e m b e r of EFA Working Group MneH paöoHefi rpynnw no OflB

Mr. Kamit Satkeev * r-H KaMMT CaTKeeB *

M s . Larissa Miroshnichenko * r-wa JlapMca MnpotuHUHeHKO *

M s . E m m a Kazarinova * r->Ka 3 M M a Ka3apnHOBa *

257, Tynystanov St., 720040 Bishkek

tel: (996312) 662442 fax: (996312) 662444

257, Tynystanov St.,720040 Bishkek

tel: (996312)662442 fax:(996312)662444

257, Tynystanov St.,720040 Bishkek

tel: (996312) 662442 fax:(996312)662444

33

International and National N G O s MexcflyHapoflHbie M HaMMOHanbHbie

Hno Centre for Public Opinion Llemp OömecTBeHHoro MHeHUfl

National Observatory of Kyrgyzstan HauHOHanbHan o6cepBaTopn« KbiprbiacTaHa Save the Children U K CnaceHne AeTeii (BennKo6pmaHnn)

U N Agencies AreHTCTBa O O H

UNICEF Kyrgyzstan K D H U C E O Kbiprbi3CTaH

TAJIKISTAN TAfl>KMKMCTAH

Official Delegation O d p M M M a n b H a n AejieraMMfi

Ministry of Education MMHMCTepCTBf) o6pa30BaHMfl

International and National N G O s Me)KAyHapoAHbie vt HauMOHa/ibHbie

Hno Information Education Centre MHCpOpMaUMOHHbIM

06pa30BaTe/1bHblM

L(eHTp

Save the Children U K CnaceHue AeTeíí (BejiMKo6pnTaHnn)

59

60

61

62

Director AupeKTop

Expert 3KcnepT

Director AupeKTop

Programme Manager MeHe/VKep nporpaMMbi

M s . Elvira llibezova * r-wa 3ribBnpa Hnn6e30Ba *

Mr. Nurbek Asanbayev r-H Hyp6eK AcaH6aeB

M s . Anar Beishembaeva * r->Ka AHap BeuweM6aeBa *

Mr. Terence Alan Giles r-H TepeHC AnaH Anemic

24 Ibraimova St. Bishkek

tel: (996312)255198 epos f@sdnp.kyrnet.kg

24 Ibraimova St. Bishkek

tel: (996312) 255198 epos f(5>sdnp.kyrnet.kg P.O.Box 1100, 720038,

Bishkek tel +(996 312)66-32-47

tel/fax: + (996 312) 66-53-06 E-mail: anar@mail.kg

27, Logvinenko St. Bishkek,

Tel: (996312)664839 Fax:(996312)664475

tgiles@scuk.kg

63

64

Kyrgyzstan Programme Assistant AccMCTeHT nporpaMMbi no Kbiprbi3CTaHy Kyrgyzstan Programme Assistant AccucTeHT nporpaMMbi no Kbiprbi3CTaHy

M s . Aigerille Kobegenova r-wa Akirepuxib KoöereHOBa

M s . Gulsana Turusbekova r-wa TyjibcaHa Typyc6eKOBa

160, Chui Ave., 720040, Bishkek

tel: (996312) 611211/224 fax:(996312)611191

160, Chui Ave., 720040, Bishkek

tel: (996312) 611211/224 fax:(996312)611191

65

66

First Deputy Minister nepBbiM 3aMecTHTe/ib MMHMCTpa

Mr. Abdulbashir Rashidov * r-H A6myn6aujMp PaaiMflOB *

Mr. Tavykal Malikov * r-H TaBbiKan MajiwcoB *

Dushanbe

67

68

69

Director AupeKTop

Deputy Director 3aMecTHTejib flMpeiaopa

Programme Specialist Cneu.ua/incT nporpaMMbi

Mr. Alisher Rakhmanberdyev * r-H Arwiuep PaxMaHÖepflbieB *

M s . Zarina Rajabova * r-wa 3apnHa Pafl)Ka6oBa *

M s . Zainab Boboeva r-xca 3aÜHa6 Eo6oeBa

BukhoroSt, 10/1-17,734025 Dushanbe

tel: (992372) 215808 fax:(992372)215808

BukhoroSt, 10/1-17,734025 Dushanbe

tel: (992372) 215808 fax:(992372)215808

1, proezd, Sh Rustavelj 14, Dushanbe

tel: (992372) 214023 fax:(992372)510075

34

Soros Foundation riporpaMMa <t>0HAa Copoca

Others Apyrue

International Fund of Election Systems Me>KflyHapoflHbiíí (DOHA M36npaTenbHOü CMCTeMbl

TURKMENISTAN TYPKMEHUCTAH

Official Delegation OdpMunanbHan qejieraijMfl

UN Agencies AreHTCTBa O O H

UNICEF Turkmenistan KDHHCE0 TypKMeHMcraH

UZBEKISTAN Y3BEKMCTAH

Official Delegation OdpMUManbHan nejierauMn

Republican Center for Public Education PecnyôxwKaHCKMM U,6HTp HapcflHoro 06pa30BaHnn

International and National NGOs Me)tcflyHapoAHbie M HauHOHanbHbie

Hno ' F A C T ' Social Research Agency 06ujecTBeHHoe HccneflOBaTeribCKoe AreHTCTBO " 0 A K T "

70

71

Programme specialist CneunanMCT hporpaMMbi

Mr. Bakhtiyar Azizmamadov r-H BaxTMnp A3M3MaMaflOB

Mr. Azim Bayzoev r-H A3HM BaÜ3oeB

1, proezd, Sh Rustaveli 14, Dushanbe

tel: (992372) 214023 fax:(992372)510075

72 Project Manager MeHeA>Kep npoeiaa

Mr. Christopher Shield r-H KpncTO(pep LUMJIA

73 74 75

76 Turkmenistan Programme Assistant AccHCTeHT nporpaMMbi no TypKMeHHCTaHy

M s . Jeannette Shikhmuradova r->Ka PfKaH&r LUnxMypaflOBa

40, Atabayeva St., 744013 Ashgabad

tel: (99312) 350831 fax: (99312)420830

77

78

79

Director Anpenrrop

First Deputy Minister nepBbiM Bnqe-MMHMCTp

Deputy Head of Department for Secondary and Specialised Education

M s . Gulyandon Alimova * r-aca rynflHflOH AniiMOBa *

Mr. Rustam Akhlidinov * r-H PycraM A X T M A M H O B *

Mr. Shukur Pulatov * r-H UJyxyp flynaTOB *

5, Mustakilik Square,700079 Tashkent

tel: (99871)1391500 fax:(99871)1394329

5, Mustakilik Square.700079 Tashkent

tel: (99871)1391500 fax: (99871)1394329

80 Director Anpeiaop

Mr. Shukhrat Abdullaev * r-H LUyxpaT A6Ay/i/iaeB *

122, Pushkin St. Tashkent,

tel/fax: (998712) 68 55 66

35

National Observatory HauuoHasibHafl 06cepBaTopnfl

U N Agencies AreHTCTBa O O H

U N E S C O Office ripeflCTaBMTenbCTBo H D H E C K O

UNICEF Uzbekistan KDHMCEO) Y36eKncTaH

EMBASSIES IN K A Z A K H S T A N

Embassy of Canada riocojibCbBo KaHaflbi

Embassy of Israel riOCOJlbCTBO rocyflapcTBa M3pannb

Embassy of Japan riOCOJlbCTBO flnOHMH

Embassy of Turkey riOCOJlbCTBO TypeMKOM PecnyojiMKn

Embassy of Turkmenistan

Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Nothern Ireland

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

Director HnpeKTop

Head of Office HnaBa flpeflCTaBHTenbCTBa

Uzbekistan Programme Assistant A C C M C T S H T riporpaMMbi no y36eKMCTaHy

Ambassador riocon

Ambassador riocon

Attache ATTaiue

Ambassador riocon

Consul KoHcyn

DFID AenapTaueHT Me>KflyHapoflHoro pa3BHTMfl

M s . Irina Razilova * r-)Ka MpnHa Pa3nnoBa *

Mr. Barry Lane r-H 5apn JlaíÍH

M s . Yulia Narolskaya r->Ka KDiiMfl HaponcKan

Mr. Najeeb Mira r-H Hafl>KM6 Mupa

Mr. Israel May-Ami r-H Hcpaen Maii A M M

Mr. Toshimitsu Mori r-H ToujMMMTcy Mopn

Mr. Watanabe Hideto r-H YaTaHa6e XHfleTO

Mr. Cinar Aldemir r-H MuHap AnfleMHp

Mr. Anamurat Altyev r-H AHaMypaT AnTbieB

Mr. Jeremy Horner r-H ¿bxepeMu XopHep

Tashkent tel/fax: (998712) 1207843

ra2ilova(5ïonline.ru

6, Shodlik St., 700000, Tashkent

tel:(99871)1338010 fax:(99871)1321382

11,ObidObid Akhramkhodjaev St.,

700100, Tashkent

tel: (99871) 1738391/1738397

tel: 507215/16/17

tel: 913932

M a s s Media R o u n d Table Participants

YHacTHMKM K p y m o r o CTOjia pfw cpeflCTB MaccoBOM MHdpopMaujiM

Save the Children Fund AccoqHaqnn B 3am,MTy AeTeü

Eurasia Agency AreHTCTBO EBpa3nn

Association of Young Leaders Accoquaunn Monoflbix nnflepoB

91

92

93

94

Executive Director McnonHMTenbHbiíí flupeiaop

Assiciation Member MneH Accou.nau.mi

General Director TeHepanbHbiM flupeiaop

M s . Fauziya Ikambayeva r-wa Oay3nn l/lKaiwÖaeßa

M s . Larissa Popova r-wa JlapMca rionoBa

Mr. Garry Susllkov r-H l~apppn CycnuKOB

M s . Natalya Bakhmutova r-wa Haianbn EaxMVTOBa

36

'Best School' Ukojia "B3CT"

T V / Radio Channels TenepaflMOKaHanbi

'Khabar' Agency 3AO AreHTCTBO "Xa6ap"

'Rakhat TV' T O O 'PaxaT TV'

'31 Kanal' T O O TPK '31 KaHan'

'KTK' O A O 'KTK'

'Kazakhstan' 3AO PK TPK 'KaaaxcTaH'

Tan' T O O TPK 'TaH'

'Yuzhnaya Stolitsa' TPK 'IOwHafl CTonmia'

Press ripecca Kazakhstanskaya Pravda Ka3axcTaHCKan npaBfla

Vremya po / the Globe BpeMfl no / the Globe

Delovaya Nedelya AenoBaa Hep,enr\

Novoe Pokolenie HoBoe noKoneHMe

Panorama riaHopaMa

Al-Paris A^b-riapn

Kontinent KOHTHHeHT

TheTimes of Central Asia

The Almaty Herald

The Survey

Express K Sxcnpecc K

Nachnem s ponedelnika HaHHeM c noHeflenbHMKa

Yuridicheskaya Gazeta (OpuflHHecKan ra3eTa

95

96

97

98

99

100

101

102

Director Anpeicrop

President ripe3MAeHT

General Director reHepajibHbift flupeiaop

Manager ynpaBJiflKDLMMM

President ripeflceflaTenb ripaßneHnn

President ripe3MfleHT

General Director reHepanbHbiii Anpeicrop

M s . Rakhima Kuanyshbayeva r-wa PaxMMa KyaHbiLu6aeBa

Mr. Oleg Ostovidov r-H Oner O C T P O B M A O B

M s . Darya Klebanova r->Ka flapbfl KneoaHOBa

Mr. Armanzhan Baytasov r-H ApMaHwaH BaiiTacoB

Mr. Sergey Kleshenkov r-H Cepreü KnemeHKOB

Mr. Esetzhan Kosubayev r-H EcenKaH Kocy6aeB

Mr. Bakhytzhan Ketebayev r-H BaxbiDKaH KeTe6aeB Mr. Isaak Dvorkin r-H HcaaK flBopKMH

