‘Adapting’ Education to Student Needs

This research is among the first pieces of work to use the comprehensive school safety (CSS) framework to assess the impacts of floods on quality learning and education infrastructure. The CSS framework is employed here to identify the level of disruption to education services following floods in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2013. The paper poses three key questions, concerning: (i) disruption to children's access to quality education during the flood emergency in 2013 and the early recovery phase; (ii) the impact of the floods on a school's physical infrastructure; and (iii) the effectiveness and level of success of the 2013 flood responses by relevant stakeholders. Combining quantitative and qualitative strategies, the paper examines the experiences of 100 schools in Jakarta. The findings suggest that the CSS framework offers a more nuanced approach to assessing post-disaster education needs. Moreover, it is also relevant for examining the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and relative losses in the education sector.

Rwanda makes health-facility deliveries more feasible

• Civil society has become one of the most popular concepts within international development discourses. But, what is civil society? Civil society is defined as an arena of collective social interaction situated between the state, market and household, encompassing a range of non-state organisations, groups and associations, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The article assesses the range of different interpretations of civil society highlighting its diverse makeup at local, national and transnational scales. • Why has civil society become so important within international development? Democracy and delivery of services. As people organised collectively against totalitarian regimes in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe and the Global South, civil society emerged as a manifestation of democratisation processes. The neoliberal agenda also wanted to capture and channel civil society to foster democracy, but also to take on service delivery functions as the role of the state diminished. This article outlines how these roles relate to two theoretical viewpoints – the Marxist or Gramscian that sees civil society as a site of resistance and counterhegemony, and the liberal democratic that views it as a beneficial force for good. • Civil society in practice. In the 1990s, development agencies championed civil society from an undertheorised liberal democratic viewpoint as a saviour or ‘magic bullet’ as it channels more and more funds via NGOs. But, civil society has increasingly been criticised as undemocratic, unable to reach the poor and unaccountable. This article describes this evolution. • The emergence of global or transnational society. In these days of globalisation, global civil society is increasingly important. This is neither civil society at a global level, nor is it a unified global force for good, lobbying and challenging the neoliberal order. Instead, viewed as ‘transnational civil society’, it is a complex mix of competing, overlapping and intersecting groups that operate beyond national borders for a range of reasons. Especially important actors in transnational

This article discusses the involvement of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) in transnational education policy-making, with particular reference to the global initiative Education for All (EFA). EFA is a policy process carried out by international governmental organisations (IGOs) with the main aim to achieve basic education for all children, youth and adults. A participant in this process since 2000 is the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), an advocacy network of INGOs, established jointly by Oxfam, ActionAid International, Education International and Global March Against Child Labour. This article examines the role and impact of these advocacy INGOs in EFA, in terms of the structural conditions created by the current mode of ‘global governance’ in education. In its first section, this article draws a conceptual framework purported to illuminate the way transnational policy in education is produced. The main part investigates the role and impact of the GCE in EFA. Overall, this article challenges the common perception about INGOs, that they are democratising agents in transnational education policy, as the latter is structurally undemocratic.

Since 1980s, the global trend of international major donor agencies has been to divert aid from the state to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for the reasons of good governance, better accountability, more transparency and efficient service delivery. This has also been the case in the South Pacific island countries and particularly in Fiji after the 1987 coups. This re-direction of funds from the state to CSOs had two major impacts on the role of the state in service delivery. First, it led to the reduction of the role of the state in distributing funds to CSOs for service delivery. Second, the state is no longer able to ‘control’ the whole process of service delivery and gain people’s sympathy and political mileage, as was the case in the pre-1987 coup period. This paper will unravel the ‘rolling back’ of Fijian state and examine the increasing role of Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS) and individual CSOs in service delivery. In particular, this paper will examine the role of the state in service delivery in various sectors of Fiji and the role of FCOSS and its programmes in providing service delivery in Fiji. Finally, this paper will also underline some recommendations for better utilisation of funds for service delivery (207 words). Key words: Donor Agencies, state, civil society organisations (CSOs), Fiji council of social services (FCOSS), aid, good governance, accountability, transparency, health, education, family and counselling, gender, poverty alleviation, millennium development goals (MDGs), principles of Paris declaration.

Response to Syria's health crisis—poor and uncoordinated

Evidence has strengthened on alcohol's role in cancer and alcohol is also important in other non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Now the global prevention of NCDs as part of the Millennium Development Goals is the subject of a September 2011 United Nations General Assembly session. Alcohol issues should be included in these new initiatives.

