PARTICIPATORY MANAGEMENT IN BASIC EDUCATION

UNESCO BASIC EDUCATION CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT ~TRAINING KITS FOR LOCAL NGOS~ Theme 2 PARTICIPATORY MANAGEMENT IN BASIC EDUCATION Written by Margaret Kamera Emmanuel Mukanda Edited By: Geoff Tambulukani Imed Mumba Coordinated by: People s Action Forum Church House LUSAKA ZAMBIA Supported by: UNESCO Basic Education Division PARIS March 2001 1

About This Manual The UNESCO supported project, Capacity Building for Local NGOs in Basic Education in LDCs (BECAB) aims at building up the capacity of NGOs to become effective partners of one another and governments in the delivery of basic education. The Project has as one of it s objectives, To develop a specific training kit on NGO capacity building in Basic Education that is adaptable to a wide range of NGOs. Each country will develop a National Training kit to be incorporated into a Global Kit. The Project embarked on this objective to develop the National Training Kit, [Phase II], in November 2000. To form the writing group, ten (10) of the participants from the 1998 series of BECAB Workshops were selected. These are: -Donald Chanda, Mr -Margaret Kamera, Ms -Innocent Kayafa, Mr -Fred Libindo, Mr -Emmanuel Mukanda, Mr -Regina Musokotwane, Ms -Felix Mwale, Mr -Raphael Nakacinda, Mr -Sonnile Phiri, Ms -Michael Siwale, Rev People s Action Forum People s Action Forum Youth Association of Zambia Dept for Continuing Education Fountain of Hope Association FAWEZA Anglican Children s Project Dept for Continuing Education RCZ-Development Programme Adult Education Assoc. of Zambia Facilitating this whole process of writing, editing and production of the manual was Mr Geoff Tambulukani, BECAB Resource Person, Department Head of Language and Social Sciences in the School of Education, University of Zambia. BECAB Project Assistant, Gina M. Fundafunda, assisted in the facilitation process, and final preparation of the manual. Messrs Henry J. Msango, Bentry Nkhata, D.C. Nkosha and Ms Imed Mumba, all lecturers with the University of Zambia, also assisted in the editing. This manual, Participatory Management in Basic Education, is Theme 2 in a fivepart National Training Kit. Other titles in this kit include:- ~Theme 1 Government National Policy on Basic Education ~Theme 3 Teaching and Learning Materials Analysis and Development in Basic Ed. ~Theme 4 Gender Awareness and Sensitization in Basic Education ~Theme 5 HIV/AIDS And Its Impact on Basic Education It is hoped that this manual will be of invaluable assistance to the many Basic Education NGOs in the building up of their capacity to deliver quality education. Jennifer M. Chiwela NATIONAL COORDINATOR, BECAB Executive Director - People s Action Forum 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Preface.4 Acknowledgement..5 Introduction and how to use this manual.6 Unit 1. Unit 2. Unit 3. Unit 4. Unit 5. Participatory Approaches in Project Management 7 Project Identification..12 Planning Methodologies in Project Management 15 Project Implementation....18 Monitoring and Evaluation...22 3

PREFACE Today in many developing countries the civil society is embarking on developing Programmes which call for different methodologies. To cope with this situation there is a realization that Project managers need to be trained in Project Management skills. In Zambia a loose network of NGOs and Community based Organizations (CBOs) came together and realized the need for training of Trainers (TOT) in how to use participatory management skills. Therefore this manual looks at the following UNITS: Participatory Approaches in Project Management Project Identification Planning Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation We hope that this manual will be of a great help to the users and those intended to benefit from the participatory techniques. 4

