Publication:
Capacity Building under Reimbursable Technical Assistance Programs : The Case of Oman's Education Sector

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (632.89 KB)
373 downloads
English Text (9.69 KB)
39 downloads
Date
2013-02
ISSN
Published
2013-02
Editor(s)
Abstract
A World Bank team worked closely with the Ministry of Education (MoE) on the Oman education sector study which was launched in October 2012. The Minister of Education expressed, at different occasions, her appreciation for both the product of this collaboration and its process. This report provides a comprehensive review of the Oman pre-tertiary education and offers policy recommendations in light of international experiences. There are certain key steps in ensuring that the World Bank delivers a quality product and transfers knowledge to partners, including: clear roles and responsibilities for the bank and government teams; close collaboration between the teams; a focus on capacity building; a skillful, dedicated, and cohesive team; and focus on results.
Link to Data Set
Citation
Wang, Lianqin. 2013. Capacity Building under Reimbursable Technical Assistance Programs : The Case of Oman's Education Sector. MNA Knowledge and Learning Fast Brief;no. 94. © http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17032 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Cases in Outcome Harvesting : Ten Pilot Experiences Identify New Learning from Multi-Stakeholder Projects to Improve Results
    (Washington, DC, 2014-06) World Bank
    The harvesting process is stakeholder-centered and captures qualitative, tacit knowledge. It includes tools to substantiate and analyze this knowledge collaboratively and communicate progress toward impact to clients, management, and partners. The tools are flexible to adapt to a program's design and can provide useful details to inform the theory of change, implementation lessons, outcomes, and indicators. This report documents a stage one pilot to identify how outcome harvesting can be integrated with the World Bank's results management approach, for learning during a program s implementation and review stages. Specifically, the pilots examined how outcome harvesting tools can lend one to learning about how change happens in complex aspects of programs. For instance, what combination of interventions worked to advance particular changes, what behavioral and institutional changes were advanced, and what was the right mix of social actors involved to achieve results? The initial pilots used outcome harvesting to review progress for 10 ongoing knowledge initiatives supporting World Bank programs or projects in strategic thematic areas. The teams retrospectively harvested information from about 2 to 5 years of program results. The analysis of each initiative s achievements included an outcome map to visualize the changes by timeline and actor and a change strategy map that summarized the outcome information to communicate the theory of change and results chain. Outcome harvesting tools can be used to gather evidence on key interventions and identify essential lessons, such as how best to adapt successful efforts to different contexts and how to choose the best mix of actors to involve. Teams recommended that precise learning can be used for informing program design and delivery, as well as defined areas for further operational research and evaluation.
  • Publication
    Strengthening Technical Tertiary Education in the Province of Buenos Aires
    (Washington, DC, 2011-06) World Bank
    The World Bank prepared this report on technical higher education in the Province of Buenos Aires (PBA) as part of its on-going dialogue with PBA authorities. The World Bank has a long history of engagement with Argentina in different areas of the education sector and is in-creasing its relationship with provincial governments. This report was prepared by World Bank staff. It is a companion volume to a Spanish-language report developed by the Province of Buenos Aires Commission of Science and Research (Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas, CIC). This report contains a more synoptic account of issues treated at greater length in the CIC-authored report, as well as original analysis and recommendations. The two reports should be read together and considered complements. Both reports help build on the findings of the recently published World Bank report ―Argentina Economic Memorandum for the Province of Buenos Aires: Key Public Policy Issues.‖ A key goal of this analytical work was to improve the empirical base of policymaking for technical tertiary education, especially by linking it to con-sideration of labor market demand. These reports take the diagnosis of the Economic Memo-randum as the starting point for more in-depth analysis of issues in technical tertiary education.
  • Publication
    Liberia's New National Development Strategy : Planning for Stronger Results in a Low Capacity Context
    (Washington, DC, 2013-06) World Bank
    Fragile countries face deep institutional constraints that require attention to achieve better development outcomes for their citizens. Underlying issues such as fragmented development efforts across sectors, limited capacity to drive change and lack of multi-stakeholder ownership weaken the possibility for results. Without addressing these constraints progress can be slowed or blocked. When World Bank Institute (WBI) partnered with the Government of Liberia and World Bank regional team to support the country s second Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS), the objectives were to improve the capacity to formulate an effective, country-led and -owned PRS using practical, collaborative results tools; design the PRS to drive institutional change processes in the Liberia context; and integrate national planning, monitoring and budgetary processes around common development outcomes toward the country s new vision. The second Liberia PRS, the agenda for transformation, takes first steps in these directions. The government developed the PRS by engaging with a wide set of stakeholders and basing the strategy on achieving outcomes. The strategy is framed around addressing constraints to institutional change and integrates previously fragmented development efforts. Liberia s experience creates its strategy offers lessons for Liberia, other countries, WBI and the World Bank around how to conduct effective strategic planning for results in a low capacity and fragile context.
  • Publication
    Cambodia Power Sector : Technical Assistance for Capacity Building of the Electricity Authority of Cambodia
    (Washington, DC, 2005-03) World Bank
    The Electricity Authority of Cambodia (EAC) is in its nascent stage of development. However, it has undertaken initial steps toward increasing public awareness of electricity regulation and issuing licenses to larger scale generators and distributors in urban areas. EAC's next important task is to formalize the operations of small-scale private operators in the rural areas. The regulatory framework for rural electricity operations in the country has yet to be fully developed. Guidelines and procedures are currently being drafted by EAC, but they still have to be tested thus, gradual revisions can be anticipated and precedents must be established. In addition, the scope of EAC's operations must be expanded to include, among other things, definitions of technical standards and procedures for determining tariff levels. In view of EAC's extensive work plan, the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) has provided a grant toward the financing for a technical advisor to support EAC in these activities.
