1. South Asia EFA Mid-Term Policy Review Conference
Reaching the Unreached and the Under-served Vision, Policy and Strategy for Achieving EFA Ko-Chih R. Tung, Ph.D. Asia-Pacific Regional Advisor Assessment, Information System, Monitoring and Statistics (AIMS) UIS-UNESCO Bangkok
You’ve seen the past. Now, let’s look into the future. Better yet, let’s steer the future.
South Asia EFA Mid-Term Policy Review Conference
16-19 June 2008
Kathmandu, Nepal

2. EFA HLG Task Force, UNESCO 2002
Institutionalizing Dakar follow-up strategy 11 for systematic monitoring of EFA progress
EFA HLG Task Force, UNESCO 2002
Strategy 11: systematically monitor progress towards EFA goals and strategies at the national, regional and international levels.
The regular and systematic monitoring of EFA progress constitutes a central strategy for achieving Education for All by 2015

3. Monitoring at the global, regional and national levels
International: EFA Global Monitoring Report (GMR)
Regional bureaux with regionally-based partners and countries on sub-regional and regional issues
National monitoring and assessment of national and sub-national issues for setting priorities, resource allocation, accountability between EFA partners;
Build capacity in statistics, data-based policy analysis, monitoring, evaluation, and assessment of impact on all learners and targeted segments of the society.

4. Global EFA Working Group EFA Global Action and RASEP 18 July 2006

5. UN EFA Global Action Plan (GAP)
EFA Conveners:
UNESCO
UNICEF
The World Bank
UNDP
UNFPA

6. EFA convening agencies: broad areas of support to EFA
UNESCO: coordinating, convening, monitoring, developing capacity, policy input

7. “UNESCO will support these directions in the following ways:”
Capacity development at the regional and national levels:
in-country capacity to plan, to manage, and to conduct research and evaluation programmes on the effect of education at all levels
its own role and capacity to provide policy advice based on rigorous analysis
Monitoring and evaluation:
“as part of the 2008 Review and Stocktaking of EFA Progress (RASEP) and a longer-term cycle of national and regional reviews,
[develop] a framework and network for the monitoring and evaluation of EFA”
National planning:
strengthen national educational planning, by improving the basis for national educational needs assessment
using UNESS in line with national priorities and as input into CCA/UNDAF processes.
The UNESCO Education Portal:
clearinghouse, sharing knowledge, dissemination, exchange and learning among EFA partners, UNESCO’s strategic objectives
Accountability to and partnership with Member States:
regular monitoring and evaluation of the impact of UNESCO’s interventions will be carried out in conjunction with Ministers of Education.

8. Regional and sub-regional reports
based on the national MDAs, countries’ agendas and targets, tailored to the countries’ contexts and particular needs.
highlight issues, analysis of successes and failures, good practices and remaining obstacles,
taking into consideration national disparities, local concerns, and specific policy implications.

9. Regional TWG on EFA Members
UNESCO
UNICEF
FAO
ILO
UNHCR
UNEP
UNIFEM
UNFPA
UNDP/Thailand Resident Coordinators’ Office
World Bank
World Food Programme
ASPBAE-Global Campaign for Education
Action Aid Thailand
Baha’i International
CBM/International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment
International Movement ATD Fourth World
Plan International Asia
Rehabilitation International
SEAMEO
SIL International
World Vision Foundation of Thailand

10. Within UNESCO AP Region:
UNESCO AP Regional Bureau for Education EFA coordination & capacity building network
Within UNESCO AP Region:
UIS Assessment, Information, Monitoring & Statistics (AIMS)
AP Education for All (APEAL)
Education Policy Research (EPR)
AP Educational Innovation and Development (APEID)
Cluster and Field Offices
Ministries and national organizations, stakeholder groups
Regional and Sub-Regional WGs of EFA Supporting Agencies
Regional EFA TWG, Co-Chairs UNESCO and UNICEF
UNESCO UIS, EFA Global Monitoring Group and EFA Division
Regional/ Sub-Regional EFA coordinators, planners and statisticians

11. Theme: Reaching the Un-reached Disparities in Access to Quality Education
to identify problems, issues, policies and strategies of education reform
to ensure that education will reach the un-reached groups.
To inform the mid-term review of national education policy against the findings of the national assessment report
to better formulate appropriate policies for attaining EFA by the year 2015.

