Promotion of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) under the ECOWAS e-Learning Initiative

1. Promotion of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) under the ECOWAS e-Learning Initiative

2. Outline of Presentation • Background information • General education situation • Needs to Address • Rescue measures • Highlights of the status report of TVET • Highlights of recommendations for TVET revitalization • Unified Format for Learning Teaching and Training Materials (LTTM) • Training of Trainers • ECOWAS Policy Implementation Documents • The Way Forward • Partnerships

3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION • Established by our founding fathers on 28th of May 1975, in Lagos, Nigeria • Composed of 15 West African Countries (8 Francophone, 5 Anglophone & 2 Luxophone countries). • With a population of 290 million in 2008 • Accounts for 4.6% of the world population and over 40% of that of sub-Saharan Africa • Land area (5,110,914 km2), stretches from the Cape Verde archipelago in the West to Nigeria in the East. • Therefore the most populated Regional Community in the Continent

5. VISION OF ECOWAS The Vision of ECOWAS towards an ECOWAS Peoples as against ECOWAS of States is to achieve “A region without borders in which the populations can access and are able to Harness its abundant resources by creating Opportunities for the population and sustainable environment”.

6. ECOWAS FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES • Equality and Interdependence • Inter-state Co-operation • Solidarity and collective self-reliance • Harmonization of Policies and Programmes. • Non-aggression • Regional Peace, Stability and Security • Peaceful Settlement of Disputes • Respect, Promotion and Protection of Human Rights • Promotion and Consolidation of Democracy and Good Governance • Accountability, Economic and Social Justice.

7. OBJECTIVES OF ECOWAS To promote cooperation and integration, leading to the establishment of an Economic and Monetary Union in West Africa in order to raise the living standards of its people, ensure economic growth, foster relations among Member States and contribute to the progress and development of the African Continent.

8. GENERAL EDUCATION SITUATION • Need to recall the general education situation in Africa – Low enrolment, retention and completion rates • High adult illiteracy rate (about 39.7% against average of 23.4% for developing countries) • Twin problems of quality and cost of education • Gender disparity • High teacher-pupil ratio

9. GENERAL EDUCATION SITUATION Cont’d • High population of youths (about 60%) • Long distances from school • Wide disparities between member states as well as between rural and urban areas. • Inadequate infrastructure –ICT and others • High teacher-pupil/student ratio • Outmoded teaching materials • Exclusion of people in difficult circumstances • High cost of education-gradually becoming the preserve of the rich • Unemployment of school leavers

10. Needs to Address • Extension of education and training facilities with a bias on ICT facilitated learning as a means of providing skills, removing ignorance and causing a participation in the information society • Inclusion of the disadvantaged population • Improvement of quality of education through qualified teachers, improved teaching and learning materials and provision of learning and training opportunities • Education to meet the socio-economic needs of the learners and the larger society

11. Rescue measures • Priority Areas including TVET adopted by the First Conference of Ministers of Education in 2002 • Adoption of e-Learning as a further priority by the Second Conference of ECOWAS Ministers of Education in 2004 • Inauguration of a regional e-Learning Task Force by the President of ECOWAS Commission in 2006 • Survey of e-Learning in 2008

12. Rescue measures cont. • Renewed commitment in 2009 of the Third Conference of Ministers of Education and the 36th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to the promotion of TVET • Regional consultation that prepared a status report and made recommendations for revitalizing TVET in collaboration with UNESCO-BREDA and other relevant UN agencies and their allies • Inauguration of Inter Agency Task Team of TVET partners

13. Rescue measures cont. • Identification, acknowledgement and adoption of the outcome of over 10 years of Collaboration between the government of Nigeria and UNESCO on online development and revision of TVET curriculum and Teaching and Learning Materials • Development of regional e-learning Policy Statement in 2010 • Inauguration of the ECOWAS Committee of Resource Persons for the revitalization of TVET through e-learning

14. Highlights of status report of TVET in the ECOWAS Region • All over West Africa, millions of young people leave primary and secondary school without any practical or employable skills to enter the labour market or the ability to earn an income • The major challenges relate to a socio-economic environment that is characterised by slow economic growth, high population growth, and a growing number of poorly-educated and unskilled job-seeking school leavers • Ratio of theory in teaching higher than practicals

15. Highlights of status report of TVET in the ECOWAS Region • Over the past couple of years, some countries have taken steps to streamline and harmonize their TVET delivery systems by enacting appropriate laws and regulations. However progress is slow • TVET in most ECOWAS countries still suffer from inadequate financing, poor management, inadequate qualified teachers, weak organisational structures marginalization and limited use of ICT in the delivery processes • lack flexibility, relevance and responsiveness of TVET programmes

