BUILDING PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCY FOR POVERTY REDUCTION

An overview of the PRAM Initiative – a professional education program for agricultural development workers in Laos

The development challenges we face and the context of poverty reduction efforts in Laos

The developmental context

Poverty in Laos

27% of population - less than USD 1 / day

74% of population – less than USD 2 / day

Agriculture: 41% of GDP, 80% of employment

National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy

Is the situation getting worse?

Increased vulnerability because of:

– Climate change – Environmental

degradation – Reduced food security – Economic crisis, increasing

energy costs

PRAM: Poverty Reduction and Agricultural Management – a capacity building program for agricultural extension working in Laos

Outline of the PRAM curriculum

PRAM Goals

To make an immediate and measurable impact on poverty in southern Laos

To build capacity of local government workers to reduce poverty

Four strategic aims of the Lao Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry

Achieve food security for the country

Assist communities to develop agricultural production for cash

Stabilize shifting cultivation to alleviate poverty

Sustainably develop forests

Approaching the challenge

Requires two approaches Long term - gradual development of

existing systems of professional training and education. Yield results in 10 years+

Short-term – need new model for professional development (capacity building) that will help MAF respond to urgent national problems.

The immediate demand

Greater effectiveness of district level government officers

3000 in seven southern provinces alone

Urgent need to reduce rapid destruction of natural environment (deforestation, dam construction)

Urgent need to mitigate impact of negative environmental changes

The immediate demand

Students: mid-career district level extension officers with high school or vocational qualifications

linked to official Ministry systems of staff promotion

Courses taught near workplace four week blocks, after which students return to their stations

Project-based learning, Problem-based leaning key for addressing linkages between environment and poverty reduction

“Fitness for Purpose” approach to quality assurance

PRAM Components

A MAF perspective

Theory Skill building

Community assignments

What do Districts officers need to

know?

What do District

officers need to do?

The developing focus of capacity building for poverty alleviation

HRD emphasis in the past

HRD emphasis in the future

Knowledge-based courses

Work-based courses

Good skills

Good knowledge

Good attitude

+

+

Building competence

Good staff for poverty reduction

Assessment

PRAM

What do District officer need?

Key attributes

Reaching out to professionals – a degree program that targets District agricultural government extension officers from Southern Laos.

Establishing regional standards – developing transboundary collaboration and establishing regional standards for agricultural extension and professional education for poverty reduction

Providing a choice - of what, when and where they study. All students study part-time

Increasing access to education – developing a harmonized approach to agricultural education, farmer extension and community development.

Measuring “fitness for purpose” – students are assessed on the basis of their ability to reduce poverty in poor communities in the Districts they work both during and after their studies

Key attributes

Students can study courses at any educational institutions which is a member of the PRAM Consortium

Consortium members follow agreed norms and standards established for PRAM course delivery and assessment.

Key components of norms and standards: Problem-Based Learning

approach to teaching Fitness for Purpose approach

to assessment

Curriculum structure

PRAM curriculum still being developed. Alliance of educational institutions and

development agencies responsible for developing curriculum agreed to three main types of courses:

Orientation courses Core courses Elective courses

PRAM curriculum structure outline

Composed of two Parts: All students need to take these courses before they begin the Core

courses Students mid-career professionals who have wide range of

backgrounds and professional experience Full time study to “immerse” students in a learning environment

Orientation courses (20 credits)

Core courses (20 credits)

Elective courses (20 credits)

Compulsory courses for registered students – Part-time study for students – Practical assignments in workplace and community – Basic competencies (knowledge + skills + attitude) – General courses for poverty reduction and food security

Elective courses for registered and non-registered students – Project based learning – Workplace teaching – Impact on poverty required for course completion