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

110

111

112

113

114

115

Head of Department

Deputy Editor-in-Chief 3aMecTMTenb TnaBHoro PeflaicTopa Editor-in-Chief rnaBHbiü peflaxTop

Editor-in-Chief rnaBHbiti peAaKTop

Director flupeKTop

Editor-in-Chief HnaBHbiM penaiaop

Editor-in-Chief rnaBHbiii peflaicrop

Editor-in-Chief HnaBHbiM peAaKTop

Editor-in-Chief nnaBHbift peAaKTop

M s . Natalya Todorova r->Ka HaTanbfl ToflopoBa

Mr. Rashid Dyusembayev r-H PaiuMfl flioceM6aeB

Mr. Serik Korzhumbayev r-H CepnK Kop>KyM6aeB

M s . Olga Malakhova r-wa Onbra ManaxoBa

M s . Lera Tsoy r-wa Jlepa L |OM

Mr. Askar Izbasarov r-H Acxap M36acapoB

Mr. Sultan Akhimbekov r-H C y m a H Axwvi6eKOB

M s . Marina Honina r-wa MapuHa XoHMHa

M s . Olesya Ivanova r->Ka Oneca HßaHOBa

Mr. Dmitri Lee r-H flMUTpuíí flu

Mr. Igor Shakhnovich r-H Mropb LLIaxHOBUM

Mr. Ramazan Esergepov r-H PaMa3aH EceprenoB

M s . Irina Uteulina r-xca MpnHa Yiey/iuHa

37

Zan 3aH

Mir Detstva Mup fleTCTBa

Radio P a n n o

Kazakhskoe Radio Ka3axcKoe paflno

Russkoe Radio Asia PyccKoe Paflno A S M «

Universities YHMBepCMTeTbl

Almaty State University AjlMaTMHCKMÜ rocyAapcTBeHHbiM YHMBepcuTeT M M . A6an

Al-Farabi Kazakh National State University Ka3axcKMÜ HaUMOHa/lbHblM yHMBepcMTeT M M . Axib-<t>apa6M

Kazakh University of International Relations and Foreign Languages KaaaxcKMM YHkiBepcmeT Mex<flyHapoAHbix OTHOUjeHMM M MkipOBblX fl3blK0B

Institute of International Professions HHCTMTyT MexcflyHapoflHbix ripocpeccMii

116

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

Editor-in-Chief HnaBHbiM peflaicrop

General Director TeHepanbHbiM flupeiaop

Deputy Dean of International Relations Department 3aMecTMTenb fleKaHa cpaxynbTeTa MeacayHapoflHbix OTHOUJeHMM

Dean of Journalism Department flei<aH dpaxynbTeTa >KypHanncTMKH

Chairman of International Relations 3aBeflyK>mnM KacpeApoü Me>KAyHapoflHbix OTHOiiieHMÍí

Rector Peiaop

Mr. Amir Sharafaddin r-H A M U P LUapaepaflflMH

M s . Larissa Aryutkina r-wa Jlapuca ApioTKMHa

Mr. Nurlan Unerbai r-H HypnaH YHep6aM

Mr. Aleksandr Makushin r-H AneKcaHflp MaKyiunH

Mr. Zhumart Simtikov r-H >KyMapT C M M T M K O B

Mr. Baurzhan Jakyp r-H EaypwaH >KaKbin

M s Panu Narbekova r->Ka riaHy Hap6exoBa

Mr.Rakhat Urazaev r-H PaxaT Ypa3aeB

175Zheltoksan Almaty

tel. 631968 of.634,13 Republic Square

Almaty tel 506653

13DostykStr. Alamty tel 917739

3 corp. 36 Temiryzeva St., Almaty

ap. 310, 200 Muratbaeva St.,

Almaty

5-a Patrice L u m u m b a St., Almaty

tel. 440711, 919447

Prepared by Mr. Bakhtiyar Ospanbayev

38

Appendix 3

Central Asian Education Forum 17-18 January 2002

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Evaluation F o r m

(Total Responses Added)

Please answer the following questions:

GENERAL

No.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Question

H o w well do you feel the objectives of the Education Forum were met? To ensure a broad understanding of and commitment to childrens rights and quality basic education within the context of the Global Movement for Children(GMC) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child ( C R C )

To ensure a broad understanding of the Dakar Follow Up (DFU) To generate dialogue amongst senicr education policy makers to endorse and prioritize commitments agreed to at the Global Education Forum, Dakar, 2000

To appraise current progress on the completion of national E F A action plans in the five Republics

To become acquainted with U N I C E F perspectives on childrens issues and education development in Central Asia

To become acquainted with U N E S C O perspectives on education development in Central Asia

Score% Very Not well well 5 4 3 2 1

34.6 34.6 15.4 3.8 3.8

42.3 38.0 11.5 3.8 3.8

19.2 42.3 23.0 11.5 3.8

15.4 57.6 19.2 7.6

42.3 42.3 11.5 3.8

38.4 46.0 7.6 3.8

39

SESSIONS

Session 1. U N I C E F presentation

N o .

7

Question

U N I C E F role in Education in C A R K and issues highlighted

Very Not useful useful 61.5

Score% Useful

38.4

Why? 1. System and useful information received 2. Vision of problems beyond one cointry and one

agency 3. Detailed information was presented 4. To develop education policy 5. U N I C E F presented clear tasks on E C D 6. Structure of presentations are not well thought and

not well perceived

U N E S C O presentations

No. Question Very useful

Score% Useful Not

useful

U N E S C O perspectives in education in the Asia- Pacific region and a mechanism to review and improve E F A action plans and issues highlighted

57.6 42.3

Perspectives on Education Reform, country and sub-regional issues and issues highlighted

42.3 57.6

Why*; 1. M a n y issues are not relevant to Kazakhstan 2. Additional information received that could help in

development of national action plans 3. All countries need reforms and problems can be solved

together 4. Individual approach to each country 5. Good agenda 6. Reforms and approaches are weak 7. Clear strategy and perspectives 8. Important for comparative analysis

40

Sessions 2. and 3. 'Country situations on EFA progress'

No.

10

Question

Country situations on E F A progress

Score% Very Useful Not useful useful 50 50

What do you find useful in the country presentations?

1. Direction of problems and ways of solving the problems

2. Variety of approaches; possible solutions of E F A issues

3. E F A progress in other countries

4 . Implementation and monitoring of issues

5. Development perspectives and situation analysis

6. Materials for comparative analysis of education systems, approaches

and measures taken

7. Officials do notunderstand the idea of E F A

8. Situation in secondary school

9. Practical activities in education

Session 4. "Establishment of Central Asian Education Forum" were:

No.

11

12

Question

Discussion on establishment of the Education Forum

Consensus and adoption of resolution establishing the Education Forum

Score% Very Useful Not useful useful 73 23

57.6 38.4

Were there any topics or information that were not presented in the Education Forum and you

would have liked to see included? If yes, please explain.

1. Time was not enough 2. Disabled children and inclusive schools 3. Discussion with N G O s to share experiences 4. Information exchange between partners 5. Structure, mechanisms and procedures of the Forum. Procedure

of selection of a civil society representative 6. Implementation mechanisms to gain the goals 7. More time for discussion on international cooperation and more

detailed information on international cooperation 8. Analysis of reasons for not implementing the E F A

commitments 9. Teacher training and re-training issues 10.Involvement of N G O s and mass media in the Executive

Committee work 11. Environmental education, h u m a n rights education, eduation

quality technical-vocational education and training

41

What did you consider the most important topic during the Education Forum?

1. Establishment of Education Forum 2. Early Childhood Development 3. All issues and topics were important 4. Interaction between Government and N G O s 5. Role of mass media in education reforms 6. Education development and perspectives of development and

involvement of state organizations 7. Coordination between international agencies 8. Textbook development, teaching methods 9. Development and introducing of new technologies in education lO.Organizational issues, indicators and E F A monitoring 11 .Country cooperation and contacts

No.

13

Question

Duration of the Education Forum (2 days)

Score% Too A little Just A little Too long long right short short

77 23

No.

14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23

24

Question

H o w did y o u find the practical organization of the Education F o r u m ? Overall administration Schedule / timetable Documentation accompanying presentations Translation of documents Language interpretation

Transportation (from/to airport) Accommodation Conference room and facilities Coffee breaks Lunch

Reception

Score% Good Fair Poor

84.6 15.3

65.3 34.6 81.0 19.2 92.3 7.6 80.0 15.3 3.8

80.0 3.8 15.3 92.3 7.6 96.2 3.8 96.2 3.8 96.2 3.8

96.2 3.8

Thank you for your cooperation!

42

Appendix 4

Presentations

Apeendix 4.1 U N I C E F s Role in Education in Central

Asian Republics and Kazakhstan Central Asian Education Forum

17-18 January, 2002 Almaty

Simon Strachan

Senior Program Officer

UNICEF CARK

Changes in G D P (1989=100) Income Inequality

-•— Central Europe

X- . South-East Europe

-*— Former Yugoslavia

«... Baltic States

-•— Central Asia

-9—Western CIS

-*— Caucasus

Central Europe

South-East Europe

Baltics

Western CIS

Caucasus

Central Asia

OECD

average

0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4

Gini Index

0.5 0.6

Child Poverty, end 1990s (millions) Kindergarten enrolment living on under living on under

$2.15 a day $4.30 a day Central Europe Former Yugoslavia South-East Europe Baltic states Western CIS Caucasus Central Asia

0.3 0.5 0.9 0.1 9.2 1.8 5.0

Total 17.8

4.0 2.4 5.7 0.7

26.8 4.3 13.7

57.7

80

70 -

60

50

% 40

30

20

10

0

- — Central Europe

» Former Yugoslavia

•*— South-East Europe

o... Baltic States

* — Western CIS

Caucasus

»... Central Asia

ft £> ,£- .£V £> ^ Äi ft p> Ä a c5 ft ft ft ft ft ft

<o to N 9> ft ,©i & a & ,8> ft ft ft ft ft

43

Upper Secondary Enrolment: changes 140

120

o 100

0. O

80

60

o> 40

20

Uzbekistan • •

Romania*

Slovakia^ ». * Czech Republic

Belarus » Ei

Kyrgyzstan Bulgaria

Kazakhstan* * «Lithuania #

Turkmenistan. Armenia» *Rusiia L a

• Azerbaijan

^ Ukraine Tajikistan •

Moldova Georgia

0 50 100 150

1999 upper secondary enrolment rates (1989=100)

m Identifying the Issues

Think globally, act locally, coordinate regionally.

• Global Initiatives • Global Movement for Children

• Education For All (EFA)

• Regional Frameworks • Warsaw (EFA)

• Bucharest, Budapest, Berlin, Stockholm

• National Plans of Action

Global Agenda: Three Outcome Areas

Adolescent / participation /

and developm

A World Fit for Children

• Expand and improve early childhood care and education, especially for the most vulnerable

• B y 2010, decrease children out of school by 50% and ensure at least 90% net enrolment

• B y 2005 eliminate gender disparities and achieve full gender equality by 2015

• Meet learning needs in child-friendly environments

• 50% improvement inadult literacy

• Meet learning needs ofadolescents (esp. lifeskills)

IjäP The Life-Cycle Approach

CO O O m

CO O O rn

3

Role of UNICEF CARK

" AREA LEVEL: Facilitate networking a m o n g the countries to produce knowledge and build capacity in achieving E C D and E F A

COUNTRY LEVEL: Assist countries to finalize action plans to

achieve E F A goals.

