Participants from Soros foundations, network spin-off NGOs, and foundation partners from 14 countries of Central Asia, Central Europe, the Caucasus, and Russia joined together with the Education Support Program (ESP) and members of the OSI General Education Sub-Board (GESB) to discuss critical issues in education reform at a network-wide Education Coordinators Conference held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Discussion focused on progress made in policy work and on future directions for the network. With network-wide decreases in education funding, the conference represented a vital opportunity to ensure the longevity and continuous impact of OSI education investments in these countries.
Event Summary
Participants were welcomed by Jana Huttova, Director of the Education Support Program of OSI Budapest, together with Saule Kalikova, the Soros Foundation Kazakhstan (SFK) Education Director, and Elena Lenskaya, Chairwoman of the OSI General Education Sub-Board. In her address, Huttova noted that network boundaries embrace now encompass not only Soros foundations but also education spin-offs, education policy centers, and other partner organizations. This calls for new approaches and activities in the ESP strategy, including researching networks, enhancing professional development of key players, and facilitating exchange between professional networks, countries, and within sub-regions.
The conference framed the presentations and discussions within a global context. From the very first presentation, the conference provoked thought with information on current trends in education development, global challenges and pressures that countries face when designing and implementing education reforms, and the role of Soros foundations and NGOs in influencing policy agendas in countries of the Soros Network.
Gita Steiner-Khamsi, GESB member and Columbia University professor, presented Trends in Education Development: Policy Borrowing and Local Solutions. She challenged participants to look critically at current approaches in education reform that too often involve policy borrowing and lending. Participants were asked to reflect on whether transferring policies from one context to another can lead to an international/global model of school reform.
Evidence of such globalization of education development work can be seen in education sector reviews of various countries that seem to prescribe similar solutions to different local problems. Participants also discussed the role of the OSI Network in the education globalization context so that it can pursue its clear mission in those areas, like equity, which are usually overlooked by other international players.
Steiner-Khamsi also suggested that OSI could play a large role in providing more equity-driven and less finance and competition-driven approaches to education reforms. OSI should advocate for transparency and accountability toward the general public, parents and educational practitioners and support the development of civil society institutions with local capacity for educational reform. This will allow for reducing dependency from international consultants.
During the first conference day, input on equity was presented that challenged the participants to consider whether they are playing a strong enough role in developing education programs that explicitly address issues of equity. The session concluded that the Soros foundations and spin-off NGOs should continue bringing a unique perspective and contribution to education reform in their countries complementing other actors active in this area. Equity is at the core of OSI's mission, and will remain the network's responsibility to keep it at the heart of the work it does.
ESP launched its Gender Equity Education Report, prepared jointly with the Network Women s Program. The report documents differences that have emerged across gender groups during transition, presenting factors that attribute to these differences, and raising awareness about gender equity issues in education systems in the region. The re-emergence of gender gaps in non-compulsory education (disadvantaging either boys or girls) and increased drop out from school due to school costs and low family income are steps backward. Gender does not affect participation in a uniform way but depends on specific local circumstances.
However, girls from socially disadvantaged and minorities are among the most vulnerable groups in all countries. Though countries have signed international human right treaties and conventions to advance equal opportunities for boys and girls, in reality, these commitments are translated to national laws and regulations as generalized statements to equality with no specific policies for implementation. The presentation concluded by stressing the importance of OSI remaining proactive in this area.
After considering the global perspectives, the conference provided the opportunity for network representatives to share current achievements and challenges in influencing education reforms in various countries. Participants were able to learn from colleagues presentations on how the work of Soros foundations and partner organizations inform policies and drive education change. Country reports from Kazakhstan, Latvia, Tajikistan, and Ukraine were presented.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan has acknowledged SFK expertise in education development. It asked a group of foundation experts to assist with the development of the new National Curriculum. Leading foundation education experts became part of the working committees of the Ministry.
In Latvia, Providus, the public policy center that heads education activities in the country, is actively engaged in policy processes, advocating changes that are directly related to OSI s mission. Recently the center worked on a study that covered issues of student loans and access to higher education. The document offered recommendations on how to increase opportunities for low-income students to receive a loan guarantee from local authorities. As of this academic year, some recommendations were taken forward by local authorities to improve access to education for low-income students.
The OSI Assistance Foundation Tajikistan supported the establishment of an independent policy NGO, Education Reform Support Unit (PULS), which has built close links with the Ministry of Education. This policy center provides professional, analytical, and training support for education reform in the country. Also, extensive work was done to reform teaching of English in schools. Foundation experts prepared a program for retraining English teachers, under the review of the Ministry of Education.
The International Renaissance Foundation in Ukraine heads a pilot project on the possibility of introducing external examinations in the final year of upper secondary schooling. Next year the foundation will draft a feasibility plan for the Ministry of Education and Science regarding the possibility of introducing assessment reform.
The second day focused on how the OSI network has become active in developing professional resources, consolidating capacities, and building networks as means of sustaining the network s expertise in education. Participants learned about current post-graduate courses that are being offered through the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences and the program evaluation and international policy studies course offered by ESP and Teachers College, Columbia University. This year ESP developed a number of on-line resources to assist education policy makers and managers to gain access to information on specific education issues that are important for the Network. These on-line resources cover the following areas: assessment in education, program evaluation, managing consultancy in education, and communicating education reform. A number of other resources are to be finalized next year: education policy, teaching and learning materials, and IT in education.
The creation of a regional network of experts and expertise in education for the region of Central Asia, called CAECN (Central Asia Education Cooperation Network), was also presented. The network is being created and will begin activity in the near future. The main goal of this Network is to bring together OSI related education NGOs and partners from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
A presentation by Elena Lenskaya focused on possible future OSI activities in education. Sustaining Momentum for Change: Emerging Strategies and Changing Roles discussed new roles of donor organizations, ways of developing institutional partnerships, and roles of NGOs in building vibrant civil societies. The presentation focused on major outputs of educational reforms in Eastern and Central Europe in the last 15 years. These outputs vary from adoption of new education legislation, introduction of democratic management, and renewed curriculum for democratic citizenship.
The presentation also reflected on the following contributions made by OSI: development of the textbook market and a new generation of textbooks in humanities, training education managers, establishment of policy centers, and advocating for inclusive education and equity issues. Reflecting on current challenges to education reforms, Lenskaya called participants to think about innovative ways to sustain education changes. These could include creation of a shared pool of resources to inform reforms through exchange of data, strategic analysis, focused public relations policy, promoting long term planning and accountability mechanisms in education development; and resourcing education reforms through support or establishment of professional centers and networks.
The conference ended with a final speech by Huttova that highlighted the importance of OSI work in education and reflected on various roles that the expanded network plays in education. These roles vary from being a critical voice and a partner in policy making, being sustainable yet preserving the open society mission, and shifting from being a donor to becoming a reliable partner in the education development sector. On this note, participants were left to reflect on what they had experienced in the past three days, and on the unique role and mission that they play in the countries where they work.