Pedi Anawi Education International Africa Region RESEARCH CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE AFRICA REGION AND THE REGIONAL RESNETS Pedi Anawi Education International Africa Region

Necessity for primary research to obtain the raw data directly. INTRODUCTION Unions need relevant data to build arguments for their advocacy, campaigns and lobbying agenda. Necessity for primary research to obtain the raw data directly. In the education sector, empirical facts and evidence are needed for adequate responsiveness to policy changes and threat to the welfare of teachers.

RESEARCH IN EI REGION AFRICA In the Africa region, research is needed: to develop knowledge and policy tools needed by unions to meet everyday challenges to public education systems. to keep abreast of developments and trends across the education sector and assist unions in developing solid fact-based argumentation for the advancement of quality education. for teachers and education unions as well as for everyone concerned about the universal right to free, quality public education for all.

RESEARCH IN EI REGION AFRICA Hence, in EIRAF research is used to: assist EI affiliate unions to addresses education and union issues specific to the Africa region. support the advancement of unions’ agenda on the right, and access, to quality education for all people through publicly-funded and regulated education systems; improve the status, human and trade union rights, and fair working conditions and pay for teachers; support the elimination of all forms of discrimination in education; and promote union unity in the education sector.

RESEARCH IN EI REGION AFRICA The EIRAF Office works in conjunction with the Research Unit at the EI HQ to coordinate and assist in research work in the region. From 11 to12 November 2013, a regional ResNet meeting for the Africa region was organized on the theme “mobilizing research to unite for quality education” About 30 affiliate union representatives took part in that meeting.

AFRICA REGIONAL RESNET MEETINF It was an opportunity to built participants’ capacity to undertake their own research by developing skills in research. The meeting initiated and strengthened a Regional Research Network. Participants developed research proposals on issues relevant to unions in the Africa region to be carried out as part of EI’s Unite for Quality Education campaign.

OUTCOMES OF THE 10TH RESNET MEETING As a result of this meeting, 4 research projects came into existence and are being supported by the EI Research Unit. Three out of the four projects are a comparatist endeavor to understand the conditions of services of teachers in public and private schools. Carried out by Fletcher Musukwa (Malawi); Ben Kirere (Uganda); and Christopher Yalukanda (Zambia) The other one (from Tunisia) is on the impact of initial and in-service training on primary school teachers’ proficiency in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

OTHER RESEARCH INITIATIVES IN THE REGION The Regional Office carried out 2 researches: one on the causes of union splinterism in the education sector in six African countries (2013); and one on the impact of union splinterism on the social dialogue (2014). The Regional Office, through the African Women in Education Network (AWEN), collected data on the status of women in education and within the union in DRC and Chad in view of informing the network’s campaign and capacity building on gender equality and equity issues.

SUPPORT OF THE RESEARCH UNIT TO THE ABOVE RESEARCH INITIATIVES in africa The Research Unit in conjunction with the Africa Regional Office are coordinating all the four research initiatives and supporting the researchers in various ways. The support involves helping the researchers with: the structure of their research reports; support for literature search/review; how to train research assistants; and support for developing questionnaires for data collection.  

SUPPORT OF THE RESEARCH UNIT TO THE ABOVE RESEARCH INITIATIVES in africa The research unit will also support three unions to develop research on working conditions as part of the GRA project informing the development of a baseline for quality terms of employment

METHOD OF COORDINATION Effective coordination of the research work in the Africa region through: Webinars and Telemeetings based on the interests of the group. Webinars also open to the wider ResNet Africa group. During webinars/telemeetings, participants without internet receive presentations before and then they join the talks via telephone. Education International Region Africa

METHOD OF COORDINATION As a result, the Research Unit was able to develop the capacity of researchers on: Survey design and implementation, and Evidence based advocacy work using paper-based and open source online-survey tools. Webinars and telemeetings have been an interesting opportunity for exchange and capacity building.

CHALLENGES Getting in touch with those who are actually doing the research work is difficult because of challenging circumstances such as: problems of reliable telephone/internet connection time difference power shortages in some places like Ghana Conflict with researcher’s normal occupation.

  FUTURE PERSPECTIVES For a more vibrant research network in the Africa region, the Research Unit intends to: use the ResNet Africa meeting in 2016 in Ghana as an opportunity to revive the network and the research issue, refresh the ResNet Africa email list, setting up of network in Africa similar to EI’s global “Critical Friends”, come up with similar ideas also for other EI regions (e.g., Asia-Pacific, etc)

CONCLUSION Research, when well handled, is an efficient tool for advocacy, lobbying and campaigns. As a result, there is no way unions in Africa can do without it if they are to be vibrant and efficient organizations. Hence, the capacity development of unions in the Africa Region in research skills constitutes a good investment. The current work is recommendable and needs to be continued (maybe with more attention to linguistic inclusion in the Africa Region)

END Evidence not only makes your argument ring true in persuasive situations, but it also substantially enhances your credibility. » ( Dale Carnegie) The following are some of the effort to collect evidence on the conditions of service in both public and private schools and how these conditions impact on delivery of quality education and the welfare of teachers in selected African countries.

Thanks for the attention