Orientation course

Part 1 (9 credits) Introduction to Agriculture

English language

Thai language

Computer skills

Introduction to Education

Part 2 (9 credits) Science and Mathematics

Environment and Society

Communication Team Work and Facilitation

Basic Accounting

Core courses

Agricultural Communication How to work with communities

Human relationships

Mediation skills

Negotiation skills

Facilitation skills

Health and Sanitation Food security

International standards quarantine

Public health and sanitation

Notifiable diseases

Animal management for good health

Basic disease understanding and diagnosis

Agro-Ecology Environmental management

Biodiversity

Conservation

Pollution control management

International conventions

Core courses Agricultural Management

Admin-management skills

Policy and planning

Planning methods

Proposal writing

Project management

Donor liaison

Natural Food Security Basic food productivities skills

Food from natural recourses

Food security

Preservation

Post-harvest processing

Indigenous food knowledge

Poverty Mitigation Dimension of poverty

Poverty causes

Poverty management

Inequalities

Poverty reduction policies

Gender

Core courses

Field Research Methods Field research design

Statistics

Research with communities and farmers

Data analysis and presentation

Report writing

Data-Information management processing

Agricultural Extension Extension approaches

Techniques

Rural leadership

Rural finances

Group formation

TOT teaching

PRAM Seminar Students present seminar based on a subject

related to their work and poverty reduction.

Elective courses

Series of graded community development projects (PbL)

Consortium able to provide a wide range of courses – students select according to job requirements.

Also available to district officers without registering for the full degree program

Students specialize in a subject area (e.g. Animal Health, Fisheries).

Requirement to achieve measurable poverty reduction outcomes

“Examiners” include farmers and poor families

Developing a fitness for purpose approach to professional education for poverty reduction

Fitness for purpose

Measuring impact at the community level

Did this course lead to a measurable reduction in poverty?

A “fitness for purpose” approach to education

Examples Increased availability of nutrients in

diet Increased knowledge for treating

goat health problems New crops planted New sources of protein (frogs,

insects) farmed

Quality Assurance Board

Comprising 2 – 3 members from all stakeholders

Each PRAM course delivery institution has its own QA and curriculum development committee

Two-way process

PRAM poverty reduction framework

Providing Basic Needs Improving livelihoods

Employment opportunities

Food security

Schools and education

Health and sanitation

Housing and clothing

Roads access and communication

Community participation

and action

Lao National Poverty Eradication Strategy

The 6 Basic Needs

Poorest Poor

Families with an income equivalent of >180,000 Kip per person per month Families impacted by student activities will NOT be used to measure learning success

Not poor

2020 Goal

Student indicators for learning success Small but sustainable increases in living standards of families within 47 poorest districts of Laos Measurable impacts on the livelihoods and well-being of poor families beyond the provision of their Basic Needs Measurable changes that can be independently verified by local communities and external evaluators

Poverty Reduction Fund responsibility MAF responsibility (with other Ministries/agencies)

The 6 Basic Needs

Food security Enough food for basic requirements

(2100KCal/person/day, importance of fat in diet of young children to absorb vitamins)

Enough food for entire year Food supply not highly vulnerable Importance of building resilience in food

supply to combat climate variation and climate change

Importance of poor communities to recover food supply quickly from external “shocks” or disasters

Focus of PRAM student projects

The 6 Basic Needs

Health and sanitation Access to clean and safe

water

Access to health care services

Importance of developing security to health care service access (ability to “pay” for family health care when there is a critical need)

Health care “micro-insurance” through securing livestock health

The 6 Basic Needs

Schools and education Basic access to primary education

Includes ensuring effectiveness of basic school education

Includes non-formal education and training, access to new information and learning to ensure provision of Basic Needs

Includes effectiveness of awareness raising and learning to exploit new opportunities for basic survival

The 6 Basic Needs

Housing and clothing Ensuring families have basic

shelter and sufficient clothing all year

Importance of improving resilience to increasing climate variation. Shelter less vulnerable to flooding and storms

Importance of families having a secure place to live

Importance of having basic cooking and household equipment

The 6 Basic Needs

Roads, access and communication The importance of developing

reliable contact with the “outside” to reduce vulnerability

Includes basic access to buses and having money to travel for emergencies (e.g. health)

Developing effective access to basic government services

The 6 Basic Needs

Community participation and action Ensuring ability to effectively

participate in development

Developing opportunities to be innovative and creative (take small risks for improvements)