The Challenge is To ensure the right of every child to quality basic Education

44

Appendix 4.2

Vision and Strategies for Achieving EFA Goals by 2015

An Asia-Pacific Regional Perspective

A. H. A . Hakeem Co-ordinator, A P P E A L U N E S C 0 - P R 0 A P

J0MTIEN(12 Y R S A G O ) W H A T W A S ACHIEVED? • Reaching Policy Consensus and Agreement on EFA goals - A Remarkable Achievement • Adoption of an Ambitious Framework. • Establishing Clear Direction and Worldwide Action Towards Achieving EFA.

C L E A R ACHIEVEMENTS SINCE JOMTIEN

• Mobilizing Global Action to Improve Basic Education • Developing Knowledge Base and Analytic Capacity: Capacity to Monitor and Evaluate Greatly Enhanced; Effective Mechanism for Sharing Experiences on What Works • Identifying and Clarifying Areas Requiring Further Concerted Action

D A K A R F O R U M (April 2000) Remarkable Features Comprehensive Picture of the Status of Basic Education: • Presentation of a Global Synthesis Report • Most Comprehensive Picture Ever of the State of Basic Education • Unparalleled Store of Information • Identification and clarification of areas needing further concerted action • Renewed commitment to achieve EFA goals

T H E ASIA-PACIFIC PICTURE • Persistent gender gap in the large countries of South Asia • Need for educational management reforms in the changing economies of the Trans Caucasus and Central Asia. • The need to address the problems of youth in the particular circumstances of Pacific States • Need for sustaining EFA gains in economic crisis situations in East and Southeast Asia

OBSERVATIONS F R O M T H E ASIA-PACIFIC SITUATION • E C C E not extensively developed with the exception of a few countries • E C C E provision favours the better off urban population • Preoccupation with formal schooling and neglect of non-formal avenues • Participation rates have increased in nearly all countries along with increase of age appropriate enrolment • Improving quality of education is important and urgent

OBSERVATIONS F R O M T H E ASIA-PACIFIC SITUATION • Disparity favouring males was reduced in East and SE Asia but not in West and South Asia. A closer look at the problem revealed that the problem is most acute in remote areas and rural provinces of some countries. • While repetition and survival rates show improvement, many countries have introduced automatic grade promotion policies

OBSERVATIONS F R O M T H E ASIA-PACIFIC SITUATION • Not all targets were pursued with the same vigour. E.g. adult literacy and N F E were not accorded sufficient priority. • Remarkable progress in adult literacy in a few countries including China and modest progress in some others • In many countries NFE programmes were poorly funded • NFE and basic skills programmes are generally not linked to formal sector • A wide range of NFE providers • Diverse NFE client groups • Poor data on N F E programmes

45

Key Achievements of N G O s • Helped to give a more inclusive meaning to the word "all" in "education for all" • Helped encourage development of methodologies that seek to empower communities to be more assertive and independent • Integrated approaches to learning and development by creating links with other development sectors (income generation activities, health, agriculture) Challenges for N G O s • Strengthening collaboration with governments • Forging solidarity and sustainable partnership with other civil society organizations • Strengthening monitoring and evaluation • Collaborating with government to create synergy between formal and non-formal education

N E W G L O B A L A G E N D A Dakar Goals

• 1. Expanding and improving E C C E , especially for the most disadvantaged • 2. Ensuring that by 2015 all children, especially girls, children in difficult circumstances and from ethnic minorities have access to and complete free and compulsory primary education of good quality

NEW GLOBAL AGENDA Dakar Goals

• 3. Ensuring that learning needs of all young people are met through equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programmes. • 4. Achieving a 50% improvement in the levels of adult illiteracy by 2015.

N E W G L O B A L A G E N D A Dakar Goals

• 5. Eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005 and achieving gender equality by 2015. • 6. Improving all aspects of the quality of education to achieve recognized and measureable learning outcomes for all — especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

REGIONAL G O A L S Regional Meeting Jan 2000

Based on a vision of integrated Basic Education • Early Childhood and Care • Universal Basic Education • Basic Learning Programmes • Learning Achievements • Education of W o m e n and Girls • Literacy and Continuing Education • Life Skills and Values Early Childhood Care and Education • Provide child-centred, family-focused, community-based holistic care and education to pre­school children: special focus on the disabled and the excluded • Build capacity to improve quality of care and education • Improve data gathering and analysis

Universal Basic Education • Opportunity for ALL to receive a basic education of good quality - adapt to individual needs - Incorporate formal and non-formal approaches and programmes within an integrated inclusive system of basic education - Greater focus and commitment on reaching the unreached - Improve demand and increase supply through closer collaboration and partnership - Mitigate direct and indirect costs of basic education esp for disadvantaged - Use low cost more efficient options to provide B E

Basic Learning and Skills Programme • Develop skills and approaches for life and work in a rapidly changing world • Preserve cultural identity and cherished values • Relate basic literacy and numeracy skills to life skills • Integrate functional education into equivalency programmes

Learning Achievement • Adopt curriculum content and processes which are learner centred • Increasing focus on learning and development rather than only on growth of the system

46

• Recognize diversity of learning needs • Develop knowledge, skills and attitudes required for independent learning and problem solving • appropriate resources • Train teachers and educational managers to support curriculum reform

Education of W o m e n and Girls and Elimination of Gender Disparities • Eliminate systemic gender disparities • Promote the role of education as an instrument for equality and empowerment • Develop specific programmes, formal and non-formal in approach, to target increased enrolment, retention and completion of higher levels of education by girls and w o m e n Literacy and Continuing Education • N e w and effective approaches for achieving universal literacy in the next decade • Develop continuing education for life-long learning • Provide post literacy and continuing education to sustain and expand literacy skills

S T R A T E G I C OBJECTIVES • Investment and resource mobilization • N e w space for civil society • Education and poverty elimination • Equitable harnessing of new technologies • Enabling teachers and learning facilitators • Education management reform • Integration of development activities • Exchange of information, experience and innovations

Investment & Resource Mobilization • Need for govts and donors to increase funds for basic education • Rapid debt relief and new funding mechanism • Special attention to excluded and least accessible groups • Better mechanism of public policy planning that will lead to balance of influence of Finance ministers with advice of Ministers of Education, Health...

N e w Space for Civil Society • Broaden the way education is conceptualized, implemented and evaluated: greater involvement of N G O s , media, pvt sector, other civil society actors • Share decision-making responsibilities a m o n g actors • Support trend toward decentralization • N G O govt partnership

Education & Poverty Elimination • Stronger linkages between education policies/programmes, poverty alleviation strategies & public policy making • Stronger focus on more and better education for excluded groups • Education for life skills and employment • Decentralized micro planning and delivery of education services with community participation • Support N G O s working for the underprivileged Equitable Harnessing of Technology • Adopt technology policies that can enhance equity and redress disparities • Incorporate media and technology äs a learning tool • Use technology in continuing education

Enabling Teachers and Learning Facilitators • Enhance public perception of teachers • Incentives to attract and retain good teachers • Strong on-going support and professional development support for teachers, supervisors and managers • Adequate learning materials • Learning experiences and materials to ensure social and cultural relevance

Education Management Reform • Accountability of school system to learners, parents and communities • Development and monitoring of locally relevant indicators compatible with national standards and curriculum frameworks

47

• Increased emphases on decentralization of management along with access to a strong EMIS Integration of Development Activities • Partnership between govt, N G O s , donors in policy planning, implementation and monitoring: this means more than linking various components of EFA (ECCE,Literacy, Primary Education, Continuing Education)

Exchange of Information Experience and Innovations • Use technology to promote equitable exchange of experiences and innovations • Exchange to cover all dimensions of education:policy, curriculum, teacher education, evaluation...

SRF sub-regional forum • sub-regional mechanism to respond to requirements of the Dakar Framework of Action • 4 SRFs in the Asia-Pacific Region • SRF for East and South-east Asia:

-10 A S E A N countries - 4 East Asian countries: China,

D P R K , Japan, Rep of Korea - EFA conveners plus other

multilateral/sub-regional organizations, bilateral donors and N G O s

Terms of Reference of SRF • Support establishment and operation of National EFA Forum • Support country level review, updating/formulation of National Plans through TA • Capacity building for implementation of EFA Plan • TA for data collection and analysis • Assist in resource mobilization of priority initiatives

SRF Work Modalities • Use of internet/IT as much as possible • SRF to report to M / S and to inter-agency working group • SRF to provide a venue for continuing dialogue on EFA related activities and share EFA experiences and challenges • Regular monitoring and major reporting of progress every 5 years • Annual meeting with National EFA Co-ordinators to share progress and issues • Co-operation at country level through catalytic sub-regional projects for country specific planning

Recent Recommendations from the High Level Group • 1 .Accelerate progress to sector plans that encompass EFA goals and consider both content and process • 2. Develop criteria/mechanisms for reviewing and improving National EFA Plans • W H A T R O L E S H O U L D THE C A R K EDUCAION F O R U M PLAY IN HELPING COUNTRIES T O IMPLEMENT THESE R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S ?

Concluding Questions • Did w e postpone the achievement of the Jomtien EFA targets? Will this happen to the Dakar targets? • H o w long can w e keep postponing? • H o w can w e create a new and greater sense of urgency to achieve EFA goals and targets? • H o w can w e strengthen political will and

collective will to achieve EFA goals? • H o w can the C A R K Education Forum create a greater sense of commitment among its members to achieve EFA goals?

48

Appendix 4.3

Central Asian Education Forum

Jorge Sequeira Head of U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty

Country situations

Overview

Kazakhstan

Kyrgysztan

Tajikistan

Uzbekistan

Turkmenistan

Regional issues

E C D

Education management and EMIS

Primary education

Learning achievements

Vocational and N F E

Challenges ahead

49

Country situations

Overview • Central Asia has a total population of over 52 million • All countries have either low or negative population growth, due to low birth rates and relatively

high emigration rates. Demographic pressure is light • Social and economic upheavals have caused social indicators to decline

Kazakhstan • Education L a w , June 1999, President's Programme of Information, 1997 • State Education Programme 2000-2005 • Gains from pre-independence times are in jeopardy • Pre-school enrolment, positive developments in 2000

Kyrgyzstan • Education L a w , 1996, "equal access to all citizens and free education in state institutions" • Public expenditure on education has not decreased but pre-school enrolment is in decline at around

8 % in 2000 • Emphasis on democratization and emergence of participation of civil society in education

Tajikistan • Education L a w , 1993 • Context of conflict, emigration and refugees (both internally displaced persons and external) • Lowest state budget expenditure in education • Pre-school enrolment and participation in serious jeopardy • Education Programme, 2000, calls for democratization of education

Uzbekistan • In terms of E F A , national programme for personnel training implemented since 1997 • Emphasis on re-training of teachers; technical and vocational education • State expenditure amongst the highest at over 8% • Pre-school enrolment remains a serious concern • Efforts to safeguard and maintain advantages from the past

Turkmenistan • Education governance is an issue; management and budgeting techniques • Basic education enrolments have declined as a whole • Share of social sector budget for education has declined • Issues in primary school sub-system

Regional issues

1. Early childhood development • Decline in enrolment rates; around 10.1% as of 2000 • Disparity in participation levels both between countries and between urban and rural areas • Gender disparity favouring male children in E C C E participation has emerged during the 10-year period • Decline in E C C E participation affected the ratio of new entrants to primary education with pre­

school exposure and • Level of internal efficiency in the primary education stage