  • Publication
    Quality of education in Colombia - Achievements and challenges ahead : analysis of the results of TIMSS 1995-2007
    (World Bank, 2010-08-06) World Bank
    The main objective of this report is to analyze the effect of time changes and factors associated with student achievement in Colombia in order to foster policies to improve education quality that are grounded in research and the Colombian context. In 2007, Colombia participated for the second time in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), providing a first-time opportunity to analyze the effects of time changes on student achievement over a period (1995-2007) during which a number of education reforms were made. Using the TIMSS 2007 results offers a chance to deepen the study on the factors associated with learning in Colombia and to benchmark Colombia's education system against that of other countries. This effort began during the first phase of the Colombia Programmatic Quality and Relevance of Education Analytic and Advisory Activities (AAA), in which an analysis of Colombia's debut in the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), resulted in publication of, 'the quality of education in Colombia: an analysis and options for a policy agenda' report (hereafter, 'PISA report'). The present report builds on this work through an analysis of Colombia's participation in TIMSS 2007 in relation to its performance on TIMSS 1995, and reaffirms the urgent need for improved student learning outcomes in Colombia, further confirming a number of the policy options put forward in the PISA report to inform a future agenda for system design and reform.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Crime and Violence in Central America : A Development Challenge - Main Report
    (World Bank, 2011-01-01) World Bank
    Crime and violence are now a key development issue for Central American countries. In three nations El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras crime rates are among the top five in Latin America. This report argues that successful strategies require actions along multiple fronts, combining prevention and criminal justice reform, together with regional approaches in the areas of drug trafficking and firearms. It also argues that interventions should be evidence based, starting with a clear understanding of the risk factors involved and ending with a careful evaluation of how any planned action might affect future options. In addition, the design of national crime reduction plans and the establishment of national cross-sectoral crime commissions are important steps to coordinate the actions of different government branches, ease cross-sectoral collaboration and prioritize resource allocation. Of equal importance is the fact that national plans offer a vehicle for the involvement of civil society organizations, in which much of the expertise in violence prevention and rehabilitation resides. Prevention efforts need to be complemented by effective law enforcement. The required reforms are no longer primarily legislative in nature because all six countries have advanced toward more transparent adversarial criminal procedures. The second-generation reforms should instead help deliver on the promises of previous reforms by: (i) strengthening key institutions and improving the quality and timeliness of the services they provide to citizens; (ii) improving efficiency and effectiveness while respecting due process and human rights; (iii) ensuring accountability and addressing corruption; (iv) increasing inter-agency collaboration; and (v) improving access to justice, especially for poor and disenfranchised groups. Specific interventions reviewed in the report include: information systems and performance indicators as a prerequisite to improve inter-institutional coordination and information sharing mechanisms; an internal overhaul of court administration and case management to create rapid reaction, one-stop shops; the strengthening of entities that provide legal counseling to the poor and to women; and the promotion of alternative dispute-resolution mechanisms and the implementation of community policing programs.
  • Publication
    The Mexican Social Protection System in Health
    (World Bank, Washington DC, 2013-01) Bonilla-Chacín, M.E.; Aguilera, Nelly
    With a population of 113 million and a per-capita Gross Domestic Product, or GDP of US$10,064 (current U.S. dollars), Mexico is one of the largest and highest-income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The country has benefited from sustained economic growth during the last decade, which was temporarily interrupted by the financial and economic crisis. Real GDP is projected to grow 3.8 percent and 3.6 percent in 2012 and 2013, respectively (International Monetary Fund, or IMF 2012). Despite this growth, poverty in the country remains high; with half of the population living below the national poverty line. The country is also highly heterogeneous, with large socioeconomic differences across states and across urban and rural areas. In 2010, while the extreme poverty ratio in the Federal District and the states of Colima and Nuevo Leon was below 3 percent, in Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca it was 25 percent or higher. These large regional differences are also found in other indicators of well-being, such as years of schooling, housing conditions, and access to social services. This case study assesses key features and achievements of the Social Protection System in Health (Sistema de Proteccion Social en Salud) in Mexico, and particularly of its main pillar, Popular Health Insurance (Seguro Popular, PHI). It analyzes the contribution of this policy to the establishment and implementation of universal health coverage in Mexico. In 2003, with the reform of the General Health Law, the PHI was institutionalized as a subsidized health insurance scheme open to the population not covered by the social security schemes. Today, the PHI covers all of its intended affiliates, about 52 million people
  • Publication
    Argentina Country Climate and Development Report
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank Group
    The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.
  • Publication
    Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21) Luna-Bazaldua, Diego; Levin, Victoria; Liberman, Julia; Gala, Priyal Mukesh
    This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.
  • Publication
    Guide to the Debt Management Performance Assessment Tool
    (Washington, DC, 2008-02-05) World Bank
    The purpose of this document is to provide guidance and supplemental information to assist with country assessments of debt management performance, using the Debt Management Performance Assessment (DeMPA) tool. The DeMPA is a methodology used for assessing public debt management performance through a comprehensive set of 15 performance indicators spanning the full range of government Debt Management (DeM) functions. It is based on the principles set out in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank guidelines for public debt management, initially published in 2001 and updated in 2003. It is modeled after the Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) framework for performance measurement of public financial management. The DeMPA has been designed to be a user-friendly tool to undertake an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in government DeM practices. This guide provides additional background and supporting information so that a no specialist in the area of debt management may undertake a country assessment effectively. The guide can be used by assessors in preparing for and undertaking an assessment. It is particularly useful for understanding the rationale for the inclusion of the indicators, the scoring methodology, and the list of supporting documents or evidence required, and the questions that could be asked for the assessment.