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This manual is written for enhancing capacity building of Local NGOs participating in Project Management in Basic Education in Zambia. Therefore we the Authors of this Manual are hereby acknowledging those who made this work possible under the Basic Education Capacity Building Project (BECAB). Firstly we would like to thank UNESCO, the initiators of the Project, for financial support rendered for seminars on capacity building and actual production of this manual. People s Action Forum (PAF) for coordinating the Project; Mrs Jennifer Chiwela (National Coordinator) AND Mrs. Gina FundaFunda (Project Assistant). Many thanks also go to University of Zambia, School of Education who took keen interest in the capacity building process without whose input this wouldn t be produced. Thanks to Prof. Dickson Mwansa, Dr. Anne Sikwibele, and Dr.Choondoka. Dr. Ireen Maimbolwa Sinyangwe, and Mr. G. Tambulukani who also facilitated the production of this manual. We would also like to thank our own organizations for allowing us to participate and be part of the writers of this manual in particular Fountain of Hope and People s Action Forum management. Last but not least to other organizations who have been part of this capacity building programme for local NGOs in least developed Countries in Africa and South Asia for their collaboration and contribution and Mrs. Ruth Tembo, PAF Administrative Assistant for typesetting of this manual. Margaret Kamera and Emmanuel Mukanda 5

INTRODUCTION: HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL Unit: Participatory Approaches Lesson 1 Total time: 2 hours 30 Minutes Learning objectives: At the end of this unit trainees should be able to:. Define participatory project management approaches. Purpose of participatory approaches. Learn different types of participatory approaches. Identify projects and target areas for development in the community 20 minutes Activity Notes Welcome participants and self Self introduction (participants) Norms/ground rules Ice breakers Song 1 Hour 30 min Introduce discussion by asking participants to define participatory management approaches. Participants to highlight purposes of participatory project management. Discussion Identify projects and project areas Song 25 Minutes Report back to plenary Ice breakers, pens flip charts, markers, cards. 15 minutes Reflection and summarizing Evaluation of the unit Questionnaires 6

UNIT 1: PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT AIM: The aim of this Unit is to enable trainees understand and apply participatory approaches in project identification in basic education. LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of this unit trainees should be able to: Define Participatory Approaches Explain the purpose of Participatory Approaches Identify types of Participatory Approaches Identify target areas/ Groups for participatory methods CONTENT SUMMARY (I) (II) (III) (IV) Definition of participatory approaches Purpose of participatory approaches Types of participatory approaches Target areas / groups for participatory approaches 1.1 DEFINITION OF PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES Activity 1 a. Individually and later in groups define the term Participatory Approaches and report back to plenary TRAINERS NOTE Participatory Approaches: is a process of full participation through which target groups/stakeholders collaboratively learn, influence and share views on their needs and opportunities and action required to address them. KEY INFORMATION One of the functions of participatory approaches is to guide the target group through active and collective participation to realize the needs of their communities and come up with strategies to address them. The key concepts in 7

understanding what participatory approaches imply are: collaboration, collective decision making, sharing experiences and shared vision. 1.2 PURPOSES OF PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES KEY INFORMATION: Activity 1b In pairs list five (5) purposes for conducting participatory approaches. Below is the list of possible purposes for participatory approaches: Active participation of the Community Empowerment Accountability Transparency Collective action Leadership Shared ownership 1.3 TYPES OF PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES There are different types of participatory approaches that can be used effectively in identifying community projects, especially by civil society engaged in Basic Education. Some of these are: VIPP (Visualization in Participatory Programs) PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) PLA (Participatory Learning Approach) SARAR (Self esteem, Associated strength, Resourcefulness, Action Planning and Responsibility) Logical Frame Work Approach Activity 1c Your Community school or your Literacy programme is highly successful, well researched, in good environment and is seeking to raise its standards. In-groups decide on two of Participatory Approaches you can use to improve the status of the community. 8

