Professional Certificate in Education Finance, Economics and Planning

2.06

-000

4-20

11

The Professional Certificate in Education Finance, Economics and Planning is being offered jointly since 2008 on a yearly basis by the SADC Education Policy Support Initiative Centre at the Wits School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand,

Johannesburg (Wits SADC-EPSI) together with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Germany (former InWEnt – Capacity Building Inter-national, Germany).

Professional Certificate in Education Finance,

Economics and Planning

Overview

It is widely accepted that education plays a central role in economic and social develop-ment. The impact of education on poverty reduction were spelled out in both the Mil-lennium Development Goals (MDG) and the Dakar Framework of Action for Education For All (EFA), which were adopted by the United Nations in 2000. The focus of the MDG and EFA is on increasing access and enhancing quality. The six EFA goals and targets are ambitious and their successful implementation requires both a significant injection of additional national and interna-tional resources, as well as the capacity to plan for the efficient and effective use and manage-ment of the resources.

In this context, one of the key challenges that faces many developing countries is the ability to align policy goals with appropriate imple-mentation plans and budgets that are based on demographic and financial projections and linked to budget forecasts, including, revenue and expenditure data. The develop-ment of skills and expertise in this area was identified as a key need by a range of SADC countries in a feasibility study of training needs undertaken by InWEnt in 2004. This resulted in the Wits SADC-EPSI, InWEnt, the UNESCO Institute for Education Plan-ning (IIEP) and ADEA Working Group on

the Financing of Education jointly offering a training programme, Managing Educational Costs, Finance and Budgeting in Southern African Countries (MECOFIBU), between 2004 and 2006. The regional programme was followed by national programmes in Malawi and Mozambique and policy dialogue sessions with SADC Ministries of Education.

The successful implementation of the regional programme and the ongoing need to build capacity and deepen the skills base led to the recognition that this can best be done through institutionalising the provision of a range of formal programmes at the postgraduate level in education finance, economics and plan-ning. As a result, the Wits SADC-EPSI and InWEnt developed a pilot Professional Cer-tificate in Education Finance, Economics and Planning, a one-year programme, which was launched in July 2008. The pilot, which came to an end in July 2009 was attended by 30 participants from the DRC, Malawi, Mozam-bique, Namibia and South Africa. In the light of the positive feedback from the participants, and requests from other countries for access to the programme, the Wits SADC-EPSI and InWEnt (now GIZ) have decided to offer the programme on an ongoing basis from the beginning of 2010.

Objectives

The Professional Certificate is targeted at of-ficials and professionals involved in education policy, planning, financing and budgeting and employed in ministries of education and finance, NGOs and training institutions within the SADC region. On completion of the course, the participants will be able to:

• Apply the principles, concepts and analyti-cal frameworks that underpin planning, financing and budgeting.

• Align and translate policy goals into imple-mentation plans, including financial plans and budgets.

• Use financial modelling tools to cost plans, including cost analysis, budget and finan-cial forecasts and funding formula.

• Prepare and negotiate budgets, manage budgets and implement budgetary controls and monitor and evaluate expenditure against income and plans.

• Identify alternative sources of funding, including donor funding and assess their impact on financial planning and budget-ing.

• Use planning tools, including demographic projections and management information systems.

• Develop and use performance indicators to measure progress and evaluate the attain-ment of policy goals and objectives.

Programme Outline

The Professional Certificate in Education Finance, Economics and Planningconsists of three courses:

Course One: Studies in Education Finance, which will focus on the origins and ration-ale for public finance reform in education, the principles of education budgeting and expenditure, the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and decentralisation in education.

Course Two: Issues in Applied Education Economics and Planning I, which will focus on education costs and the tools required to develop education policy such as education management information systems, demo-graphic projections and modelling and school

mapping. This course has been designed with the assistance of the ADEA-Working group on Education Management and Policy Support.

Course Three: Issues in Applied Education Economics and Planning II, which will focus on the tools required to inform the assess-ment, costing and prioritising of policy options in education in relation to issues such as equity and quality and cost-benefit and effectiveness.

Accreditation and Certification

The Professional Certificate is accredited by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, as a masters level Certificate of Competence. Successful completion of the Professional Certificate Programme will ex-empt participants from 3 out of the 8 courses required to obtain the Masters in Education and Finance offered by the Wits School of Education. Entry into the Masters programme is subject to the entry requirements of the University.

Methodology and Duration

The Professional Certificate consists of a combination of residential tuition – compris-ing of 4 weeks, and resource-based learning, including an e-learning platform, which ena-bles learning at a distance, thus allowing the participants to continue to work and to apply their learning in practice on-the job.

It is a one-year programme, which starts in January and ends in December. The ap-plication process begins in September of the previous year.

Entry Requirements

Participants are expected to have a minimum of an undergraduate degree, two years work experience and should be currently work-ing in either education management, policy, planning, financing or budgeting. Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements could be considered subject to the approval of the Senate of the University of the Witwa-tersrand.

For more information please refer to:www.gc21.de/education-finance

For a short demo-version of the online mod-ules please refer to: www.gc21.de/edufinance

User name: guest | Password: guest

Wits SADC-EPSI

Wits University is one of South Africa’s premier teaching and research institutions. Its location in Johannesburg, which is the economic and demographic hub of South and Southern Africa, ensures that the Wits School of Education (WSoE) is strategically placed to play a major role in the development of education in the country and the region. The WSoE is committed to contributing to the transformation of education, the redress of inequalities, and the assimilation into theory, policy and application of well-researched educational perspectives, approaches and methods. It seeks to address the education and training concerns of South and Southern Af-rica through forging local, national, regional and international partnerships.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Internationale Zusammenarbeit

(GIZ) GmbH, Germany

Working efficiently, effectively and in a spirit of partnership, GIZ supports people and so-cieties in developing, transition and industri-alised countries in shaping their own futures and improving living conditions. Established on 1 January 2011, it brings together under one roof the long-standing expertise of the Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED) gGmbH (German Development Service), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusam-menarbeit (GTZ) GmbH (German technical cooperation) and InWEnt – Capacity Build-ing International, Germany. As a federally owned enterprise, we support the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. We are also engaged in international education work around the globe.

The course details and application forms can be obtained from:

Emma Ketzie or Claudia LangeWits School of Education GIZJohannesburg 53113 BonnSouth Africa Germany

T +27 11 717 3022 T +49 228 4460 1719F + 27 11 717 3100 F +49 228 4460 1844E Emma.Ketzie@wits.ac.za E claudia.lange@giz.de

The GIZ contribution to the course is carried out on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development (BMZ)

4rth edition July 2011

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHFriedrich-Ebert-Allee 4053113 Bonn, Germany

T +49 228 4460-1719F +49 228 4460-1766

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbHDag-Hammarskjöld-Weg 1-565760 Eschborn, Germany

T +49 6196 79-0F +49 6196 79-1115

E claudia.lange@giz.deI www.giz.de

2.06

-000

4-20

11