CONTENTS:

PROGRESS REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SADC PROTOCOL ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING
PROGRESS REPORT ON NATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROTOCOL ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HIV/AIDS IN THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING SECTOR
REVIEW AND RATIONALISATION OF THE HRD SECTOR

1. PROGRESS REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SADC PROTOCOL ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING

1.1. Ratification.

Ratification of the Protocol by Member States seems to have taken much longer that it had been anticipated. Until the end of March 2000 only seven Member States had ratified the Protocol and deposited their instruments of ratification with the SADC Secretariat. The rest were at various stages. This has delayed the coming into legal force of the Protocol.

Ratification by one more Member State was required to reach the 2/3 needed for the Protocol to enter into legal force. This was only achieved in April 2000 when Tanzania ratified. However, in spite of the delays, significant strides have been made in file implementation of the Protocol.

1.2 Development of an Implementation Plan.

A regional workshop was held in Lusaka - Zambia in February 1999 to develop an Implementation Plan for the Protocol following national consultations in Member States. The Implementation Plan calls for the establishment of national structures and Technical Committees as key elements of the institutional framework for the implementation of the Protocol.

1.3 Technical Committees.

Apart from the Technical Committee on Certification and Accreditation and the Technical Committee on Scholarships and Training Awards which have been in existence since 1996, two more technical committees have been established in the area of Basic Education and Distance Education. Plans for the establishment of technical committees in other areas are at an advanced stage.

1.3.1 Technical Committee on Certification and accreditation:

The Committee met in October, 1999 and in March, 2000. Its work plan for the period July 1999 - June 2000 comprised:

• completion of the comparative analysis of educational qualifications and development of a framework for regional qualifications equivalences;
• development of guidelines for assessing qualifications;
• development of mechanisms for mutual assistance to facilitate the development of national qualifications frameworks or equivalent structures;
• training needs assessment for Examinations Councils' staff.

1.3.2 Technical Committee on Scholarships and Training Awards

The Committee met in September 1999 and February 2000. Its workplan for the year included:

• national administration and coordination of applications for the SADC Scholarships for the Master's Degree Programme in Public Administration tenable at the University of Botswana;
• development of an operational framework for the proposed SADC Student and Staff Exchange Programme (SSEP);
• development of a strategy for identifying priority training areas for the region;
• assisting the SADC Mining Sector to develop a comprehensive proposal for a SADC Mining Sector Training Fund.

SADC Scholarships for the MPA degree of the University of Botswana were advertised and Lesotho submitted three candidates as required. The University of Botswana will make the final selection.

1.3.2.2 SADC Student and Staff Exchange Programme

Realising that the idea of the establishment of a SADC Training Fund on a cost recovery basis was not feasible because of the high cost associated with its operation, Council has approved, in principle, the establishment of a SADC Student and Staff Exchange Programme that would be further developed into a scholarship award programme to promote community building and to address regional training needs.

Priority training areas have been identified which will constitute the central focus of the proposed Student and Staff Exchange Programme. A lot of progress has already been made on the operational modalities of the Student and Staff Exchange Programme whilst not much thought has been given on the Staff Exchange Programme. However, in both cases Member States are expected to consult with relevant stakeholders at national level on the operational modalities of these programmes.

a)

The Staff Exchange Programme

Member States are required to solicit information form their training institutions on the existence of any staff exchange programmes, paying particular attention to their operational modalities. In addition training institutions are to give their views on how they would like to see the SADC Staff Exchange Programme operating at the regional level.

b)

Student Exchange Programme

Each Member State is expected to offer at least three scholarships each year to SADC students other than their own. The scholarship offers can be at any level of training within the priority training areas identified by the region. Member States are required to indicate priority areas that can be offered by their institutions to facilitate the implementation of the programme.

The programme is planned to start in the year 2002 and is expected to run for five consecutive years, following which an evaluation will be undertaken.

1.3.3 Technical Committee on Basic Education

The Technical Committee on Basic Education held its inaugural meeting in March 2000 in Swaziland. The main objectives of the meeting were to establish the Committee, agree on its terms of reference and develop its activities taking into consideration other regional initiatives on basic education that are already in existence. In addition the meeting considered the issues of the Protocol on Education and Training pertaining to basic education.

1.3.4 Technical Committee on Distance Education

The Technical Committee on Distance Education held its first meeting in April 2000 in Swaziland. The main objectives of the meeting were to establish the Committee, agree on its terms of reference and establish the status of the development of distance education in the region with the aim to determine the agenda for the Committee. The following issues were identified for future meetings:

• Definition and scope of distance education
• Policy formulation
• Capacity building
• Involvement of Cooperating Partners
• Development of Database and Information - sharing and dissemination
• Information and communications technology.

The Technical Committee on Special Education will held its inaugural meeting on 20 - 21 July 2000 in Swaziland. Lesotho will be represented by Mrs. M Phae - Assistant Inspector Special Education and Mr. M. Maholela - President of the Lesotho National Federation of Organisations of the Disabled.
 

2. PROGRESS REPORT ON NATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROTOCOL ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING

The implementation plan for the Protocol proposes the establishment of national structures at the level of Member States to facilitate the implementation process. In Lesotho these structures have taken the form of a National Committee and Technical Committees in the various areas of cooperation identified in the Protocol. This came as a result of a series of meetings of key stakeholders in education.

The Technical Committees were inaugurated on 23 May 2000. On the same day chairpersons of the Committees were nominated to form the nucleus of the National Committee. The National Committee itself was inaugurated on 15 June 2000.

The overall objective of the National Committee is to oversee the implementation of the Protocol on Education and Training in the country and to advise the Minister of Education accordingly.
 

3. HIV/AIDS IN THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING SECTOR

The HRD Sector has developed an Action Programme on HIV/AIDS in Education and Training in the SADC. This will form part of the Multi-Sectoral Strategy and Programme on HIV/AIDS in the Region being coordinated by the SADC Health Sector.

Member States have been requested to undertake consultations with key stakeholders to verify the document and get additional inputs. This will ensure full support for, and ownership of the Programme by Member States and stakeholders as key actors in its subsequent implementation.
 

4. REVIEW AND RATIONALISATION OF THE HRD SECTOR

Council at its meeting in August 1999 approved the transformation of the remaining component of the SADC HRD Sector to Education and Training Sector. At their annual meeting held in Lusaka Zambia on 23 June 2000 Ministers of the HRD Sector approved that the name of the sector should change from Human Resources Development to Education and Training Sector. The Sector will nevertheless, continue to liaise with other SADC Sectors which belong to the broad area of Human Resources Development, in addressing inter-sectoral issues.