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6. CONCLUSION
A meeting of experts with the combined experience of more than 500 years can be expected to be a forum for rich discussion and some
areas of disagreement. Such disagreement results not only from the experts’ different positions and their own more or less successful
experiences in CD, but also from the complexity which characterizes CD and the impact of the contexts within which CD efforts are
implemented. It may be more instructive in this conclusion to move beyond these disagreements to highlight the points on which the experts
agreed.
CD only succeeds when individuals and organizations are ready for change. Precisely because CD is linked intimately to individual
incentives and organizational cultures, its implementation will unavoidably imply profound change and will therefore encounter
resistance. If those who resist change outweigh by far those who promote it, CD programmes may remain superfi cial and generate no
sustainable impact. Without internal commitment, external efforts make little sense.
Readiness for change depends on the type of leadership at the national level as well as within organizations. External incentives or
conditionalities cannot replace national leadership and direction; at most, such factors may help create them. The implication is, therefore,
that CD programmes may need to include specifi c interventions to identify prospective leaders and support leadership that is oriented
towards change and development.
A more general implication is that successful CD programmes cannot be limited to a few one-off training courses, but may have to
be comprehensive and multifaceted, focusing on building individuals’ skills, organizational transformation and institutional reform. Training
is undoubtedly a part of CD programmes, but training alone does not change bureaucratic practices. CD is intrinsically a complex and
challenging endeavour, but without capacity, sustainable development is not possible.
International Institute for Educational Planning www.iiep.unesco.org
69
REFERENCES
Berg, E. 1993. Rethinking technical cooperation: reforms for capacity building in Africa. New York: United Nations Development
Programme. De Grauwe, A. 2008. Capacity development in educational planning
and management for achieving EFA – learning from successes and failures. Background document for Experts’ Meeting, Paris,
France, 1-2 July 2008. Paris: IIEP-UNESCO.
FTI Capacity Development Team. 2008. Guidelines for capacity development in the education sector within the Education For All-Fast
Track Initiative Framework. German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development BMZ.
OECD-DAC. 2006. The challenge of capacity development: working towards good practice. Paris: OECD.
Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. 2005. Retrieved 10 September 2008 from:
http:info.worldbank.orgetoolsdocslibrary238766HA20 Menu20rev20220English.pdf.
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The book
Capacity development, a very popular concept in recent years, has a fairly mixed record. While successes have been
achieved, from which useful lessons can be learned, the overall record remains a source of concern, especially in the least
developed countries. In July 2008, IIEP invited international experts for a debate on the reasons capacity development
efforts at times fail to have a long-term impact, on ways to
overcome common constraints and on UNESCO’s role in this area and how it may be redei ned.
This book comments on the differences of opinion between experts but also highlights points of agreement on capacity development strategies which
may be more successful than present approaches. The focus should shift from the individual to the organization and action should move from simply
providing training to a more complete set of interventions. These can include the development of organizational tools, better monitoring using incentive
systems, and stronger accountability, both within the organization and towards civil society. Longer time frames and new evaluation schemes are needed
to measure efforts correctly. However, in order to trigger organizational change, a certain number of prerequisites must be in place, such as internal
commitment and change-oriented leadership.
The authors
Steven J. Hite is professor of educational research theory and methodology
at Brigham Young University, USA. His expertise is exploring and applying the full range of quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation systems
to improve the opportunities and conditions of disadvantaged individuals, families and communities.
Anton De Grauwe is Senior Programme Specialist at IIEP and heads the
team in charge of operational activities. His research work has focused, among other things, on organization and management of education systems.
He coordinated the programme on Rethinking capacity development.
International Institute for Educational Planning
ISBN:978-92-803-1340-6