Uses of Participatory Approaches in Basic Education: A) *VIPP (Visualization In Participatory Programmes) This method uses manila and coloured cards to come up with strategies for implementation. You need Cards, Markers, Pins and VIPP Board. This method is recommended for participants who know how to read and write. (B) PLA (Participatory Learning Approach) This method is recommended for use in many situations and it employs the use of: Mapping Timelines Matrix Visualization and Drama Group discussions Calendars Venn diagrams SARAR This method is used mostly used in health planning but can also be used in other development projects. It means: SARAR: S - Self Esteem (individual/groups identifying and solving of their problems A - Associative Strength (People in groups became strong and act together R - Resourcefulness (individuals are part of the resource in the community and seeking solutions to problems A - Action planning (planning for action for problem solutions R - Responsibility (sharing planned action and carry out correctively It is used in Health Planning and other development projects. For definitions of Participatory Approaches:- (see some Manuals Produced by ISTC (NRDC) and VIPP Manuals for facilitators and Trainer s involved in Participatory Group events UNICEF, 1993). 9

Activity 1d You have a community school or a literacy programme that is ineffective and a demotivated one. In-groups decide on the appropriate participatory approaches that you would use to assist them achieve efficiency. Each different situation will demand a different and appropriate participatory approach. Therefore you the trainers/ facilitators of participatory approaches will have to make informed decisions on the type of participatory approach to employ in a given situation.e.g. in the rural setting use PRA and for organized professional planning use VIPP or Logical Frame work approach. TARGET / AREAS / GROUPS FOR PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES If you are undertaking a participatory approach mission, trainers should decide on what aspects of the community and which target groups have to be trained. The target groups in the community to be trained could include chiefs, headmen, and heads of households (both men and women) Activity 1e Assuming you the trainer has decided to focus on the needs of basic education in your area. In pairs decide who should be targeted and what will be the area of focus in the community TRAINERS NOTE The intention of this activity is to enable trainers, trainees, chiefs and all stakeholders see the need to consult widely including. 10

CONDUCTING PARTICIPATORY APPROACHES KEY INFORMATION: Having decided on the purpose, types of participatory approaches, aspects of the target groups, stake holders to be trained, trainers and trainees should undertake a community survey. Careful planning of the programme for each community visited is very important. The survey will highlight who to see and where to go into the community. The timeframe should be agreed on as well. Activity 1f In small groups develop a survey programme activities on a flip Chart and share some ideas in the plenary. There are a variety of survey programme activities, but these should be relevant to the identified project area and target group. 11

UNIT 2 PROJECT IDENTIFICATION AIM: The aim of this unit is to enable target groups identify critical problems, needs and solutions. LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit trainees should be able to: Define project identification. Justify purpose of project identification. State the stages of project identification CONTENT SUMMARY i) Definition of project identification ii) Purpose of project identification iii) Stages of project identification 2.1 DEFINITION OF PROJECT IDENTIFICATION Activity 2 a Individually and later in groups define Project identification and report back to the plenary session Project identification is analysis and deciding which are the critical problems that need to be tackled. KEY INFORMATION: One of the functions of project identification is to seriously look at critical problems that the community is facing and come up with a systematic approach and find solutions to the problem. 12

2.2 PURPOSE OF PROJECT IDENTIFICATION KEY INFORMATION Before embarking on a project, trainers must decide the purpose for identifying a particular project. There are many reasons why trainers go through a process of project identification. These include problem solving and identifying key personnel in the community. Activity 2 b In-groups, list 10 purposes for conducting project identification. Below are additional purposes for conducting project identification mission: - Problem identification - Problem analysis - Visualization and dramatization - Programme planning 2.3 STAGES OF PROJECT IDENTICATION KEY INFORMATION: There is a range of stages of project identification these are : - Problem identification - Problem analysis - Visualization and dramatization - Planning Activity 2 c One of your target areas in the community is very successful with good resource persons and key players but it is seeking assistance to raise its standards. In pairs decide how you can use the stages of project identification listed above. 13

The meaning of: A) Problem identification use project techniques such as: - Timeline - Matrix - Venn diagram - Mapping - Calendar - Reflection B) Problem analysis: takes all timelines. matrices, Venn diagram, mappings, calendars and reflects, then compares information collected and begin to prioritize. C) Visualization and dramatization: takes prioritized problems and visualize how to solve them. Use of the following methods is encouraged.. Drama. Role-plays D) Action Plan: to be drawn for implementation of identified projects and timeframe be given per activity (Who, when, where, donor and Budget) Reflection: Is what we discovered when identifying new projects relevant to our own situation? 14

