under construction

The role and function of Planning in any organisation or institution is undeniable. It plays a pivotal role in mapping the way forward and in allocating the appropriate resources to do so. It remains the nerve centre for the organisation as it provides feedback on performance and the need for changes designed to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. Planning is a management tool and should be pursued at al levels throughout the organisation.

According to the Education Strategy Letter (Sept, 1995)

“The Planning and Development Section will have overall responsibility for

a. The long range planning of sector development and the related preparation of programmes (5 years) and projects and the conduct of research and policy studies in support of decision making and policy formulation

b. The development and maintenance of a statistical service for the sector would include a comprehensive database related analytical capacity to serve the education community and other public service needs; this database to include all student, teachers schools and services of the Ministry of Education, sector financing and cost and other relevant data as may be feasibly required

That letter makes provision for a Planning and Development Section, however, a policy decision was taken not to implement this recommendation at that time and opt instead for an Education Planning Unit. The Programme and Project preparation function was moved to the Project Management Unit (PMU), first established for project effectiveness under the Basic Education Reform Project (BERP).

The Education Strategy Letter identifies the key functions of the Education Planning Unit as follows:

1. Long range planning
2. Policy research and Analysis
3. Data and information management

The function of monitoring and programme evaluation, while it is perceived to be part of the function of the Unit, was never part of the original conception. Recent communiqués appear to make it part of the function. Further, the planning function, according to the letter is specific to having responsibility for Long Range planning and tactical planning (corporate plans). Activities related to school development planning have been included as part of the mandate of the Unit.

In addition, the Information and Communication Technology component has been housed within the Unit. This is essential since it is the infrastructure on which the data and information management systems of the entire education systems depend. Since data and information are critical to planning, having control and management of its infrastructure is also essential for reliability, for upgrading and maintenance. The technology is available for other sub-sectors like curriculum development and teacher education to utilize in the conduct of their own activities. Given the pivotal role that information and data play in the functions of the Unit, retaining its control and management is vital. ICT, then, will be subsumed under data and information management.

The revised functions or TORs are as follows

1. Planning
2. Policy research and analysis
3. Data and information management
4. Monitoring and Evaluation of plans and programmes

The framework outlined above shows the functions of EPU and its relationships to other units within the division. This diagrammatic relationship is important as a precursor to the process of forging close ties with the various units and to facilitate the ease of monitoring and evaluation as contained in the Corporate Plan 2003/04.

MISSION/OBJECTIVE:
As outlined in the Corporate Plan 2003/2004 the objective of the EPU reads:

“To coordinate the planning and development of the education system.”

MISSION STATEMENT
To coordinate the planning and development of the education system in Dominica to create and maintain an effective, relevant and efficient delivery of service”

SWOT ANALYSIS

1. Strengths
a. Cadre of trained persons
b. Possess an Education Development Plan
c. Located in close proximity to the other technical units

2. Weaknesses
a. Difficulty with meeting deadlines
b. Reluctance to prioritise
c. Dearth of successors
d. Absence of clear Terms of Reference

3. Opportunities
a. Need for planning in the face of austerity
b. Political will to adopt the EDP
c. Adoption of a corporate plan
d. Willingness of senior managers to plan

4. Threats
a. Misunderstanding of the role of planning
b. Fiscal and economic difficulties
c. Reduction in staff
d. Absence of support for fieldwork
e. Absence of collaboration
f. Absence of mechanisms for networking

Detailed Terms of Reference

1. Planning
Planning is basically a blueprint for action. It is designed to map the way forward for achieving the goals and objectives of an organisation. It is also essential as a tool for the monitoring, evaluation and providing feedback on programmes. Two clear blueprints have been developed and adopted with in the education sector. These are the Education Development Plan (EDP) and the Corporate Plan. In addition, School Development Plans (SDP) have been developed and adopted in all school in Dominica. The Education Planning Unit will therefore

 Review and revise and update the Education Development Plan.
 Coordinate the preparation of the corporate plan.
 Compile the plans of the various divisions, sections and units into a complete corporate plan.
 Assist schools in the development, review and implementation of their SDPs
 Conduct training workshops in education planning at all levels of the Education system.
 Keep up to date with current methodologies and technologies in planning.
 Assist schools in developing more effective and relevant operational plans.

2. Policy research and analysis
Policy is the framework for action. It guides plans and plans guide action. It is essential therefore to conduct research to both inform future policies and to evaluate existing ones. Further analysis is required to ensure that policies respond appropriately to the situations they are formulated to address. Polices can be implicit as well as explicit. The ministry has prepared several explicit policy documents over the past three years and many more are captured in practices adopted over many years. The former include the School Safety and Discipline Policy, School Maintenance Policy, National Curriculum Policy, Literacy and Numeracy Policy. The Unit therefore will

 Identify in collaboration with senior managers key research to be conducted during the fiscal/academic year
 Prepare proposal for the conduct of the research
 Seek donor assistance where necessary for the conduct of these research
 Prepare reports and reviews and offer recommendations as a result of these research
 Prepare and conduct workshops to discuss finding and recommendation with relevant stakeholders and policy makers
 Keep up-to date with current approaches to policy research and analysis

3. Data and information management
Data and Information is critical for planning. These must be relevant and timely. Therefore maintaining a structure through which this is communicated is essential. The unit has a responsibility to ensure that its data base management systems represent current trends in the field and that it remains flexible and accommodating as since it functions as an information broker. It must always be aware that it serves a diverse clientele and that the quality of service delivered is critical to its operations. The Unit therefore will

 Maintain a database system of all education complexes with Dominica
 Prepare and disseminate instruments for data collection in schools
 Maintain and review the database technology (ICT)
 Document and disseminate information on education through Indicators
 Adopt and publish education indicators for use in monitoring and evaluating the education system.
 Assess and evaluate ICT with the education system and offer recommendations for their upgrade, maintenance.
 Identify best practices in the use and effectiveness of ICT within the education system and offer recommendations for replication.
 Conduct workshop in ICT maintenance, software evaluation and database management for schools and units.

4. Monitoring and Evaluation of plans and programmes
Monitoring and evaluation are strategies designed to measure programme effectiveness, efficiency and relevance. Yet, this remains probably one of the most neglected aspects of the education system. It is on the basis of these that improvements are taken and changes made to programme implementation. The unit therefore will

 Develop and implement protocols for monitoring and evaluating programmes and units with the Ministry of Eduaction.
 Prepare reports and offer recommendations emanating from these reports.
 Assist in providing training in the monitoring and evaluation of programmes.