Education Reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa: Paradigm Lost?

by Jeanne Moulton, Karen Mundy, Michel Welmond, James Williams

Overview

Although many countries in sub-Saharan Africa have proclaimed it their goal to achieve free universal primary schooling to all children, few have come close to achieving it. The authors of this study describe the implementation of a major primary school reform in five countries (Benin, Ethiopia, Guinea, Malawi, and Uganda).

The authors of this volume describe the efforts made in the last decade of the 20th century to reform African education, the goal of which was to achieve education for all. In a series of five case studies, the politics surrounding the planning and implementation of these reforms are considered, and their outcomes analyzed. The countries considered are Benin, Ethiopia, Guinea, Malawi, and Uganda. Although the reforms are still underway, the book covers at least their first five years, bringing together facts and judgments into coherent stories.

The authors present some conclusions about the implementation of basic education reforms that deserve serious consideration by policymakers, planners, and program managers. Have our assumptions about the process of reform been correct? Have we selected the policy instruments most suitable for use in implementing various policies and programs? What should we do to change the course of reform as we continue?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313317774
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	12/30/2002
Series:	Contributions to the Study of Education , #82
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

JEANNE MOULTON is a consultant in international education in Palo Alto, California.

KAREN MUNDY is Assistant Professor, Social Sciences, Policy, and Educational Practice, Stanford University School of Education.

MICHEL WELMOND is Research Educational Analyst, Center for International Development, Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina.

JAMES H. WILLIAMS is Assistant Professor of International Education, Department of Educational Leadership, George Washington University.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Implementation Research and Educational Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa by Jeanne Moulton and Karen Mundy
Malawi: Externally Driven Reforms and Their Adoption During Democratic Transition by Karen Mundy
Uganda: External and Domestic Efforts to Revive a Derelict Primary School System by Jeanne Moulton
Benin: Systemic Education Reform during Democratic Transition, 1991-1997 by Michel Welmond
Guinea: To Projectize or Not to Projectize? Two Different Donor Responses to Education Reform by Michel Welmond
Ethiopia: "Ownership" In the Implementation of Systemic Educational Reform, 1991-1998 by James H. Williams
Conclusion: Paradigm Lost? Synthesis and Discussion by Jeanne Moulton and Karen Mundy
Bibliography
Index