12. EFA Mid-Decade Assessment Framework
Framework for the Assessment: Inclusive Education
in a Lifelong Perspective
a focus on the diversity of learning needs of sub-populations (e.g., the disabled, linguistic and ethnic minorities, girls and women, disadvantaged groups)
provision of quality education for all learners
The MDA aims to answer:
Which children are not in school/learning centres?
What inhibits their full participation?
Who should be targeted as a priority?
How can we improve quality and equality?
How do we cost, budget and finance EFA?
Countries are encouraged to tap alternative sources of data on un-reached groups

13. Analysis of Implementation of EFA Policy and EFA Goals
Policy Cycle/
indicators
ECCE
UPE UBE
Skills
Literacy
Gender
Quality
Governance, policy, agencies coordination
Resource mobilization and allocation
Courses, programs, facilities
Quality & equity outcomes
Impact assessment

14. EFA Mid-Decade Assessment Objectives
Build national capacity to undertake M&E, MDA & Mid-Term Policy Reviews
Assess progress and gaps in the achievement of the national and global targets of EFA
Identify and locate the remaining gaps in terms of quality and equity sub-nationally, with a focus on disadvantaged and excluded populations
Review, identify and locate problems, issues, policies, strategies, actions and critical factors of success/failure
Use results of the assessment to sharpen the focus and update policies and strategies for attaining the EFA goals and the MDGs by 2015

15. Organization at the Country Level +Statistics, Analysis & Report Writing

16. Timeline and Milestones for national and regional assessment
Preparation
Assessment
Policy Review
2003-5
2006
2007
2008
With the objective of identifying the unattained targets and un-reached target groups for each of the Six EFA Goals, the participants discussed many aspects of the process. Among them, the following are the current plans with regard to the points raised in the concept paper for the Global EFA Review :
• In addition to the usual school-based statistics, they will use mostly the existing data collection, such as the population and housing census, various household surveys, labour force surveys, household income and expenditure surveys, etc.
• National IE policies on minorities, disabled, the extremely poor, etc.
• As the source of UIS data is the national statistics, the national assessment exercise will motivate and accelerate national data collection and reporting
• The exercise will generate materials that may be of use to the GMR
• Case studies have been conducted and more will be undertaken, especially in areas where standard statistics are not available and inadequate.
• The structure and process of implementation will be examined carefully to identify how the policies were differently implemented with regard to the different target groups
• Because of the composition of the participants, the discussions did not focus much on the financing aspects of the Six EFA Goals.
• Timeline: end of 2006, initial outline with raw data; 2007 analytical and politically anchored reports; 2008 regional policy review
Module development, case studies
initial outline with raw data
analytical and politically-anchored reports
Sub-/Regional MTR policy reviews

17. Asia-Pacific MDA Process
The “Bangkok” or “Asian” model”
Development of national capacity in:
statistics, indicators and policy analysis
monitoring and evaluation of implementation
assessment of impact in attaining the EFA goals, with regard to all learners and specifically targeted populations
Country-led MDA and policy reviews
Problem-solving approach:
analysing sub-national disparities in implementation and outcomes
identifying critical factors and obstacles to achieving the EFA goals
locating the under-served and “unreached” target groups
Supported by:
training and production workshops
Technical Support Groups organised by a regional Thematic Working Group on EFA
the collaboration of UNESCO and UNICEF.

18. MDA Reports in South Asia
National MDA reports
Congratulations for the completion of their reports:
Completed: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Government “officially” endorsed: Bangladesh and Pakistan
Published: Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Nepal
Still finalizing: Maldives and India
South Asia Sub-Regional Synthesis Report
almost finalized, by James Jennings after this conference
Thanks to national MDA writers, commentators and partners for their comments.