16. Highlights of status report of TVET in the ECOWAS Region cont’d • TVET teachers and practitioners do not derive adequate socio-economic benefit from their services • Recruitment of qualified TVET teachers cannot match the better remuneration packages offered by industries • One possible strategy to improve the practical skills and retain the services of qualified teachers is to arrange periodic upgrading courses and enterprise-based internships for those at post

17. Highlights of recommendations for TVET revitalization in ECOWAS • Curriculum and Learning Materials development and revision • Development of Regional and National Qualifications Frameworks • Establishment of regional observatories • Promotion of apprenticeship and skills training programmes • Technical Teacher Training and the Training of Trainers • Integration of ICT and entrepreneurship education into TVET

18. Unified Format for Curriculum Development and Revision • The availability of curriculum development experts, skilled instructors and competent teachers with workplace experience is central to the acquisition of employable skills by all categories of learners. • After series of consultation, ECOWAS experts adopted the outcome of decades of collaborative efforts with developing countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Libya, Djibouti, Bahrain and Iraq to adapt existing practice in Member Statesto the unified format for curriculum and learning materials development and revision

19. Main features of the Unified Format • The seven columns format which combines all the elements required in curricula are developed using Gloom’s taxonomy of knowledge comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation • Competency Based Contents • General Objectives of subjects reflecting the Job description or Occupational Standards • Specific Learning Outcomes • Time allocation and breakdown by weeks (e.g. Semester:15 weeks)

20. Main features of the Unified Format cont’d • Detailed Specific Learning Outcome; Suggested Teacher Activity; Required teaching and training Resources for both practicals and theory • Assessments Guidelines • 40-60% Practical Contents • Includes Entrepreneurship and starting small projects • Integrated ICT in all subjects as well as basic ICT training.

21. Main advantages of the Unified Format • Simple Layout • Time Allocation for each learning outcome • Clear Coordination and harmonisation of Theory-Practical • Readily Converted to Textbook -List of Contents • Horizontal & Vertical coordination for al subjects • Promotes learner competency and employability

22. Main advantages of the Unified Format cont’d • Easy Quality Assurance on Implementation • Identifies resources and equipment • Provides Guidelines for Assessments • Affords the teachers opportunity of contributing to curriculum revision • Handy for coordination and harmonisation at national and regional levels • flexible and adaptable to existing curricula in Member States • Promotes the use of animations

23. Instructional Material Development • This entails the development or revision of Learning, Teaching and Training Materials (LTTM ) indicating generic features for all the programmes e.g cover Page with appropriate photos, list of Contents, weekly Content, activities, references • First edition of LTTM will be ready for use by teachers and students after being reviewed (Peer Review) and edited for consistency • All documents preferably converted to PDF and Compiled on CDs

24. Instructional Material Development cont’d • Best to upload to a dedicated Website using open source platform • Evaluation and Revision • Once implementation of the curricula and the use of LTTM commence, feedback from TVET institutions, Teachers and students regarding suggestions for improvements, new material to be added, and possible inclusion of Animation and Multimedia should be collected and analysed.

25. Instructional Material Development cont’d • Role of the teachers remains that of: • Developing detailed Personal Lesson Plan & Material • Adding Examples & Other Supplementary Material • Adding practical exercises & Activities • Introducing Animation & Multimedia

26. ECOWAS Training of TVET Trainers and Administrators • 8 sessions of TOTs were organized for 240 teachers and administrators in 2010 • 16 Sessions for 480 Participants planned for 2011- 2 sessions for 60 already conducted

27. ECOWAS e-Learning Project Implementation Documents (PIDs) • PIDs developed from the ECOWAS e-learning Policy Document for the promotion of TVET delivery and entrepreneurial skills in Member States • Though still undergoing adoption procedure include: • Cyber Corps • Community Colleges Concept • Technical and Vocational Skills and Entrepreneurship Development • Career and Professional Development for the Public Service

28. ECOWAS e-Learning Project Implementation Documents (PIDs) • Excellence in E-Learning Awards • Career and Professional Development in the Private Sector • ICT Entrepreneurship Development • E-learning Content Development Training • All these projects are designed to be implemented through e-learning bearing in mind critical success factors such as electricity supplies, high cost of bandwidth, infrastructure and general resistance to modern technologies.

29. The Way Forward • Adoption of the PS and PIDs by members of Ministers in charge of Education, ICT and Labour in September 2011 • Vetting by ECOWAS Parliament • Resource Mobilization • Establishment of Coordination mechanism • Actual implementation of the PIDs • Monitoring and Evaluation • Implementation of the ECOWAS Roadmap for TVET Revitalization

30. Partnerships • ECOWAS acknowledges the fact that the peculiarities of the challenges confronting e-Learning in the region requires divers partnerships and collaboration among key stakeholders • ECOWAS acknowledges and appreciates exiting collaboration with national governments, UNESCO and other Sister organizations and their allies, COL, ACCC, EU, ADB, the Private Sector, NGOs and donor organizations

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