UNESCO and Lifelong Learning: The Road to and From Belem There can no longer be any doubt that adult education within lifelong learning is a key factor for economic and social development, as well as being a human right. New policies for adult education must now result in coherent forms of laws and legislation clearly spelling out ways and means for financing adult education. These must involve the public, private, and non-governmental organization (NGO) sectors, social partners, and individuals. As studies for CONFINTEA VI demonstrate, change in most countries is slow and not far-reaching enough, especially because of too low a public sector investment in human resources. In the current global financial crisis things are getting worse, and the gaps between those with and those without are widening at all levels. The need to reverse this trend is urgent. What is being done about it, especially by the key international body UNESCO? The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) now has 193 states and seven associates in membership. It was foreshadowed in 1942, the year after the United States entered World War II, to provide ways and means for reconstructing systems of education once peace was restored. The United States was a central partner in its formation. UNESCO came into force on 4 November 1946 after ratification by twenty countries and held its first General Conference from 19 November to l0 December 1946 with the participation of 30 governments. The first International Adult Education Conference was held three years later in 1949. The sixth conference in a series sustained over 60 years, CONFINTEA VI, was held in Belem in Brazil in 2009, with 1,125 participants from 144 countries and representatives of other international agencies, non-governmental organizations, and learner associations. UNESCO is now carrying out a follow-up strategy in an endlessly patient cycle of activity, concentrating on three aspects with actions at national and regional levels: policy development, improvement of provision and quality, and data collection and documentation of progress. UNESCO already has a schedule of activity running through to mid-term, which is halfway through the time before the next CONFINTEA is due. Most immediately, UNESCO's follow-up strategy looked to the UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 20 to 22 September 2010. This meeting was embraced as a precious opportunity to disseminate the Belem Framework for Action (UIL, 2010), making the case for adult literacy and adult learning being central to the achievement of all the MDGs. What has this unceasing activity achieved, and where do we go from here? Unfortunately, the importance of quality youth and adult education, training, and learning was again not recognized as a major factor that helps in achieving the MDGs. So, challenges beckon and we still have much work to do. Some may want to start by further familiarizing themselves with the eight MDGs agreed upon by member countries at the Millennium meeting of the United Nations in 2000, available at both the United Nations and UNESCO websites. Namely: 1. Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger 2. Achieve Universal Primary Education 3. Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women 4. Reduce Child Mortality 5. Improve Maternal Health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Other Diseases 7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability 8. Develop a Global Partnership for Development For a better understanding of the goals and targets of the Millennium Declaration and the accompanying indicators for monitoring progress, see the official United Nations site for the MDG indicators (http://mdgs.un.org/ unsd/mdg). For further inquiry see also UN (2010). UNESCO became rather politicised in the difficult Cold War era; its fourth big conference, in 1985, was fraught with power bloc difficulties, yet managed to achieve significant results. …

This paper provides a critical appraisal of quantity primary education in Kenya as motivated by universal primary education (UPE), Education for all (EFA) and millennium development goals (MDGs) and the influence quality primary education in Kenya. Globally, primary education is recognized as the cornerstone of any country with stable economy. Bearing in mind the role played by education in development, the United Nations (UN) general assembly in 1948 endorsed education as a fundamental human right. The main objective of the study was to analyze the influence of physical facilities on quality of primary education in Kenya. The paper further examined the role played by United Nations in democratization of education globally in general and Africa in particular. The paper further assessed prospects that have arisen in Kenya because of universalizing education in the world. It therefore focused on the issue of quality education after the attainment of education For All (EFA) goal and the Jomtien conference of 1990. The study surveyed the definition of quality education as advanced by United Nations Education scientific and cultural organization (UNESCO) and United Nations children education fund (UNICEF). It also analyzed challenges that arose due to upsurge of enrolment in primary schools. Particular attention was given to the crises in inputs and processes that affect the output of quality primary education. These crises are reflected in class size and physical resources that influence quality education. The paper adopted mixed method approach. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research were used. Descriptive survey design was used to collect data from three sets of questionnaires. The target population comprised of head teachers and teachers Kakamega County has got 800 primary schools. Using the sampling guide developed by Krejcie and Morgan (1970), a sample size of 36 primary schools, (three per Sub County) was selected. 36 head teachers (one head teacher per school) were therefore sampled. 4 teachers per school were randomly selected from the 36 sampled primary schools. The sample size for teachers was therefore 144. The total sample size for the study was 180.This was to conform to the confidence Interval of 0.05, confidence level of 95 percent which is a Z-score of 1.96 and standard of deviation of 0.5. The reliability was estimated through use of Cranach's Alpha Coefficient using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0. Findings of the study are significant to Kenya in particular and sub Saharan Africa in general as they would be assisted to redress challenges of quality education arising from universal primary education and education for all. The findings might help the policy formulators formulate education policies and the legal framework which are geared towards quantitative and qualitative primary education. The policy implementers would understand and appreciate education policies within which they are supposed to operate in providing effective leadership and management practices in the implementation of quality education at primary level. The entire education stakeholders would understand how to address quality issues which arise due to upsurge of enrolment. This paper is significant to the field of comparative and International education, since it provides data on what the Kenyan government is doing in promoting the development of qualitative primary education. This study has established that there is legislation to embrace qualitative free primary education. However, implementation of education policy to ensure quality is crucial. It is therefore recommended that proper structures be put in place to enable achievement of quality primary education. The study also established that the government of Kenya has set a bench mark for class enrolment as 45 pupils per class. However, due to high enrolment, physical facilities are strained and they have negatively impacted on quality primary education. It is therefore recommended that the government should actualize her obligation on provision of adequate physical facilities in primary schools. From the findings of the study, there is evidence of internal inefficiency in schools. The issue of inefficiency has not been seriously addressed by the government. It is there recommended that the government should come up with clear policy to redress inefficiency in primary schools. Article visualizations:

