Prospective, Stocktaking Review of Education in Africa: Draft Synthesis Document for the 1999 Biennial Meeting

Identifies a number of trends and lessons:

• Programmes were more successful if backed by a macro-political concern for democracy and equality
• Consultation, sensivity to benificiary-perceived relevance and the willingness to respond to this (including transfer of responsibilities from Ministry to community) was a key success factor
• Interventions based on prior research were more effective
• Teacher's qualifications have increased, but their salaries have declined
• Financial analysis of the cost of interventions is weak
• Evaluation is weak: inadequate attention is given to the systematic linking of education inputs to processes, and to the linking of inputs and processes to outcomes
• External financing and technical partners play a central role in almost all of the cases studies

Paper concludes by reviewing the difficulties in compiling this study, including the weak linkages between evaluation, research and policy formation. Argues for better institutionalization of critical reflection and of the systematic learning from prior experiences