UNIT 3: PLANNING AIM: The aim of this unit on planning is to enable communities or organizations come up with tangible work plans for their project activities. LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this unit trainees should be able to Define planning Justify the purpose of planning Decide on appropriate planning methods Decide on appropriate follow ups on planned activities CONTENT SUMMARY I) Definition of planning ii) Purpose of planning iii) Planning methods iv) Follow-ups on planned activities 3.1 DEFINITION OF PLANNING Activity 3 a Individually and in pairs or groups define the term planning Planning is a process of deciding what is to be done by setting goals, objective strategies and how to achieve them. KEY INFORMATION One of the functions of the trainer when guiding trainees on planning is to help them come up with strategies for planning purposes in project implementation. 3.2 PURPOSE OF PLANNING Key information: before planning out a project, the trainers must decide on the appropriate planning methods. There are many reasons trainers might have 15

when undertaking planning process. These can include consultations, seminars and group discussions. Activity 3 b In-groups, list 5 purposes for conducting project planning. Below is list of additional purposes for conducting planning: - Organizing - Staffing - Directing - Coordinating - Reporting - Budgeting - Supervising - Evaluating - Innovating 3.3 PLANNING METHODS KEY INFORMATION: There is a range of planning strategies that include may group discussions, seminars, interviews and questionnaires Activity 3 c One of your communities is highly successful and well researched, but seeking help in raising its standards. In-groups decide on which planning method to be used in your communities. For the definitions on planning find some references from different planning unit departments of various institutions. 16

Activity 3 d You have a bad plan in your community. Progress terribly undermined under unskilled manpower and the project is not well implemented. In your groups decide on an appropriate planning strategy you could use to improve the performance of that project. Each different project will demand a different and appropriate planning strategy from those cited above. We advise Trainers to make a decision on which type of planning and strategies to use in each situation. Reflection: Planning is a vital instrument in any project survival what lessons have we learned from bad planning strategies? 17

UNIT 4: PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION AIM: The aim of this unit is to enable trainees put the project plan into action LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of the unit trainees should be able to: Define project implementation Justify the purpose of project implementation Identify appropriate types of implementation process Justify the different types of feedback Decide on appropriate follow up activities CONTENT SUMMARY Definition of project implementation i) Purpose of project implementation ii) Types of project implementation iii) Types of feedback iv) Follow up activities 4.1 DEFINITION OF PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION Activity 4 a: In-groups of 4 define project implementation then report back to plenary on flip charts. Implementation is a process of putting the plan of the project into action. KEY INFORMATION: The function of trainers here is to help trainees participating in community basic education to help their communities to come up with practical implementation of the project/s. 4.2 PURPOSE OF PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION Before carrying out project implementation, you trainers and trainees must come up with a clear understanding of the purpose of good project implementation strategies. 18

Activity 4 b Individually write on the card what you think are the purposes of project implementation. Below is additional information on the purpose of project implementation:. Putting action plans from seminars or meetings into concrete and specific activities. Receive benefits of planned activities. Assess achievements and constraints KEY INFORMATION: 4.3 TYPES OF PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION There are different types of project implementation methods and these are: Activity 4c - National level - Community based - NGO level - Individual level Your community has succeeded in implementing a certain project and would like to do even better. In-groups, decide on which implementation strategy you would use to improve on that particular project. For more information on the types of project implementation we look briefly at the following: National implementation - These are projects undertaken by government and other big organizations to implement some national projects. Community based implementation These are projects implemented by full participation of community members for their common good. 19