2. Strategies to stabilize and expand E C D a) Urgent policy measures to mitigate negative impact of economic transition b) Definition of roles: state, communities, private sector c) Relationship between family, community and preschool system d) Development of reliable baseline information e) Integrated approach in the programming and implementation of activities by institutions working

in children's issues, ministries or international partners

50

3. Education management, decentralization of education • Delegation of authority to local levels (oblasts, raiyons) • Appraisal and development of the regulatory role of M o E S • Participatory approaches involving civil society (communities, parents, parental associations,

teachers) • Establishment and consolidation of M I S ; indicators for benchmarking, quality assurance,

monitoring and decision-making • Re-allocation of resources to improve quality without undermining quantitative past achievements • Transparency and accountability of finance management

4 . Access to and participation in primary education • Central Asia achieved universal primary education before Jomtien and Dakar, as reflected in

the apparent intake rates (AIR) and gross enrolment rates • Participation levels in P E and the degree of under- and over-age enrolment have been relatively

stable, with some variations in intake and participation • Both intake and enrolment rates are high, with little indication of gender disparity during the

decade • Country data show modest improvements in participation levels • Poverty at h o m e and unsupportive school environment are the main reasons for non-attendance • Decline in G D P as a whole, and prolonged financial distress, resulted in drastic decline in budget

allocations for education, although families and communities still value education highly • G a p between the size of the teaching workforce and number of enrolments in primary education,

which narrowed during 1992-1996, started to widen again from 1998

Whilst expenditure on primary education declined, survival rates and coefficients of efficiency actually improved. 5. H o w to achieve universal access to basic learning opportunities and skills

a) Emphasis on rural and remote areas b) Consideration of children with special needs (inclusive education) c) Provision of education services for poorest sections of society d) Balanced provision of education services including issues related to mother tongue as a medium

of instruction 6. Learning achievements

• Difficult to assess changes in learning outcomes over the decade unless instruments, sample selection and scoring methodology are comparable

• N o comprehensive, reliable evidence concerning changes in learning achievements • S o m e countries have undertaken studies in this area. N o national 'culture' of monitoring • Reassessment of the quality dimensions in the context of economies in transition • Modern and innovative teacher training programmes, upgrading and qualifications

7. Vocational and non-formal education (NFE) • Relevant to vocational and life-skills training for youth • Central Asia is characterized by networks of vocational colleges for the training of trade and

sub-professional personnel • Steady decline in the number of these institutions • Vocational training programmes aim at building commercial skills or providing information on

healthy lifestyles • Programmes to develop life skills of marginalized groups are implemented in all countries • N F E programmes are often implemented by community organizations with limited or zero funding

from government. It is difficult to present a comprehensive account • D e m a n d for N F E has increased in a wide variety of areas and for diverse client groups • Increase access to education services for marginalized groups • Minorities, refugees, internally displaced people, girls and w o m e n • Preventive education programmes in HIV/AIDS/STIs , substance abuse and healthy lifestyles

8. Challenges ahead Forum countries share a number of c o m m o n characteristics; do they share the same education

aspirations? • Formulation and implementation of educational reform policy and strategies • Improved management and financing mechanisms

51

Decentralization of decision-making and management Adequate budget provision to ensure access to education for all school-age children Increased private sector investment in education at all levels through incentive schemes Increased access to quality E C C E and primary education Expansion of pre-school facilities and programmes Integration of children with special needs into general education establishments N e w standards for educational plans, curricula and textbooks N e w norms for class size, teachers' working conditions and workload In-service training programmes for education personnel, including education managers Restructuring and re-orientating of vocational institutions and programmes Expansion of vocational education institution network Establishment of independent commissions to measure pupils' learning outcomes Increased use of media for educational purposes Continued development of E M I S using modern IT Active participation of family, parents, communities, and N G O s in the education process at all levels

Strategy ' . . . n e w visions for n e w countries...'

Appendix 4.4

Speech by the Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the "Education For All Forum" (EFA) in Central Asia, 17-18 January 2002, Almaty

Education For All in Central Asia

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear colleagues,

For any state, including Kazakhstan, progressive policy in the field of education is a priority objective in both tactics and strategy.

The participation of Kazakhstan in the World movement "Education For All" (EFA) has allowed us to realize two main objectives:

1) To assess the achievements and disappointments in E F A in the ten years following the acceptance of global objectives of education for all in Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990

2) To define strategy objectives and actions which facilitate improving the quality of our education within the next five years, provide access to pre-school, out-of-school, primary professional and undergraduate education.

During the last decade in the education system of Kazakhstan, guided by the decision of the Forum, a great deal of work was conducted at all levels.

In M a y 2001, with the U N E S C O Liaison Office and the Soros-Kazakhstan Fund, a pilot project 'Quality of primary education: process of monitoring and improvement' was implemented. The project's goal was to develop a mechanism of long-term monitoring aimed at improving the system of control and assessing the quality of knowledge, skills and abilities of pupils, the professional level of teachers, educational programmes and textbooks.

At the current stage of the state education programme, adopted in 2000, special activities have been implemented to achieve objectives set for each level of education.

At the 2001 congress of specialists in education and science, there was discussion of the initial results of their work, and ways to create legal, scientific-methodological conditions for further reform and development of the existing education system of the country.

Today, as the economy stabilizes, the education system is adapting itself to market economy conditions, rationalizing its structure and network, modernizing mechanisms and increasing the volume of financing.

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There is a changed financing system, formed on a normative legal base. For the year 2000-2001, more than 120 Governmental Decrees were adopted, dealing with the

production of fundamental documents in education. I would like to point out that during the preparation of these documents, E F A policy priorities were taken into consideration. (Slide #1)

In the national model for education, both in the Republic of Kazakhstan and in the whole world, pre­school care and education play an important role. A s everyone knows, the initial step in the formation of personality is the system of pre-school education and care. The whole pre-school education system was completely destroyed in the period of economic destabilization. Today the system manifests significant positive changes. In 2001, the number of preschool institutions increased by 23 units to a total 1,167 units, and the contingent of pupils in pre-school institutions increased tol46, 200 children. (Slide #2). The proportion of children in kindergartens rose to 15%. Pre-school institutions that had been closed were reopened. Most pre-school institutions were reopened in the oblasts of West Kazakhstan (eight kindergartens), Kyzyl-Orda (eight kindergartens) and North Kazakhstan (five kindergartens).

The number of pre-school classes in secondary schools and kindergartens is growing constantly. In 2001, 1,141 additional pre-school classes were opened in secondary schools and 286 pre-school groups in pre-school institutions, which enabled the compulsory pre-school programme to include 226,700 children or 82% of five to six-year-old children, as against 20% in 1998. (Slide #3).

In August 2001, a competition was held on the development of teaching-game aids for pre-school. Authors' collectives developed 19 teaching-methodological packages in Kazakh and Russian. From September 1, 2002, trials are planned in 64 secondary schools and pre-school institutions for the first generation of training-methodological children's books and teaching-methodological packages, which will be distributed to more than 220,000 pre-school pupils in the educational year 2003/2004.

Jointly with U N I C E F and the Step B y Step Centre of the Soros Fund Kazakhstan, work has been developed on the 'Model Pre-school Class' project, and it is being implemented in Kyzyl-Orda oblast and the Semey region, where pre-school classes are equipped with children's furniture, toys, books and visual aids.

For a more complete inclusion of children in pre-school institutions, future plans include gradual transition to shared financing, in particular, paying for educational services out of budget resources; and maintenance and strengthening of basic materials - paid for by contributions from parents, excepting those receiving social support.

With the support of U N I C E F the project has contributed to re-training more than 60 specialists from educational bodies, teachers and directors of schools with model pre-school classes. Teaching materials for children and parents are developed in Kazakh and Russian.

Secondary education is the basic level in the system of continuous education and includes secondary general and primary professional education.

In the Republic of Kazakhstan, there are 8,068 secondary schools (not counting special correctional institutions for children with limited abilities of development). A s a medium of instruction, 3,648 (45.2%) use Kazakh, 2,321 (28.8%) use Russian, 1,999 (24.8%) use both, 82 (1%) use Uzbek, 14 (0.2%) use Uigur, 3 (0.03%) use Tajik, and 1 (0.01%) uses Ukrainian. (Slide #4).

In 102 republican schools 17,018 people study 10 national languages: German, Polish, Ukraine, Uigur, Korean, Dunganish, Tatar, Turkish, Azerbaijan, Kurdish. In 77 Sunday schools 1,969 persons study 14 languages.

In schools using Kazakh, Russian and Uigur as languages of instruction, one hour of language study is introduced in grades 10 and 11. Where required, there are activities to improve their knowledge of Kazakh. In 2001, the number of schools in the Republic teaching wholly in Kazakh, increased by 103 units.

The U N E S C O Association of Schools conducts important and relevant work: the training aid 'Peace and Tolerance in Our House' , for students of senior grades, was developed and distributed in Kazakh and Russian.

In 2000, with the assistance of the U N I C E F Permanent Liaison Office, 10 schools in Kazakhstan were included in the network of associated schools of U N E S C O , and were awarded U N E S C O certificates.

53

For the first time an experiment was conducted in the Republic on the combination of final examinations for secondary school and the entrance examinations for higher educational institutions. 96.8% of pupils had successful final examination results, including 20 students gaining an 'excellent' grade. Undoubtedly, the above-mentioned results indicate good prospects for the development of the experiment. Meanwhile, gymnasiums, lyceums, new types of schools, and private and village schools in various regions of the republic need to be involved.

There are actions targeted on the discovery and selection of talented young people. M o r e than three thousand gifted children are registered at present in the Daryn Centre databank.

In 2001, 54 of our pupils took part in international subject Olympiads and scientific project competitions. They w o n 11 gold, 5 silver and 16 bronze medals. In the same year, for the first time at an international Olympiad between 82 countries, the Kazakhstan team w o n an honourable fourth position.

Textbooks and training-methodological packages were introduced in primary school and fifth grade in Kazakh, Russian and Uigur. This year, textbooks for the first grade have been redeveloped and supplemented with the comments and suggestions of teacher-practitioners, scientists and parents, and have been prepared for reissue. Textbooks for grades six to nine are undergoing trials in 77 supporting schools.

In 2001, for the first time, projects were developed including educational programmes on Kazakh language and literature, the history of Kazakhstan for secondary schools and the study of teaching materials for Orkhono-Yenisey Old-Turkish literature. With the Asian Development Bank a joint project: 'School library' was carried out, for which there was a reallocation of the resources of the A D B loan and U S $ 2 million was allocated for the purchase of books and textbooks for school libraries.

The position of children and adolescents needing state support and their social protection have improved under the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan. These include: " O n education", " O n children's villages of family type, and youth houses", the Governmental Decree of 17.05.2000 #738 " O n sizes and sources of social assistance to needy citizens during the period of their receiving an education", " O n the employment and provision of accommodation for graduates of educational institutions among child orphans and children left without parents' guardianship". In 2001, 6 children's villages of family type and 10 youth houses were opened.

In 2001, the first republican competition: 'The best kindergarten of the year', was organized jointly with the U N E S C O Liaison Office.

The activity of these institutions is directed at correction and compensation during the education and care process. The targets are deficiencies in development, preparing pupils for community work, psychological adaptation and rehabilitation. Such rehabilitation is conducted in various kinds of educational institutions (special boarding schools, special schools, training at h o m e on individual programmes). At present there are 103 institutions, where 18,700 children are cared for and educated. O f the total number of special correctional institutions, subsidiary schools, available in all oblasts, make up 55%.

W e are in the process of opening centres for the psychological-pedagogical rehabilitation of children with behavioural problems, and creating classes for compensatory education for children with school and social maladjustment.

