Review of education policies

A review of education policies aims to provide an overall appraisal of an education system and the way in which development policies, regulations, structures and education-specific policies, plans, programmes and practices could be reformed to improve education in a country.
Methodology of UNESCO policies review in education
An education policies review is based on extensive research and numerous interviews held during several field visits, as well as available data and existing educational indicators covering access, equity, quality, efficiency, effectiveness, cost and financing, and management. It is by no means an exhaustive analysis of the issues at play. Such an analysis, were it possible, would require much greater access to primary data, a longer time frame and much wider consultations with stakeholders, in particular, non-State actors, to enable the triangulation of the evidence collected and more conclusive policy recommendations.
The most apparent product of the review process is the final report, which summarizes the main findings and proposes a set of policy recommendations and roadmaps. This final output is the result of the deliberate capacity-development process, which combines formal and informal training with learning-by-doing opportunities.
The assessment and subsequent recommendations should be validated by national stakeholders so that the national authorities are empowered to take ownership of the report and ensure that, where appropriate, the recommendations are adopted. Furthermore, the review lays the groundwork for technical assistance that the organization UNESCO and other development partners could provide to the country in the policy domains selected, in support of the corresponding recommendations.
Basic components
The uniqueness of UNESCO’s approach to education policies review is: (i) its systemic approach to the development of education in light of internationally agreed development goals, more particularly, SDG 4-Education 2030; (ii) its response to policy domains and issues that Member States perceive as critical for the development of education; and (iii) the participatory nature of the approach to identifying the root causes and solutions, accompanied with peer learning between local and international experts.
The review questions
The review only works well when there is a clear understanding of the questions to be addressed. To be operational, the review questions have to be formulated very concisely. Usually, they will revolve:
* How far is the country from reaching its policy objectives and targets in the selected policy areas?
* What are the bottlenecks that prevent success in these policy areas?
* What can be done to address them?
* What are the (competing) views of the main stakeholders?
* What can be learned from international experiences?
* What does the review team propose as politically feasible and cost-effective recommendations?<ref name="one"/>
The review process
The review team will carry out a series of interrelated activities, which work as building blocks for the process, as follows.
1. Needs assessment: Once the government has formalized a request for a review process, it is crucial to identify, together with the national authorities, the policy areas to assess and the current capacity development needs. This will usually be the result of a dialogue between the Minister of Education, accompanied by the senior officials of the ministries, and UNESCO during the scoping mission.
2. Desk research and Country Background Report (CBR): UNESCO will facilitate the process of synthesizing the existing evidence in the selected policy areas. The main sources are sector analyses, existing national strategic plans and programmes, independent reports, international comparative analyses and academic papers. The resulting synthesized CBR will be used as input during the fact-finding mission and participatory phases of the review process.
3. Training: This is one of the most important components of the process, to be designed and organized by UNESCO in close collaboration with the national authorities. Formal face-to-face training (three to five days) focusing on system-wide policy and planning applied to the selected policy areas.
4. Self-Assessment Country Report: This report will be drafted by the members of the national team, led by the national coordinator, as the practical component of the training. UNESCO will elaborate guidelines for the drafting of the report, focusing specifically on the selected policy areas. The results of the report will contribute greatly to the fact-finding and participatory phases.
5. Assessment phase through field visits: The review team will pay a number of field visits to institutions relevant to the selected policy areas, and to educational institutions, to converse with local authorities, teachers, head teachers, parents and students, where appropriate.
6. Assessment phase through policy discussions with the stakeholders: These conversations, in the form of interviews and focus group discussions, will provide opportunities to learn from the perspectives of other education stakeholders and take them into consideration. The main findings of the desk research and CBR should inform these policy conversations.
7. Final report and follow-up activities: This report, including findings and actionable recommendations, will be drafted by UNESCO in close collaboration with the national team and then submitted to the main education stakeholders and, particularly, the local education group for validation. Changes can be made to the final report at this stage, before it is more widely disseminated in hard copies and made available online. It should lead to the organization of a number of follow-up activities by UNESCO, including the next strategic planning processes drawing on the policy recommendations.
8. Evaluation: All the participants involved will evaluate the whole review process. The results will then be shared with the national authorities for the preparation of the launch and dissemination of the report.
9. Validation: The validation phase precedes the launch and dissemination of the review report in the country. The analysis and policy recommendations are refined at this stage, leading to their endorsement by the national team, as a prior step to the public launch of the report.
10. Launch and dissemination: The launch of the final review report is a major opportunity to gain visibility and media impact, while ensuring that the national authorities adopt the policy recommendations.<ref name="one"/>

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