The Power of Persistence: Education System ... - EQUIP123.net

In Namibia, triangulated information from school self-assessment, classroom
observations, and student assessment informs teacher practice, professional
development planning, and policy. In Egypt, standards-based assessments
of management practices and other aspects of schooling as well research
findings on student learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving provide
immediately relevant measures of both impact and issues in implementing the
reforms. Increased use and confidence in EMIS systems in Zambia have helped
policy makers recognize the impact of community school growth and have led
to increased recognition and support of community schools.
These examples importantly highlight the fact that the use of information is
really about enabling the system—and the people who work in or with it—to
learn, adapt, and respond to the reality on the ground. Information that is used
effectively in the context of a communications strategy can have a catalytic
effect on system change as well as simply providing data.
7. Sustainability of specific activities is less important than continuity and
sustained system improvement.
Sustainability of particular interventions, policies, or practices is one of the
fundamental concepts of development. In the case of education, the concept
may be problematic: sustainability is primarily a project concept rather than a
systems concept. Sustainability is typically thought of as donor organizations
passing to the government responsibility for financing and implementing
project interventions.
In place of such an inherently donor-centric approach, a systems perspective
considers sustainability over the long term, during which education
innovations and interventions may be usefully continued, modified, or dropped
as the context changes, while commitment and focus on improving the quality
of education remain constants.
Establishment of a mature and effective education structure that can
implement, evaluate, and adapt as needed is the foundation of genuine
sustainability. This structural and institutional improvement is essential, and
requires the incorporation of two other elements: continuity and survivability.
Continuity of people, procedures, policies, and systems is important to
sustained improvement in education quality. It is difficult for any organization
to implement fundamental reforms with significant and frequent turnover at
the leadership and technical levels. Of course, change in leadership, personal
and political agendas, and even ideology is an inherent feature of democracy,
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