There is continuous development of the network of centres for rehabilitation and therapy, which offer optimum conditions for the dynamic observation and examination of children with health problems, by psychologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, defectologists and speech therapists. These specialists develop the abilities of a child, using all available resources, using therapeutic and rehabilitation procedures; they observe, examine and diagnose the extent of damage, and the causes and types of problems that can occur during the process of a child's development.

In 12 oblasts, and in Astana and Almaty oblasts (City) there are interagency psychological-medical-pedagogical consultations successfully operating, which render duly competent assistance to the people through examination of the psychological health of children and adolescents, diagnosis of psychological damage and finding solutions to problems of care, education and treatment of children from birth to majority.

In accordance with the mission of the Head of the State to include information technology in the secondary education system, each of the above institutions will be equipped with computer technology and special

54

programmes, "Screen reader" and "Visual speech", for children with defective vision and hearing. The state and public organizations are actively cooperating to support programmes for special education

within the U N E S C O Project 'Assistance with the basic education of children with special needs'. At present there are negotiations with the Asian Development Bank to prepare a loan for a programme,

'Development of w o m e n and education of early age children', whose implementation will lead to significant improvement in the accessibility of pre-school education and the protection of children's health in South-Kazakhstan, Zhambyl and Almaty Oblasts.

The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the U N I C E F Liaison Office have signed a n e w country programme of cooperation for the years 2000-2004:

Programme for the survival, development and protection of mother and child under five

Programme for child enrichment - six to 12 years of age Programme for the well-being of young people -13-18 years of age.

For the above five-year period about 4.5 million U S dollars will be spent out of regular U N I C E F resources, and up to 7.5 million U S dollars will be budgeted from additional funds.

There is fruitful cooperation with the non-governmental organizations: 'Step B y Step' Education centres; 'Effective School' Centre, the Association of Initiative Schools, 'Youth Achievement' Fund and the Akbota League make significant contribution to the development of children with special needs.

In 48 experimental schools during the new school year, six-year-old children are being taught in the 12-year education programme. It should be noted that these are our first steps in this direction, and here w e need the financial and counselling assistance of U N E S C O .

In September 2001 the computerization of all schools of the republic was completed ahead of schedule. For the further development of information technology the concept of computerization of the education

system was confirmed by the Government in August 2001, and a draft was prepared of the State programme of computerization of the Republic of Kazakhstan education system, which covers all levels of education.

U N E S C O Institute of information technology in education delegated the focal-point right to the Republican scientific-methodological centre of information technology in education, which gives Kazakhstan the right to be involved in large-scale research by U N E S C O in the development of pedagogical opportunities for information-communication technology teaching in education. This is especially vital for our state, which has 6,218 village schools.

A n important step is being made in the operative management of education - Kazakhstan is introducing the education management information system (EMIS). Currently, the first stage has been completed -connecting the corporate telecommunication network and education management organizations in the oblasts. The result is that w e have are able to receive and send information by eight operating subsystems. The second stage - connection to the system of raiyon (urban) education departments - is on the verge of completion.

There is continuing development in the installation work of the interagency 'Internet for schools'. 857 schools n o w enjoy Internet services, 300 of them village schools. A s everyone knows, the Internet is a vast information resource, which is w h y the Ministry of Education is working to classify subjects suitable for children's education on the Internet through the selection of special scientific-cognitive, educational programmes. A project was developed with specialists of 'Kazakhtelecom' to provide access to the Internet for village schools with a single unit of management.

Because of the level of computerization achieved in Kazakhstan, U N E S C O enabled us to conduct a pilot project in the organization of distance learning for village schools in 6 oblasts.

In October 2000 the U N E S C O Cluster Office organized a seminar 'Strategic planning of education and introduction to the E M I S strategy' for the specialists of oblast education organizations. The purpose of the seminar was to assist the introduction of the State 'Education' programme.

After the presentation of the first stage of E M I S and discussion of its implementation the participants of the conference recognized the work as completed and recommended developing the second stage of E M I S as a pilot project in Almaty, Mangistau, South-Kazakhstan oblasts and Astana City.

The international conference 'Professional-technical education in the 21st century', which was held in Kazakhstan in M a y 2001 with participation of U N E S C O , has demonstrated the importance of training

55

highly-competent specialists for the young Republic, and w e hope for the support of U N E S C O in the development of primary professional education in our country.

In December 2001, the U N E S C O Cluster Office in Almaty held a conference on 'Indicators in the education system of Kazakhstan'. Specialists from the Republican Centre for Computerization of Education developed 13 forms on the basis of indicators presented by U N E S C O . These indicators covered information on pupils and teachers of primary, basic and secondary school. O n the basis of the presented forms, U N E S C O Consultant M r . Klod Sovajo was able to analyze the efficiency of the database.

The law ' O n education' determined the following structure for higher professional education to meet the requirements of the International standard classification of education (ISCE):

1. Higher education (Bachelor's degree) with the 4-year term of education with assigned qualification and academic degree of 'bachelor'

2 . Higher education (Master's) with the term of education on the basis of bachelor's degree of two years and on the basis of higher special education - one year of education with assigned qualification and academic degree of 'master's'

Alongside the international norms of the structure of higher professional education and parallel to it, the following structure is preserved:

3. Higher special education with assigned qualification of a specialist "with higher professional education";

Kazakhstan was one of the first of the republics of the former Soviet Union to change to the n e w principles of student selection for higher educational institutions. N o w the state guarantees to its citizens higher professional education on a competitive basis, with the allocation of state educational grants and state educational credits. (Slide #5).

In the academic year 2001, work was begun on increasing the academic scholarships and credits underwritten by large native and foreign companies, enterprises and firms. The work is conducted in strict accordance with determined strategic tasks for the system of higher education of the country: development of a new national model of education aimed at the formation of creative personality, and it provides a qualitative transition of models suggested by U N E S C O from 'Education For All' to 'Education For Each' .

The Institute of Accreditation of Higher Educational Institutes was introduced, In accordance with the Dakar Agreement on the development of an efficient native system of management, and according to international requirements for mechanisms to determine the quality of specialist training

Today in the Republic, out of 305 higher educational institutes and affiliates only 59 higher educational institutes have been accredited, including 36 universities, 14 academies and nine institutes. W e plan to develop and improve the system of accreditation indicators; however w e would like our institutes to achieve international accreditation, so on this issue w e count on your support.

A s a result of the restructuring of the network of higher educational institutes since 2001, special status was given to eight leading state institutes of higher education and 18 regional universities were defined. With the purpose of preserving the success of higher schools, further development of higher education in Kazakhstan, under the support of President N.A.Nazarbayev and V . V . Putin, an affiliate of M o s c o w State University (named after M . V . Lomonosov) was opened in Astana City modelled on the Eurasian State University (named after L . N . Gumilev).

In performance of the Decree of the Government of August 3,2001 #1027 ' O n creation of Kazakhstan-British Technical University' the Ministry is working on creation of the said university in Almaty City. It is anticipated that the university will teach specialists for the oil and gas sector of the country's economy through programmes from English universities.

This is the beginning of a process of transition to the formation of multi-profile universities of classic type, on the basis of the association and combination of affiliate and regional higher educational institutes, which perform not only the functions of an educational institution but are acknowledged scientific and cultural centres of the region. They perform their tasks by taking into account regional demands, and react flexibly to labour market demands.

Naturally, a university education is impossible without science. In world practice, academic

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conglomerates, consisting of educational institutions and scientific-research institutes are operate successfully. This serves as a real basis for the integration of science and education and promotes implementation of a single scientific-technical and educational policy in the country. This is evidence of the fact that the process of integrating science and education is one of the main priorities of the 21st

century. The integration will put into practice the principle of 'Education through science'.

For accelerated development of cooperation to implement the principles of 'education for all', w e need the support of U N E S C O to expand the network of U N E S C O departments in higher educational institutions of Kazakhstan and provide accessibility of books, monographs and reference materials issued by U N E S C O in Kazakh and Russian.

The training of specialists for foreign countries as a key focus of international activity requires modernization of the basic material of higher schools, strengthening of methodology, and improving the coordination of international programmes for education development.

Implementation and development of external contacts in the field of education attracts more than 20 million U S dollars annually in the form of stipends, grants, investments in joint projects, etc. More than 20 international agreements, contracts, protocols and memorandums are signed, over 4,000 citizens of our country receive education abroad, and more than 3,000 foreign citizens from more than 20 countries study in Kazakhstan each year.

The independence of Kazakhstan and its abruptly increased role on the international stage persistently d e m a n d expansion of international policy in education, establishment of direct contacts with representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations engaged in issues of education, and joining the largest international organizations for the purpose of participating in joint educational programmes.

In the modern conditions of economic development, international cooperation is a significant factor in solving numerous problems in education. W e express our sincere gratitude to U N E S C O , U N I C E F , the World Bank, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Fund for Education, the Asian Development Bank, and the 'Soros Kazakhstan' Foundation for financial assistance to the education system education of Kazakhstan.

While speaking about the development of the education system in Kazakhstan, I would like to focus on possible prospects for cooperation:

1. Definition of approaches and methods of implementation of 12-year education in schools of Kazakhstan.

2 . Implementation of the creation of model pre-school classes in village secondary schools for five to six-year-old children. S o m e of the model classes will be funded by U N I C E F resources, and the support of U N E S C O in this activity is extremely important to us.

3. Expansion of the network of secondary schools, and opening schools for children with health deficiencies.

4 . Strengthening the basic material construction of pre-school institutions and fitting them with modern equipment.

5. Development of the systems of secondary general and primary professional education in villages.

6. Monitoring the performance of commitments accepted in Dakar, which will require assistance from the U N E S C O Institute of Statistics, with the objective of creating the national education statistics system, adapted to the international system.

In conclusion I'd like to express the hope that by the joint efforts of the state and public organizations of all countries, the 21st century will become 'the golden century' for education system of the whole world, since the strength of all h u m a n civilization is defined namely by its education.

Thank you for your attention.

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Appendix 4.5 Follow up

Dakar World Education Forum

Central Asian Education Forum Almaty/ 17-18 January 2002 Gulandon Alimova Director Republican Education Center Republic of Uzbekistan

Education for All Partnership: UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, World Bank, UNFPA, and other agencies

March 1990/Jomtien (Thailand) - World Conference on «Education for All»

December 1998/Tashkent (Uzbekistan)- UNESCO Regional Workshop on «Management, Policy and Information-in Education»

January 2000, Bangkok (Thailand) -Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on EFA 2000Assessment

April 2000/Dakar (Senegal) - World Education Forum

National Program of Uzbekistan on Personnel Training 1997-2001: First Stage - creation of legal,

personnel, scientific-methodological, financed

and technical-material conditions for the reforn

2001-2005: Second Stage- large-scale implementation of the National Program, its

adjustment and correction with the

consideration of accumulated experience of execution, the development'of labour

market, and socio-economic conditions

2005 and subsequent years: third stage -

improvement and further development of

the personnel training system on the base of analysis and generalisation of accumulated

experience in accordance with the perspectives socio-economic development of country.