Widespread food insecurity has emerged as a global humanitarian crisis during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In response, international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and United Nations (UN) agencies have mobilized to address the food security needs among different populations. The objective of this review was to identify and describe food security interventions implemented by INGOs and UN agencies during the early stages of the pandemic. Using a rapid review methodology, we reviewed food security interventions implemented by five INGOs and three UN agencies between 31 December 2019 and 31 May 2020. Descriptive statistical and content analyses were used to explore the extent, range, and nature of these interventions. In total, 416 interventions were identified across 107 low- and middle-income countries. Non-state actors have developed new interventions to directly respond to the food security needs created by the pandemic. In addition, these humanitarian organizations have adapted (e.g., new public health protocols, use of technology) and reframed existing initiatives to position their efforts in the context of the pandemic. These findings provide a useful baseline to monitor how non-state actors, in addition to the food security interventions these organizations implement, continue to be influenced by the pandemic. In addition, these findings provide insights into the different ways in which INGOs and UN agencies mobilized resources during the early and uncertain stages of the pandemic.

Reviewed by: Beyond Sovereignty: Collectively Defending Democracy in the Americas Jacqueline Mazza Beyond Sovereignty: Collectively Defending Democracy in the Americas. Tom Farer. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996. 416 pp. $19.95/Paper. Multilateral institutions and national governments are embarking on assistance programs, economic sanctions, peacekeeping missions, and even military actions, with the stated objective of supporting democracy in Latin America. However, it is unclear which of these efforts have actually worked to promote democracy, or in which situations international pressure and support can be most helpful. This collection of essays reviews the experiences of international institutions in supporting democracy and offers recommendations for the future. Nonetheless, while it fills a large gap in the current literature, Beyond Sovereignty: Collectively Defending Democracy in the Americas does not claim to be an exhaustive analysis. Beyond Sovereignty is divided into four parts. Part One discusses the theoretical aspects of supporting democracy abroad, while the rest of the book is dedicated to the application of theories. Each author assumes two basic premises: that international actors play a secondary role to domestic actors in democratization efforts, and that they nonetheless make important contributions to democracy building. Which international actors support democracy in Latin America? The authors are careful to stress that they are reviewing only the role of international institutions and non-governmental organizations—not foreign governments. The book addresses the roles of the United Nations (UN), the Organization of American States (OAS), the multilateral development banks (World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank), international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the international donor community. In his chapter, Larry Diamond analyzes where Latin America stands today with respect to democracy. He skillfully lays to rest the popular rhetoric repeated by both Presidents Bush and Clinton, that all of Latin America save Haiti and Cuba has become democratic. Diamond highlights the anomaly of Mexico and creates a new category of “semi-democracy” to capture appropriately those [End Page 204] countries that appear democratic in structure but are authoritarian in practice. Moreover, Diamond describes the more complex problems of consolidating and deepening democracy, citing Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. He concludes, “if we take the definition and actual performance of democracy seriously, it is impossible to claim that the Americas are overwhelmingly democratic today, or that the broad political trend has been democratic in recent years.” The remaining chapters explore efforts of specific international institutions and groups to promote democracy. The authors thoroughly examine the range of activities in which these actors are involved. While this is an informative and important review, the reader may be left asking: how can activities among institutions be better coordinated, and can these institutions maximize their potential to promote democracy? In her chapter, Kathryn Sikkink describes the evolution of non-governmental organizations into an innovative force in democracy-building and human rights advocacy in the region. She traces the process from its origins during the period from 1973 to 1981, to consolidation from 1982 to 1990, and finally to retrenchment after 1990. Two issues should be kept in mind while reading Sikkink’s analysis. First, Sikkink’s discussion focuses only on human rights-based NGOs, neglecting the recent growth of smaller, US-based NGOs which specifically carry out democratization and electoral programs. As a result, Sikkink ignores some of the debates between NGOs that see democracy-building as competing with, or detracting from, an urgent human rights agenda and those that see it complementing human rights advocacy. Second, Sikkink clouds the distinction between NGOs that are external actors—the subject of the book—and those that work internally, domestic organizations. Internationally-based NGOs, such as Amnesty International, the Lawyer’s Committee for Human Rights, and Americas Watch, often work best in partnership with domestically-based NGOs. These partnerships make it difficult to distinguish between the impact of domestic and external actors on the democratization process. This is an analytical challenge not only in this chapter but in others as well. External actors can influence domestic opinion and actors; therefore, in some ways, they become hidden catalysts in what appear to be exclusively domestically-determined agendas. [End Page 205] Joan Nelson and Stephanie Eglinton discuss how multilateral...