Activity 4 d: You have a project, which is very ineffective and under researched and has demotived participants. In-groups decide on the appropriate implementation process you would use. Each different project implementation process will demand a different approach and therefore, trainers have to be flexible with which type of project implementation process to be employed in any given situation. 4.4 TYPES OF FEEDBACK For project implementation to achieve the desired outcomes, trainers should provide clear feedback on the findings within the timeframe of the project. Activity 4e In-groups of 5 discuss types of feedback available when in the process of project implementation. Additional types of project implementation feed backs may include: Lesson observation reports Written reports about the project (quarterly and annually) Check lists of what has been done and note done. Trainees to come up with their own types of activities. Activity 4f In pairs refer to activity 4d and provide oral feedback to the plenary on the process of project implementation. 20

4.5 FOLLOW UP ACTIVITIES KEY INFORMATION After every implementation process, trainees should plan appropriate follow up activities to highlight good achievements and constraints to be improved on and make recommendations for appropriate action. Activity 4g In-groups refer to activity 4c and recommend appropriate follow-up activities. SUMMARY Having worked through the units, it is expected that trainees will have developed a number of implementation skills. These should include: concrete decision making process consultation management strategies analysis of implementation stages. 21

UNIT 5 MONITORING AND EVALUATION AIM: To assess the work plan and check whether activities indeed have been carried out as planned during the period LEARNING OUTCOMES. Define monitoring and evaluation. Explain the purpose monitoring & evaluation CONTENT SUMMARY i) Definition of monitoring and evaluation ii) Purpose of monitoring and evaluation iii) Methods of monitoring and evaluation 5.1 DEFINITION AND MONITORING Activity 5 a: In-groups define the term monitoring and evaluation and report back to plenary. TRAINER S NOTE Monitoring is assessing the work plan and impact on the tasks and activities carried out during the projects. Evaluation is a process of obtaining and interpreting information on the successes and failures of a given activity or project KEY INFORMATION The functions of Monitoring and Evaluation: The following questions should be asked On monitoring: Have we worked according to what we had planned? Are we within the timeframe? On evaluation: Did the activities and objectives achieve the results according to the proposed indicator. 22

If the indicator results in failure or success, propose a new way of monitoring and evaluating and then decide on new follow up activities. 5.1 PURPOSE OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION KEY INFORMATION There are many reasons why trainers have to help the trainees to understand the importance of monitoring and evaluation in projects. E.g. in Management, they raise issues of accountability and commitment. Activity 5 b: In-groups of three list 5 purposes of monitoring and evaluation in Project Management. The under listed are additional purposes for carrying out monitoring and evaluation in project management.. Foresight (Way Forward). New opportunities arising from project. Help assess failures and successes. Improved budgeting strategies. Feedback. Control activities. Evaluate your performance 5.2 STRATEGIES OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION There are different types of Monitoring and Evaluation strategies, which include both internal and external. These are questionnaires, interviews, group discussion, dramatization and report writing. Activity 5 c: One of your community schools is highly successful in administration and project planning and seeks assistance in monitoring and evaluation for better results. Ingroups decide on which strategies you would use in project. 23

TRAINER S NOTE Monitoring and Evaluation strategies Questionnaire - Are guiding questions, which help, gather specifics needed in assessing the Project Interview - Report Writing Are interpersonal question and answers that will lead to answers needed when monitoring and evaluating of the project. - Is a continuous process of regular internal monitoring. It can be produced monthly, quarterly or annually. Trainees can be asked to define other strategies in monitoring and evaluation Activity 5 d: One of your community schools is highly ineffective and has unskilled supervisor, teachers and a community school community (CSC). They do not apply any of the strategies of monitoring and evaluation In groups, using the VIPP Card, write 3 appropriate strategies of Monitoring and Evaluation TRAINERS NOTE Each different project, depending on its situation demands different monitoring and evaluation strategies: Examples include Questionnaires Interviews Group discussion Dramatization Report writing REFERENCES Kaonga L.M. (1998) Introduction to Participatory Techniques. Natural Resources Development College Lusaka, Zambia. Srinivasan L. A manual for Training Trainers in Participatory techniques (Tolls for Community Participation) Norad Programmes on capacity Building. 24