19. Mid-Term Policy Review Objectives
Using results of the national and sub-regional EFA MDA and the 2008 Global Monitoring Reports, with regard to the reached and the under-served target groups,
Review and make an inventory of existing policies and practices and identify gaps in policy and programmes,
Propose specific targeted policy and strategy recommendations and action plans
With the support of TWG on EFA Members, NGO and civil society representatives and EFA partners.
Share national EFA MDA reports and an opportunity to incorporate and strengthen policy recommendations identified in the national reports for countries that have yet to finalize their reports.
Enhance capacities in M&E and policy analysis, particularly in the analysis of disparities in education in relation to the EFA goals and to prepare policy actions for the remaining period toward the 2015 targets.

20. The cross-cutting issues in Lifelong Perspective
inclusive education and access, opening school to diversity and expanding early childhood education and secondary education
participation and learning among the under-represented gender, castes, classes, races and ethno-linguistic minorities
improving adult literacy (and student performance?) in multi-lingual areas through mother-tongue as medium of instruction
improving quality of education, especially teacher training and learning achievement
financing EFA for reaching the poor, including governance, decentralization and accountability

21. EFA MDA and Policy Review
Results of national and sub-regional EFA MDA and the Global Monitoring Report used for policy reviews
Recommendations for adjustments in terms of:
Target-setting, with specific references to priority target groups
Strategies for attaining the unattained and reaching the un- reached
A schedule of milestones to be attained over the remaining period
Sub-Regional EFA Mid-Term Policy Reviews to be conducted in Asia-Pacific (the first held in Southeast Asia in February)

22. Policy and Strategy Recommendations: South Asia EFA Policy Review would have
Identified specific target groups; in particular, unreached and disadvantaged populations
Defined “Inclusive Education” and “Quality” of education in regional and national context
Identified critical issues / major challenges using a lifelong learning approach
Recommended policies and strategies on how to address these issues
Identified good practices and innovative ideas
Participants from SEAMEO Member countries, except Timor Leste, were represented at the Conference held from February in Jomtien, Thailand
Working Groups on:
Inclusive Education and Access
Gender and social equity
Quality of Education
Literacy, mother tongue and language policies
EFA Monitoring and Evaluation
Financing and Governance
Youth’s role in achieving EFA (the youth both as a target group but also as playing a key role in achieving EFA)

23. Expected outputs
Policy and strategy recommendations to address the challenges of meeting the unreached in education
Targeted projects, activities at the national and sub-regional level to address the challenges of meeting the unreached in education in relation to the policy and strategy recommendations
Feedback from the countries on the EFA Global Monitoring Report findings

24. Agenda timetable and procedure
Review
Group Work
Plenary
Action Plans
Day1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
With the objective of identifying the unattained targets and un-reached target groups for each of the Six EFA Goals, the participants discussed many aspects of the process. Among them, the following are the current plans with regard to the points raised in the concept paper for the Global EFA Review :
• In addition to the usual school-based statistics, they will use mostly the existing data collection, such as the population and housing census, various household surveys, labour force surveys, household income and expenditure surveys, etc.
• National IE policies on minorities, disabled, the extremely poor, etc.
• As the source of UIS data is the national statistics, the national assessment exercise will motivate and accelerate national data collection and reporting
• The exercise will generate materials that may be of use to the GMR
• Case studies have been conducted and more will be undertaken, especially in areas where standard statistics are not available and inadequate.
• The structure and process of implementation will be examined carefully to identify how the policies were differently implemented with regard to the different target groups
• Because of the composition of the participants, the discussions did not focus much on the financing aspects of the Six EFA Goals.
• Timeline: end of 2006, initial outline with raw data; 2007 analytical and politically anchored reports; 2008 regional policy review
Review MDA Reports on remaining disparities
Stocktaking disparity issues, policies & strategies
Recommend good-practices policies and strategies
Country & regional action plans