5-7 September 2001 (Tashkent) -

international conference on the result of implementation of the first stage of reform

Examples of Non-Formal Educational Institutes G Establishment of Community Learning Centres (CLC) in co-operation with UNESCO)

G 1999-2001: seven CLC were established in Uzbekistan:

1. School No.21 (Mirzaabad district, Syrdarja province)

2. Provincial educational department of Namangan

3.School No.8 (Bukhara)

4. School No. 12 (Izbaskan district, Andijan province)

5. School No. 39 (Shavat district/ Khorezm province) 6. School No. 21 (Nukus district, Karakalpakstan)

7. School No. 5 (Samarkand)

- December 2000 - December 2001:

Organised five seminars for CLC (Namangan, Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, Andijan)

- UNESCO's "Training manual for small scale enterprise" was translated, adapted and published in Uzbek

Development of H u m a n Resources Formal Education System - preschool

- primary

- secondary

- vocational-technical - higher (including post graduate and

doctoral)

- Non-Formal Education System - out of school youth

- life-long education and training

courses - adult education

- distance education

of

58

Indicators of the «Education for All» Program Republic of Uzbekistan

Indicators

Indicator 1

Indicator 2

Indicator 3

Indicator 4

Indicator 5

Indicator 6

Indicators 7

Indicators 8

Indicators 9

Indicators 10

Indicators 11

Indicators 12

Indicator 13

Indicator 14

Indicator 15

Indicator 16

Indicator 17

Indicator 18

Description

Gross enrolment ratio in early childhood development programs (Governmental, private,, community)

Percentage of n e w entrants to Grade 1 with E C D exposure (not less than 200 hours)

Apparent (gross) intake rates in primary education (7 years of age till 1 October of current year)

Net intake rates in primary education

Gross enrolment ratios in primary education

Net enrolment ratios in primary education

Public expenditure on primary education as percentage of G N P

Public expenditure on primary education as percentage of totar'public expenditure on e

Percentage of primary school teachers with required academic qualifications

Percentage of certified primary school teachers

Pupil-teacher ratio

Average repetition rate of Grade 1 to Grade 5

Survival rate to Grade 5

Coefficient of efficiency

Percentage of grade 4 pupils achieving basic learning competencies

Literacy rate of population aged 1524

Adult literacy rate of population aged 15years old and over

Literacy Gender Parity Index

1991/92

N / A

N / A

96,8 %

87,7 %

95,6 %

92,5 %

N / A

N / A

92,0%

8%

20

0,42 %

99,88%

99,9%

98,9 %

95,9 %

100%

100%

1998/99

N / A

N / A

98%

83,4%

99,6 %

87/8 %

N / A

N / A

94,4 %

5/6 %

21

0,08 %

99/89%

99.9%

98,9 %

99,3%

100%

100%

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Expected Results Continuing improvement and fulfilling the data base, through: 1) 18 indicators of the program «EducatronforAll» 2) Introduction of n e w technologies: - quantitative - qualitative - internal/external

Table: analyse of indicators

E F A Core Indicator

N e w Suggested Indicators

Gender balance a m o n g teachers

National Teacher-training capacity (ratio: annual capacity of teacher training institutions/demand for teacher training, Including retraining)

Advantages/ Weaknesses

Measure for gender balance

Measure for identification of development of national teacher training capacities/ Does not cover statistics related with teachers trained abroad

Expected role of International organisations

Elaboration of thematic studies on gender balance a m o n g teachers

Publication of adapted manual on the basis of thematic studies; Elaboration of educational modules for teacher, training institutions

Expected Results Annual thematic researches in the fields of: - pre-primary education - education of girls, disabled children, out of school youth, pupils in remote areas - n e w approach in learning system and life skills programs - adult education and functional literacy - quality of primary education

Expected Results Suggestions and recommendations for international organisations: - planning and management - monitoring - development of professional relations -meetings of potential donors

Suggested Researches Access to and participation in education what percentage of population, pre-school age (school age), has access to E C C D program (primary education)?

• what regional differences (social-cultural, gender, age) influence on the participation of all pupils in the education system?

• what percentage of children, enrolled to schools, finish successfully the primary education?

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Suggested Researches

Efficiency - rate of pupils, finished successfully the academic year, repetition, excluded from school (legal, social-economic and medical-psychological - rate of pupils finished primary and secondary, education, (average of learning period) - number of lessons, conducted by teachers during academic year

Suggested Indicators

Demographic/ geographic

Economic

Labour market

Social conditions

- Total population and of development - Population according to age and gender - Population according to religion and ethnic group - City and Rursf population - Climate and topography of region - G D P per capita - Rate of G D P development - Budget of Ministry of Public Education - External aid by donors - Whole able-bodied population according to gender - Employment and unemployment according to age, gender place - Interconnection of employment and education, salary - Indicator of life expectancy and noTpeÔHTejibCKaa Kop3HHa - Indicators of health care - Access to drink water, sanitation. - Life conditions of w o m e n and children - Migration (age, gender, place)

Exchange of Information

Planning department of Ministry of Public Education

Dat

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Mo

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ring

Statistics _ w

D e m a n d of information

Head and administrators of Ministry of Public Education

¡on

Nee

ds

for e

du

cati

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Assistan

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Schools and pre-schools Co-participation, support, information Potential pupils, parents of

+ pupils, representatives of

Thank you for your attention 3i>THÔopHHrH3 ynyH TamaKKyp

CnacHÖo 3a BHHMamie Thank you very m u c h indeed for your kind attention

61

Appendix 4.6 Central Asian Education F o r u m

Media roundtable "Role of the Media in Promoting Education Reforms and Partnerships"

17 January 2002

Remarks by Anne Müller, Information and Communication Officer U N E S C O Paris

I a m honoured to be with you today at the media roundtable which is being organized as part of the Central Asian Education Forum. I express m y sincere gratitude to the regional offices of U N E S C O and U N I C E F for taking this initiative and to M r Vlademir Polyakov of U N D P I for his professionalism in organizing it.

W h e n m y colleagues in the Almaty office invited m e to address this roundtable, I was delighted. First of all it was great news that the organizers of the Forum had decided to devote an entire roundtable to the question of Education for All and the media. This demonstrates the importance that is given to this issue in the Central Asian region.

Moreover, I was truly excited by the prospect of addressing such an eminent group of media professionals. I a m therefore very happy that you have taken the time to join us today despite the short notice and I look forward to our discussion on h o w to better involve the media in the Education for All movement in Kazakhstan. It is our hope that this roundtable will inspire other such initiatives not only in Central Asia but also in the rest of the world.

I a m here today to give you an overview of the global Education for All drive and the crucial role played by the media in promoting this movement. I will also identify some trends in education coverage worldwide and outline what U N E S C O is doing to improve the visibility of Education for All. The presentation will primarily focus on the global level and I will leave it to m y local colleagues to comment on the specific situation of education coverage in Kazakhstan as they are more familiar with the situation than I a m .

The Education for All movement took off in 1990, where educators and world leaders met in Jomtien, Thailand for the World Conference on Education for All. They adopted the expanded vision of basic education which sees education as learning throughout life covering the entire life-cycle from early childhood to old age. They also committed themselves to achieving Education for All, and set the objective of eliminating illiteracy by 2000.

So in April 2000, the world's leaders and educators met again to assess progress. This was the World Education Forum that was held in Dakar, Senegal a little less than two years ago. In Dakar it became clear that despite the effort since Jomtien the global situation of education remained unsatisfactory. S o m e 113 million children - 60 % of them girls - do not go to school. At least 880 million adults are illiterate and two-thirds of them are w o m e n . This is unacceptable because education is a fundamental human right. It provides children, youth and adults with the power to reflect, make choices and enjoy a better life. It breaks the cycle of poverty and is key in economic and social development.

With this in mind, 164 nations including Kazakhstan agreed at the Dakar conference to the Dakar Framework for Action which sets out six goals for E F A .

The six Dakar goals are: 1. Expand early childhood care and education. 2. Provide free and compulsory education of good quality by 2015. 3. Ensure that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through appropriate life-

skills programmes. 4 . Expand adult literacy by 50 per cent by 2015. 5. Eliminate gender disparities by 2005 and achieve gender equality in education by 2015. 6. Enhance educational quality.

62

In Kazakhstan and other Central Asian republics not all six goals are equally relevant as basically all children go to primary school and literacy rates among adults are high. However, the quality of education remains a major concern in all countries. It is not enough to put children into school they also have to learn and stay there. Moreover, all Central Asian countries face major challenges in the area of early childhood programmes, the management of education systems, the production of textbooks, life-skills training for young people and H I V / A I D S prevention.

W h a t has this to do with the media you m a y ask. Quite a lot. From the very beginning of the E F A movement the media was singled out as being a crucial partner in achieving the E F A goals.

National governments have the prime responsibility for providing education to all, but they cannot do this alone. Parliamentarians, teachers, business leaders, media organizations, parents, and civil society groups working in education must also be involved. They all play a key role because they are the ones that can mobilize governments and citizens to work towards E F A . Concerning the media, clause 74 in the Expanded Commentary of the Dakar Framework requires the E F A partners to engage with news media to promote, among other things, "informed coverage of education issues".

The role of the media is not only to inform the public about E F A and w h y it is important but also to link the global movement to national education systems and make E F A regionally relevant. Crucially, more and better communication of E F A issues could also raise questions about whether E F A goals are being achieved locally.

In short, w e need the media for two reasons. First, media organizations often have an agenda-setting function and play a crucial role in shaping

public opinion. Through the coverage of education issues they can mobilize popular pressure and motivate national governments and other E F A partners to fulfill their international commitments to E F A and allocate more resources to education.

Second, the media have the advantage of being able to reach people in every corner of a country and can therefore be central in creating a demand for education. In Brazil for example, a successful radio programme entitled " W a k e U p Brazil, it's time to go to school", headed by the Brazilian President Cardoso created n e w school places and encouraged poorer families to use them.

The question is n o w to convince you, the media people, to get more involved in education. One important issue here is to discuss the myth that education does not sell and that the public is not interested in education.

I would like to quote a study done in 1997 by the Education Writers Association in the United States. The study concluded that readers and viewers of education news were not finding what they wanted in the media though education was the topic that most interested them in their local community.

I a m happy that the national coordinator of U N E S C O ' s Associated School Network in Kazakhstan, M s Kuanyshbayeva, and the Director of the Association of Young Leaders, M s Natalia Bakhmutova, are with us today so that w e can have their views on this particular issue.

Having a journalist background, I a m convinced that education comprises everything that makes up a good story. First and foremost education is about people and their future. Ask parents about the education of their children and they all have an opinion about the school system, what works and what doesn't work, school fees, teaching methods, learning achievements, etc. There are also great hopes linked to education. Hopes for a better life, a good job, etc. Education is key to personal development as m u c h as it is the one of the absolute priorities of any country that wants to develop further. But education cannot be covered from a desk in an office. Education journalists need to "humanize" education, they have to go and talk to teachers, parents and the students themselves.

It is interesting to note that there seems to be a new trend in the education beat. A newspaper like the N e w York Times n o w carries education stories on its front page something that was close to unthinkable some ten years ago. A n d a major international newspaper like International Herald Tribune has a regular education supplement. In India many major newspapers have weekly education supplements and African countries such as Senegal and Kenya have established networks of education journalists to improve the coverage of education. A n Africa Education Journalism Award was recently launched to recognize the

63

best articles on education published in the African press. The Award is sponsored by prestigious media such as B B C , Radio France Internationale and Le M o n d e . A final example is from Lithuania where the Director of National Radio and Television is organizing roundtables with the aim of preparing a national E F A communication plan. This n e w trend in the coverage of education is probably due to the fact that education is n o w an international priority featuring on the agenda of such major gatherings as the G 8 .

W h a t is U N E S C O doing to promote media coverage of E F A issues? U N E S C O publishes a monthly electronic bulletin which provides information on E F A worldwide.

W e have an E F A website with up-to-date information on the situation of E F A at both national, regional and international levels and w e send out press releases on n e w figures and trends in E F A as well as publish press kits, documents and research on E F A through our media contacts around the world.

