Political economy analyst: school education system in Algeria

Background to the project

The British Council has been working with the Ministry of National Education (MoNE) in Algeria since August 2016 to develop a framework of competencies for continuous professional development for new teachers. The project runs until the end of March 2017 and is funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office under the North Africa Good Governance Fund (NAGGF) to contribute to the fund’s objective to support reform to improve education and skills, drive competitiveness and innovation and reduce unemployment, particularly among young people. It is intended to form the basis of a new approach to professional development for teachers in light of the significant influx of new and inexperienced teachers into the schools system in Algeria as existing professionals retire over the coming years and represents a first step in supporting the MoNE to develop and deliver its agenda for school education reform.

The drive to provide improved continuous professional development for teachers is part of a wider set of education reform priorities set out by the Algerian government in order to enhance the quality of education and improve student learning outcomes, particularly in the face of significant drop-out rates. The MoNE has presented a number of the reform priorities to the UK government and the British Council in Algeria as potential areas for collaboration between Algeria and the UK. These include: school leadership and governance; teacher development; inspection strategies; curriculum and assessment; and pedagogy, particularly in literacy and English language and for students with special needs.

Key partners and stakeholders

When conducting fieldwork in Algeria, meetings and interviews with key partners and stakeholders are likely to include those listed below.

  • Meeting with relevant British Council staff to gain an understanding of the current schools landscape in Algeria and the British Council’s previous work in country
  • Meetings with identified stakeholders from the Ministry of National Education to understand the strategy, priorities and expectations for school reform in Algeria, as well as current capacity, and to map out the institutional set-up of the sector
  • Meeting with Foreign and Commonwealth Office lead on the North Africa Good Governance Fund (NAGGF) to understand how education reform fits within wider UK government objectives in Algeria
  • Meeting with Ruskin Education, who have been working with the British Council and Ministry of National Education on the current programme
  • Meeting with teachers’ unions to understand their role in the Algerian schools sector
  • Visits to relevant educational establishments such as teacher training institutions
  • Focus group discussions with teachers, inspectors, and school leaders
  • At least one school visit to observe classroom practice and gain insight into the school context
  • Meeting with other relevant international stakeholders and donors to map the programmes being funded in the education and schools sector, in order to be in a position to enhance the added-value of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s North Africa Good Governance Fund (NAGGF)

Timeline

Timeline / Date
Terms of reference published / 27 January 2017
Deadline for applications / 8 February 2017
Contract issued / 15 February 2017
Consultancy begins / 15 February 2017
Likely visits to Algeria / Weeks beginning 27 February and 27 March 2017
First draft political economy analysis / 17 March 2017
Final political economy analysis / 31 March 2017