The Role and Influence of Stakeholders and Donors on Reproductive Health Services in Turkey: A Critical Review

In many sub-Saharan African countries, the endorsement of the 1990 Education for All (EFA) and the 2000 Millennium Development Goals agreements have resulted in the introduction of ‘fee-free’ education policies in recent time. Yet, in 2015 it is becoming unlikely that education for all will be attained, as it has not been achieved through previous pledges. Using a ‘processual analytical approach’, this paper examines literature from disparate sources to exemplify challenges faced by countries in the sub-region in their attempt at getting children from disadvantaged communities to enrol in primary education. In the process, the paper contends that ‘new’ research is needed to examine how political imperatives and democratic processes impinge on implementation of EFA policy initiatives in the sub-region. This endeavour, the paper argues, is necessary to unearth the commitment, progress and constraints of sub-Saharan African governments (as well as commitment of international donor countries and agencies to helping the sub-region) towards meeting the EFA goals.

Purpose: Procurement process and practices are crucial components in the successful realization of universal healthcare and in particular the availability of essential drugs. Despite multifaceted efforts and inputs to promote the quality of the procurement process challenges still exists in the availability of essential drugs. This study aimed to establish the influence of procurement planning, supplier selection, procurement financing and needs assessment on availability of essential drugs in the public health facilities in Mombasa County, Kenya. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study design which targeted level 4 and 5 health facilities in Mombasa County. The study target population was 1216 health workers who included medical laboratory personnel, clinical officers and medical officers, nurses, pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists. The study sample was 301. Methodology: Stratified sampling approach was used to distribute the sample among the cadre and random sampling method was used to select the respondents from each strata. Quantitative data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Findings: The study found that procurement planning, supplier selection, procurement, financing and needs assessment were significant factors in influencing the availability of essential drugs with P<0.05. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The study recommended that counties conduct a comprehensive and regular need assessment of essential drugs in public health facilities, that they develop a robust procurement planning strategy that aligns with the identified needs and available financing, that there should be a transparent and competitive supplier selection process, and to establish strategic partnerships with international organizations, non-governmental organizations, or donor agencies that are committed to improving healthcare access.

The following is a review of two Canadian-Tanzanian international partnerships working in Tanzania within the education sector. Project TEMBO (Tanzania Education and Micro-Business Opportunity) supports the development of formal and non-formal education for girls and women in collaboration with other local and international non-governmental organizations. The Huron University College/University of Dar es Salaam project is strengthening post-secondary educational opportunities in collaboration with civil society organizations and local government. Both projects are focused on literacy in the broadest sense to achieve critical skills in civic engagement, poverty reduction, problem solving, decision-making and reducing gender imbalances, and as such are in line with the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Achieving improved access to information and educational opportunities for Tanzanians that support poverty reduction are the shared objectives of these two projects. This article will outline some of the methods which have been used to successfully offer access and educational opportunities despite ongoing challenges and constraints within the project environments.