W e have also organized training workshops for education journalists in Africa, South Asia and Latin America and is currently working on designing innovative training methods for education journalists and senior journalists and managers like yourself about education issues and E F A . W e are convinced that good training could help raise the craft-skills levels among journalists and would encourage both E F A awareness and better and more coverage of education. Education is a complicated issue. It often involves tricky statistics and sometimes it is difficult for journalists to obtain information and in particular the right information which makes it hard to get the good education stories.

Finally, U N E S C O and other E F A partners are currently working on developing a global comprehensive strategy to operationalize the six Dakar goals. This strategy will include a communication and advocacy component, which U N I C E F will coordinate. Your ideas are of course most welcome.

W e would like to hear from you today h o w your media organization could get involved in the Education for All activities and the technical assistance, in particular in terms of training that you need from us.

Let us know what w e can do for you so that your media organization can play a more important and visible role in making Education for All a reality in Kazakhstan and the rest of Central Asia.

Thank you.

64

Appendix 4.7 KYRGYZSTAN PRESENTATION

Education for All Design and implementation of the national plan of action

A . Calendar of reforms 1992, Education Concept Document adopted by Kyrgyzstan after independence 1992, Education L a w adopted 1995, Presidential programme " H u m a n Resource Development of 21 S T Century" 1996, National Education programme "Bilim" 1999, Presidential programme "Zhetkinchek" (Access to Education) 2000, First congress of teachers, National Doctrine of Education in Kyrgyzstan 2001, L a w on the Status of Teachers 2002, Education Reform Concept Document to year 2010

B . Problems in education Access to education Quality Funding Management Staff Logistics Books, teachers' guides

C . Achievements in education Democratization and humanization of learning process Introduction of new subjects into basic education Equal opportunities for girls and boys Strengthening of international links

D . Actions after Dakar Forum National Working group established Strategies to meet the goals of Dakar Forum identified and linked to the new Education Reforms

Concept Document to 2010 year Promotion of E F A ideas in mass media, among academicians and parents In accordance with the goals and objectives of E F A , the M L A study in primary school completed 'Community-based E C C D ' pilot project launched and funded by A D B Pilot initiative launched on learning re-orientation for a sustainable future in primary schools Revitalization of basic education structure and standards carried out in 41 pilot schools

E . National plan of action • Draft National Plan of Action completed (December 2001) • Preliminary discussion of the Draft National Plan of Actions was conducted during:

a) Teachers' meeting, August 2001 b) Republican meeting of educators with the participation of the President of Kyrgyzstan,

November 2001 c) Workshop for pilot schools teachers, December 2001 d) U N I C E F Kyrgyzstan sessions, December 2001 e) E F A Working group meeting with participation of international organizations, ministries

and institutions, November 2001 • Preparation Process of the E F A National Plan of Actions was presented at the meeting at U N E S C O

headquarters in Paris, September 2001 F. Key strategies for the national plan of action implementation

1. Strategy areas • Policy development in basic education • E C D activities • Access to education • Improving the effectiveness and quality of basic education • Providing access and equal opportunities in quality basic education for girls and boys • Mobilizing market resources and support school initiatives

65

• Determining funding strategies • Improving school management • Secondary education for those w h o did not receive formal education • Developing adult education • Improving status of adult education • Developing adult education system 2. Expanding E C D programmes • Increase the number of pre-schools • Establish pre-school centres in the existing pre-school institutions and open pre-school groups • Develop alternative forms of pre-school education (Mother schools, etc.) • Develop standards of pre-school education for new generation • Develop training materials 3. Providing access • Individual support for students • Inclusive education programmes • Gender equality

• Preventive measures to combat antisocial behaviour of school age children 4. Supporting high standards of basic education • R e n e w education standards • Focus the content of education on sustainable future • Create reliable assessment systems • Develop books and teachers' materials of new generation • Support children with high learning achievements 5. Chart 84% rural schools; 16% urban schools 6. 41 pilot schools • One school is selected in each province of the country • Preference is given to rural schools • Advanced, flexible and well-trained staff • Availability of communication channels • Resource center to run try outs • M L A results are taken into account when reviewing national standards in education • Learning and expanding good practices of the pilot schools especially in teaching literacy,

numeracy and life skills • Introducing new technologies (IT) into the learning process, using multi-media equipment in education 7. Improving the mechanisms of ensuring quality basic education • Creating an independent assessment system • Developing key sections for tests and tests • Establishing resource centres of testing system in provinces • Try out in a number of provinces • Collaboration with independent assessment organization 8. Developing education system for adults • Support in-service teachers training programmes and ones for socially vulnerable groups of

population • Organize training courses for adults in skills to adapt to the market realities • Determine learning needs of adult population 9. Improving management in education • Deepen democratic processes • Competitive recruitment • Establishment and development of Guardianship Councils • Establishing funding committees • Reinforce quality control authorities: staff evaluation, accreditation, licensing • Education Management Information Systems • Establish Resource Centres and Counselling Services

66

10. Expanding Partnerships • Develop partnership between Ministries, departments, N G O s and public funds to achieve E F A goals • Establish and support associations, unions and funds with the aim of achieving E F A goals

• Family and community involvement in school life 11. Basic Education • Pre-school • Primary school • Basic School • High School

• Higher Institutes

Appendix 4.8

E D U C A T I O N F O R A L L 2000: TAJIKISTAN P R O G R E S S E V A L U A T I O N

Part I: Description

1. Tajikistan Education Goals and Objectives 2. Education Strategy 3. Decisions Making and Management 4. Cooperation in Education Sector 5. Investment in Education since 1990

Part H : Analysis 6. Goals and Objectives Achievement During 1990-1999 7. Education Strategy, Plans and Programme Efficiency 8. Main Problems and Expected Difficulties of E F A Goals Achievement 9. Public Awareness, Political Will and National Capacities

Part III: Prospects 10. Future Policy Trends

Annexes

Table of Indicators National action plan priorities discussed at E F A national meeting

1. Education system management and institutional reforms: monitoring and the reform of evaluation 2 . Education finance 3 . Expanding of access to education for girls 4 . Expanding of access to education for children with special needs 5 . Education quality and conformity

• Monitoring learning achievements • Revision of education programmes, particularly those for Healthy Life Style, A I D S / H I V and

Drug Addiction • Teacher training and re-training

6. Decentralization of education management 7 . Early childhood care and education 8. In-country textbook production 9 . Linking education, training and employment

• Development of non-formal education programmes • Life skills training for young people and adults

10 . Establishment of early prevention system in education sector 11. Development of efficient donor and aid coordination system

67

The primary objectives of implementing the priorities are the following: • To establish a n e w financing system, resources, education and school management • To stop reduction of government spending in education and increase the internal efficiency of

the state budget • To identify priorities of financing, achieve consistency and transition to n e w system of normative

financing on per capita basis (i.e. expenses per student, not per class) • To design a measure of investment promotion, expansion of non-budgetary investment sources • To develop school self-financing following transparency of non-budget fund disbursement

including parental fees • To establish normative and legal basis of multi-channel financing • To decentralize management and financing systems, identify elements to be decentralized,

decentralization phases and consistency • To establish education quality, performance and attendance monitoring, and evaluation mechanism • To establish collection of internal education information and processing system at school, raiyon, oblast

and country levels capable of presentation as external information (international reporting system)

Proposals for establishment of national E F A and national action plan working group The National Working Group should be composed of about 25 representatives of the working group,

technical sub-groups and expert evaluation group. 1. The working group composition:

a) National coordinator b) Group leader for development of education sector poverty alleviation strategy paper c) Technical sub-group leaders d) Working group Secretariat composed of 3 persons (i.e. administrator, translator c u m secretary,

financier) 2. Technical sub-groups:

a) The sub-group for statistics, information processing and data bank (3 persons) b) The sub-group for finance, economy and resources (3 persons) c) The analysis sub-group (5 persons) d) The monitoring and information resources sub-group (4 persons)

3. The expert evaluation group (3-5 persons) Note: leading specialists of the Education Ministry and other line ministries/departments should

represent the national working group. Members of the technical sub-groups and the working group Secretariat should be selected through a contest based on grant allocations from international organizations.

The expert evaluation group should operate on a voluntary basis while the E F A National Action Plan is being developed.

Proposals for establishment of E F A National Consultative Council

Representatives: 1. The Tajikistan Government 2. The Madjilisi Namoyandagoni Majilisi Oly 3. The Ministry of Education 4 . The Ministry of Finance 5. The Ministry of Economy and Trade 6. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security 7. The Ministry of Culture 8. The Committee for Young Peoples' Cultural Affairs 9. The Academy of Science

10. Education Sector Employees' Trade Union

11. T h e Tajikistan National Commission for U N E S C O

12. NGOs 13. UNDP 14. UNICEF The National Working Group

Coordinator

68

The E F A National Consultative Council (The National F o r u m ) organization chart

THE TAJIKISTAN G O V E R N M E N T

The National Consultative Council

(up to 15 persons) persons

The National Working Group for EFA National Action Plan

Development ( up to 25 persons)

TECHNICAL SUB -GROUPS:

Sub-group for Statistics, Information Processing and Database

(3 persons)

Sub-group for Finance, Economy and Resources (3 persons)

Analysis Sub-group (5 persons)

Sub-group for Monitoring and Information (4 persons)

The Working Group Secretariat

(3 persons)

The Expert Evaluation Group

(3-5 persons)

69

BASIC INDICATORS OF TAJIKISTAN EDUCATION

SECTOR DEVELOPMENT

Total Number of Vocational-Technical Schools

Total Enrolment ('000)

Total Number of HEIs

Total Enrolment ('000)

Female Students

Total Number of Secondary Vocational Schools

Total Enrolment ('000)

Female Students

Government Spending on Education (Slate budget)

% of GDP % of State budget

Number of students places in new schools ('000)

Total Number of Pre-school Institutions Total Enrolment of the Pre-school Education Institutions ('000)

Number of girls in PEIs

% of Children Population Covered by the PEIs

Total Number of General Secondary Institutions

Including Full-Time GSEIs

Total Enrolment of GSEIs ('000)

Number of Girls in GSEIs ('000)

GSEIs Teachers in GSEIs ('000)

Number of Female Teachers in GSEIs (%)

1991-1992

81

41.9

13 69.3

23.3

43 40.7

17.8

6975.6 (million Russian roubles)

10.8

18.6

23122

944

141.5 -

13.7

3229

3179

1325.4

641.8

95.0

37.0

1995-1996 74

30.6

24 74.0

19.9

44 26.8

12.6

6639.5 ('000.

Somons)

2.1 11.5

3151

555

78.0

20.5

9.4

3460

3416

1322.8

627.2

92.8

38.3

2000-2001

72

24.4

30 77.7

18.4

53 25.3 11.2

41406.6 ('000

Somons)

2.3 15.9

6228

502

53.4

24.0

5.5

3604

3557

1521.8

693.7

96.8

44.8

2001-2002

-

-

30 84.2

20.5

-

-

-

-

-

-

8723

-

3688

3642

1577.9

722.2

100.2

45.8

Source: Tajikistan Ministry of Education, Tajikistan State Committee for Statistics.