Importance of ensuring communities and individuals are able to take responsibility for improvements

The importance of the capacity for community mobilization and organization

An overview of the lessons learned by the PRAM stakeholders over the last three years

Some lessons learned

The need for a local-level focus

Savannakhet University DLF/MAF lead process, but

difficult to coordinate Necessary for local

coordination (local university) Local university issue degree

Need to focus at lowest level of staff and poor areas Poor districts Jut Sum Technical Service Centers

(TSC’s)

International partnerships

The Wetlands Alliance

AIT, CORIN-ASIA, WWF, World Fish

Role changed, need to accommodate change

Difficult to understand, complicated

Thai agencies Local-local collaboration very effective

MoU useful for administration

Vocational vision very useful

Easy to find good lessons for students and information

Language differences small (compared with English)

Donor organizations

Flexibility and understanding from Sida (supportive donor)

PRAM designed for easy donor support

International NGO approach different (project approach)

Facilitating partnerships

Important attributes Ability to identify new opportunities

Neutrality, respected

Informed, but independent

Breaking with traditions “Technical” input requirment

Focus on establishing process not output

Curriculum content locally derived

Facilitation skills central importance: partnership development

workplan development

monitoring (Quality Assurance)

goal/objective reinforcement

DLF perspective of PRAM institutional partnerships

DLF WAP National coordination

Savannakhet province WAP Provincial coordination for

Southern Laos

Northern province WAP Provincial coordination for

Northern Laos

Champasak Provincial Authorities

Salavan Provincial Authorities

Attapue Provincial Authorities

Xe Kong Provincial Authorities

Kammouane Provincial Authorities

Bolikhamsai Provincial Authorities

Savannakhet Provincial Authorities

National University of Laos/Savannakhet

University

Na Gair Agricultural College

Pakse Agricultural College

MAF Personnel Department

Department of Vocational Education

National and Regional coordination

MAF Planning Department

Private Sector – CAAT

UDICAD

WAP Secretariat

International coordination

Luang Prabang Provincial Authorities

Xieng Kuang Provincial Authorities

MAF Bilateral donors

World Bank/ADB SEAFDEC

Department of Agronomy

Plan

ned

Plan

ned

Supporting teaching development

Opportunities to test and develop new approaches re-evaluate learner needs

Project/Problem-based learning appropriate for (MAF) professional

development similar to development agency “capacity

building” Developing confidence

Only one of the ways to do this Key element for effective development Importance underestimated

Supporting QA development

The need for regional/international certification/quality assurance

Jointly developing “fitness for purpose” concept

Development of a Quality Assurance Board (QAB)

Facilitating continuous quality improvement

Merging “development” QA with education QA Exams, student assignments, academic

assesments Logical Framework (OVI’s) Most Significant Change (MSC)

Some ideas for developing the PRAM initiative and issues that need to be addressed for scaling-up

Future directions and challenges

Regional expansion

On-going dialogue to establish PRAM-like programs in Philippines, East Timor, Thailand, Burma and Vietnam

Cambodia Fisheries administration (part of MAFF)

will: Organize a national meeting to discuss how

to initiate PRAM in Cambodia

Open discussions with national universities to develop collaboration of a PRAM initiative

Draft PRAM project proposal and invite PRAM stakeholders from Laos to share ideas and submit jointly to donors

The challenge of learning from the past and each other

How can students learn from past students?

How can teachers learn from past teachers?

How can we empower students, give them the 'big' picture - that there are others like them - how do you link them?

The challenge of information and records management

What is the best way to collect and manage the assessment information coming from teachers and students?

What is the best way to record and store Significant Change Stories?

How can pictures and videos best be stored and shared?

Where is the best place to keep student records?

Where do we keep records of meetings and agreements on approach and methodology?

The challenge of communication

Teachers wish they had easier way to contact students

How can communication be improved teacher-teacher, student-student, teacher-student?

Teachers were impressed by students from different areas working together on their projects

How can teachers get more real-time information from the students?

Thank you nickudon@gmail.com