70

Country situation regarding early childhood care and education

1. Problems and solutions

2. National priorities and attainment of these objectives

• M a x i m u m coverage of children aged 3-5 or 3-7

• Early Childhood Care and Education Programmes • Education for parents • Pre-school education for children aged 6-7, particularly in rural parts of the country

Student progression and 9th grade graduation

A s of A Y start Admission to 1st

grade Girls

Admission to 4th

Grade Girls

Admission to 9th

Grade Girls

Rate of progression

(%) Total Girls

1990/91 165495 \

81157

-

1993/94 -

~ \ ^ " " \

151260

73743

91.4(8.6) 90.9(9.1)

1998/99 -

^ ~ ~ ^ ^ -

-

124759

58399

75.4(24.6) 72.0(28.0)

Rate of Progression to 4 "" Grade Rate of Progression to 9 "" Grade

8,6%

Rate of Progression to 4 "" Grade (girls) 9,1%

Rate of Progression to 9 "" Grade (Girls)

28,0%

71

Student progression and 9th grade graduation

A s of A Y start Admission to 1st

grade Girls

Admission to 4 " Grade Girls

Admission to 9* Grade Girls

Rate of progression (%) Total Girls

1992/93 132763

63451

-

1995/96 -

" " \ ^ " " - - - ^

129666

62706

97.7(2.3) 98.8(1.2)

2000/01 -

- - ^ -

-

108819

49240

82.0(18.0) 77.6(22.4)

Rate of Progression to 4 * Grade Rate of Progression to 9 * Grade

2,3% 18,0

Rate of Progression to 4 * Grade (girls) 1,2%

Rate of Progression to 9 * Grade (Girl s)

22,4%

72

T h e E F A National Report S u m m a r y

Education for All: Tajikistan's Transition Strategy and Policy 1. General Strategy and Policy 2. Education Strategy Goal 3. Transition Period Description 4 . Current Situation in Tajikistan's Education Sector 5. Necessity of Education Sector Reform

The following should be done to achieve the goals: • Ensure more efficient student progression through education system and diversify non-official

channels of education (special attention to children from disadvantaged groups of population)

• Reform content of education; revise education and vocational programmes; • Structural reform of education system • Design and production of new generation text-books, education and methodology material, revision

and alteration of text-book usage and distribution mechanism; • Radical revision and alteration of teaching methodology (the main concerns are social and natural

sciences and the humanities); introduction of efficient and proven teaching methodology; • Transition from 'factology' teaching method to development of children, ensuring opportunities for

self-fulfilment

• Increase the number of schools where transformation models are designed • Design of measures directed at pre-service training of qualified teachers, their in-service training

and re-training

• Reduce the number of teachers w h o leave schools; design of optimal teacher-student ratios • Development of teachers' occupational and informal organizations • Radical reform of teacher training and retraining system • Enhance public perception of teachers and improve their social status • Support for all auxiliary services • Establishment of an efficient education services market; • Development of cooperation with N G O s and partnerships at school-family, school-community and

other levels

• Support the organizations promoting reform

Rate of children's participation in Early Childhood Care and Education programmes In 1990/91 the rate of children's (3-5 year-olds') participation in E C C E programmes implemented in

pre-school education institutions was 14% of the total population of this age group in the country. In 1998/99 this rate dropped to 5%.

The tables below show this rate by oblast and area.

Oblast/Area

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Hatlon oblast Leninobad oblast The G B A O Dushanbe City TheRRP Urban Area Rural Area

% 1990/91

8.3 19.6 6.0

44.7 7.5

40.4 3.9

1998/99 2.8 6.1

12.0 19.8 3.0 16.0 1.4

73

Percentage of 1st grade beginners w h o participated in Early Childhood Care and Education programmes for at least 1 year

Oblast/Area

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Hatlon oblast Leninobad oblast The GBAO Dushanbe City TheRRP Urban Area Rural Area The Republic of Tajikistan

%

1990/91 11.7 15.4 11.2 42.2 9.2

30.4 8.4

14.6

1998/99 9.0 8.7 4.7 13.0 4.2 12.7 6.1 8.0

THESIS FOR THE CARK EDUCATION FORUM

(17-18 January 2002, Almaty)

After the civil was, Tajikistan started to implement reforms in its economy sectors, including the education system. The civil war undoubtedly stopped socioeconomic development of the country and set it back by several decades

During the first years of the Republic's independence the Education Ministry tried to maintain the achievements gained during the former Soviet Union era. Positive results include a high level of attendance at education institutions, provision of schools with teaching staff despite the drain of educators to other sectors, due to low wages, the production of n e w text-books to meet the requirements of the n e w realities, the design of n e w laws, legislative acts and education programmes that take into account national interests and modern trends, taking measures to meet the education needs of children from low income families (i.e. to pay more attention to social measurement of the reform process, in particular to the necessity of disadvantaged groups, social security) and m a n y others.

So far the Tajikistan education system has managed to retain the positive achievements inherited from the former Soviet Union and the Republic is able to be competitive to some extent, if decisive measures of support and modernization are taken, and international aid is provided.

In other words, the primary goal of the reforms of the last decade was to adapt the education system to the absolutely new political and economic conditions following the democratization of our society. The next component is linked to the attainment of unification and the general perception of commitments, responsibilities and human rights (i.e. the reform was aimed at the consolidation of social unity and political stability through the adoption and development of such values as tolerance and agreement).

B y 2000, measures directed at the education sector reform had become more concentrated. International donors intensified their activity to support the ongoing reforms.

In 1999 Tajikistan's E F A National Report was prepared for the World Education Forum 2000 in Dakar, Senegal with consultative and financial assistance provided by U N E S C O , U N I C E F and U N D P .

This report contains a comprehensive study of the current situation in the education sector for the last decade (from 1990 to 2000). Causes, constraints of education sector reform, high priorities and the direction of further development were identified. The National Report is a good analytical tool, which can be used as a basis for the design of the E F A National Action Plan 2015. This document was approved by the government and international organizations, and is used by the World Bank, the A D B , different international funds, N G O s and other organizations.

After the World Education Forum 2000 in Dakar, Senegal, UNICEF/Tajikistan held a round table in October 2000, supported by the U N E S C O Cluster Office/Almaty. During this event the documents approved at the Forum were explained. The E F A National Conference was held on 7 June 2001 to consider the documents of the World Education Forum 2000 in Dakar, Senegal, and issues of the E F A National Action Plan design. W e prepared concrete proposals and submitted them for consideration by the government.

74

The Poverty Reduction Strategy paper

For the last two years a very large effort has been put into designing the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, which also contains an education sector. The P R S P has been prepared at government level, where all proposals made by international organizations were taken into consideration.

The P R S P objectives in the education sector are the enhancement of coverage, access and quality. In 2000, the Education Minister issued an order on the establishment of a working group to design

the State programme for Development of the Tajikistan Education Sector for 2002-2010. The initial version has already been prepared and is being revised. After revision it must be discussed by the interested ministries and submitted, for government approval before the Is' quarter of 2002.

In accordance with the Presidential Decree on Measures of State Governing Structure Improvement, *536 dated 14 March 2001, the government adopted the Resolution of the Education Ministry of the Republic of Tajikistan, »332, dated 29 June 2001.

According to this Resolution, the Regulation concerning the Education Ministry and the organizational structure of the Central Apparatus was amended, and a n e w list of public education organizations, and institutions operating under bilateral agreements with the Education Ministry, was compiled. The document also provided for the establishment of the Pedagogic Science Academy under the Education Ministry.

The Tajikistan government issued the Resolution on Establishment of the Commission for Child Rights under the Government, *423, dated 7 September 2001, and approved the Regulation on the Commission under the Government to enforce the Tajikistan Legislation and international commitments regarding the U N Convention on the Rights of the Child, dated 20 November 1989, and other international agreements associated with child rights. The commission comprised 16 persons, including two representatives of civil society associations, and is headed by the Deputy Prime Minister.

O n 30 December 2001 the government adopted Regulation ^ S S on Social Security Benefits for Small Income Families with School Children, to strengthen the social security of needy sections of the population.

In accordance with this Regulation, the quarterly benefits were payable from 1 January 2002, in the amount of 6 somoni to each child of needy families with school children. Enforcement of this regulation would undoubtedly encourage families to send their children to school.

The Republican Consultative Group, comprising six persons, was established in accordance with the Education Minister's Order ^ 2 9 dated 26 April 2001. The First Deputy Minister of Education, w h o is the coordinator of the group, leads the body.

The Consultative Council is in charge of Early Childhood Care and Education programme development, mostly targeting children w h o do not go to pre-school education institutions, the education of parents, revision and testing of education material, the selection of pilot sites, licensing, and the design of education materials and aids.

The Consultative Council operates in synergy with respective groups of the Healthcare Ministry supported by technical and advisory assistance, provided by the U N I C E F Tajikistan.

> A n education methodology aid was designed for pre-school teachers. This was the first teaching aid developed in Tajikistan since the dissolution of the former Soviet Union

> W o r k is in progress on the design of the Early Childhood Care and Education programme, orientated to the provision of community-based non-formal education services.

The 4-year cooperation, which includes such projects as "Mirolubie" and PPP, is being implemented in association with U N I C E F .

The M e m o r a n d u m of Support for the Implementation of Education System Reform was signed with the Soros Foundation in M a y 2001, and the Working Group, composed of seven national specialists was formed. The Group is headed by M r . Steven Dann and M r . Henry Hill, international consultants from the Triangle Research Institute (RTL), U S A . The Soros Foundation conducts workshops under the Textbook Design and Production Project and provides assistance with publication of the World History textbook for grades 10-11.

The Education Ministry is working on the preparation of proposals for amending and supplementing the Education L a w . Revision of the National School Conception is in progress and a new Tajikistan National Education Concept is under development.

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Appendix 4.9

CENTRAL ASIAN REPUBLICS A N D K A Z A K H S T A N EDUCATION F O R U M CONCEPTS, OBJECTIVES A N D W O R K I N G MECHANISMS

Nurper Ulkuer, Program Officer UNICEF C A R K

C A R K Education Forum a collaborative effort among the countries

• Lesson learnt-MCH Forum • Inspiration and recommendation-Dakar • A n important milestone in • ensuring child's right t basic education • creating a participatory learning cultures in C A R K .

Objectives of the C A R K Education Forum • Networking and co-ordination among the member countries. • Promote partnership and technical co-operation. • Advise and guide countries in organising E F A activities. • Set area-wide targets and establish monitoring mechanisms. • Share of good practices from successful innovations • Start a policy dialogue, advocacy and resource mobilisation

Composition of C A R K Education Forum • Education Ministers and deputy ministers. • National E F A Co-ordinators. • Representatives of N G O s • Representatives of education and research institutions. • Representatives of Donor Agencies and Embassies. • Representatives of U N I C E F and U N E S C O .

Working Mechanisms • Executive Committee • Secretariat • Technical Working groups on priority areas • Communication Channels

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee meets twice a year to • identify the priority issues,

set targets and monitor achievements, identify knowledge-based needs, assign technical working groups, set the dates for the annual Education Forum, identify participants and mobilise resources. also responsible for the publication of the C A R K Education Forum Digest.

Technical Working Groups • Executive Committee, will assign technical

working groups to the identified priority issues in education.

.• The technical working groups will carry out the tasks and prepare a report to the C A R K Education Forum.

Communication Channels • C A R K Education Digest - Periodical • Information Technologies • Meetings of executive committee • working groups • CARK EDUCATION FORUM

National Level • National Education Forum • National Technical Groups

Secretariat • Headed by the Chairperson and also rotates. • Provides administrative and logistic support to the

Executive Committee • is composed of regular staff appointed by the

ministry of education with additional support staff if and when required.

Appendix 4.10

Introduction to Education Forum Working Mechanism

Y u m i Tokuda Education Unit U N E S C O Cluster Office, Almaty

Component parts of the Education Forum Chairperson Executive committee Members Technical working groups Secretariat

Secretariat • Administration tasks • Preparation and organization of meetings • Coordination of relevant education activities • Operation as a "Liaison office" • Publication of periodical review journals

W h a t does the Secretariat need? • Facility - a room with necessary equipment • Staff • Information resources

• Moral and Institution authority

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