Functional Review of the Ministry of Education, Science and ...
Functional Review of the Ministry of Education, Science and ... Functional Review of the Ministry of Education, Science and ...
TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5 PART A: Cross-cutting issues ................................................................................................................... 6 A.1 The overall scope of competences and objectives of the MEST ........................................................ 6 A.2 Cross-cutting findings and recommendations .................................................................................... 7 PART B: Specific findings and recommendations ................................................................................ 14 B.1 Core substantive units ...................................................................................................................... 14 B.1.1 Pre-university education ............................................................................................................ 14 B.1.2 Higher education ....................................................................................................................... 15 B.1.3 Research and development ...................................................................................................... 15 B.2 Support units ..................................................................................................................................... 16 Internal Audit .................................................................................................................................. 17 Budget and financing ...................................................................................................................... 17 Investments .................................................................................................................................... 17 Legal affairs .................................................................................................................................... 18 Planning and analysis ..................................................................................................................... 18 Information technology ................................................................................................................... 18 Public information and relations ..................................................................................................... 19 Foreign (international) relations and European affairs ................................................................... 19 General administration ................................................................................................................... 19 B.3 Division of work between the MEST and agencies .......................................................................... 20 PART C: Summary of recommendations and sequencing ................................................................... 22 C.1 Summary of organizational recommendations ................................................................................. 22 C.1.1 Organizational recommendations for the MEST ....................................................................... 22 C.1.2 Organizational recommendations for agencies ......................................................................... 23 C.2. Sequencing ...................................................................................................................................... 26 C.2.1 Immediate activities (by the end of 2010) ................................................................................. 26 C.2.2 Short-term activities (by the end of 2011) ................................................................................. 26 C.2.3 Medium-term activities (within 5 years) ..................................................................................... 27 C.3. Gender impact of recommendations ............................................................................................... 27 C.4. Implications for the EPAP ................................................................................................................ 28 Annex 1: List of interviews ....................................................................................................................... 29 Annex 2: FRIDOM´S comments on the new organogram designed by the MEST .............................. 31 2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents results of the functional review of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. The report covers the ministry’s mandate, its HR resources, organization and processes. The current MEST mandate is appropriate and should not change substantially. In terms of staff numbers, these should be mildly increased over time to strengthen capacity in the area of research and development and the so-called special support functions. Sectors should be abolished as a layer of management. In terms of HR, the ministry should prepare a short-term interim plan for HR development of MEST’s employees in the most urgent areas (financial and IT literacy, new regulations, languages) and build a database of learning activities that were provided by donors and their participants as well as those activities that are under preparation and use it in managing the capacity building efforts. More strategically, the MEST should prepare a strategic document on HR capacity building. In the area of financial management, the MEST should rectify the legal problems by commencing implementation of the MEST’s accounting system and nominating an asset officer. It should also prepare a system of internal administration of finances including the review of the current structure of the MEST’s budget. Based on the adopted system of internal administration of finances, it should perform training of financial literacy for all levels of the MEST’s management. There is a need for fundamental improvements in the IT and information management areas. The ministry needs to equip all relevant units with basic software, create a central in-house IT-maintenance service, ensure there is an area-based (PreUE, HE, R&D, financing, planning...) IT-support service provision for specific software, prepare the new Education MIS using the standard professional information system development approach and, finally, prepare a strategic document on information services development. The MEST should build an administrative culture, particularly prepare an internal regulation about submission of materials and organization of meetings of the MEST’s management, implement a project of electronic registration of documents. It should also introduce a system of coordination based on creation of 2 groups of related units: Pre-university education group and Higher education and R&D group, and nominate a coordinator (called Deputy Permanent Secretary or Director General) for each of the groups. In the education area, it should establish 2 departments - the Department of VET and the Department of General Education replacing the current Department of Pre-university Education Administration and Department for Pre-university Education Development. The MEST should also establish the Centre for Evaluation for Pre-university Education as a stand-alone unit and transform it into an agency in the medium-term. The Department of General Education should be divided into divisions dealing with preprimary, primary and lower secondary education; general upper secondary education; special education; communities; general education development. The VET Department should have 3 divisions dealing with VET administration, VET development, and lifelong learning (LLL). Research and development requires both organizational improvements and a clear strategy. The ministry should prepare a Research and Development Strategy, improve financing and establish a grant agency for R&D support. Based on the new R&D strategy, it should decide about further position of research institutes. The MEST is currently in the process of developing or establishing a significant number of executive agencies – e.g. the Accreditation Agency. The key recommendation here is always to conduct an independent cost-benefit analysis of such proposals before making a decision. The second recommendation is to engage the Pedagogical Institute not only in research, but also in development activities for pre-university education. Lastly, the ministry should shift service delivery functions for the university/research community under the Prishtina University (Student Center, University Library). On the other hand, the Inspection Department should be retained as a part of the MEST and considered for transformation into an agency in longer run. The last part of the recommendations deals with support functions. The key suggestion is to establish two departments. One is the Department for Budget and Financing with three divisions - Budget Division, 3
- Page 1: Functional Review and Institutional
- Page 5 and 6: Introduction This report presents r
- Page 7 and 8: have been assessed and reviewed by
- Page 9 and 10: Chart 3 Chart 4 In terms of how the
- Page 11 and 12: Based on this analysis, we make 2 r
- Page 13 and 14: Recommendation A.12: Gradually add,
- Page 15 and 16: iii) Division of special education,
- Page 17 and 18: Internal Audit In the small EU coun
- Page 19 and 20: There is the basic IT support, whil
- Page 21 and 22: Table 2: Comparisons of agencies in
- Page 23 and 24: Pre-university Education Developmen
- Page 25 and 26: Table 3: Lower level of the recomme
- Page 27 and 28: Based on the new R&D strategy decid
- Page 29 and 30: Annex 1: List of interviews Organiz
- Page 31: Annex 2: FRIDOM’s comments on the
TABLE OF CONTENTS<br />
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... 3<br />
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 5<br />
PART A: Cross-cutting issues ................................................................................................................... 6<br />
A.1 The overall scope <strong>of</strong> competences <strong>and</strong> objectives <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> MEST ........................................................ 6<br />
A.2 Cross-cutting findings <strong>and</strong> recommendations .................................................................................... 7<br />
PART B: Specific findings <strong>and</strong> recommendations ................................................................................ 14<br />
B.1 Core substantive units ...................................................................................................................... 14<br />
B.1.1 Pre-university education ............................................................................................................ 14<br />
B.1.2 Higher education ....................................................................................................................... 15<br />
B.1.3 Research <strong>and</strong> development ...................................................................................................... 15<br />
B.2 Support units ..................................................................................................................................... 16<br />
Internal Audit .................................................................................................................................. 17<br />
Budget <strong>and</strong> financing ...................................................................................................................... 17<br />
Investments .................................................................................................................................... 17<br />
Legal affairs .................................................................................................................................... 18<br />
Planning <strong>and</strong> analysis ..................................................................................................................... 18<br />
Information technology ................................................................................................................... 18<br />
Public information <strong>and</strong> relations ..................................................................................................... 19<br />
Foreign (international) relations <strong>and</strong> European affairs ................................................................... 19<br />
General administration ................................................................................................................... 19<br />
B.3 Division <strong>of</strong> work between <strong>the</strong> MEST <strong>and</strong> agencies .......................................................................... 20<br />
PART C: Summary <strong>of</strong> recommendations <strong>and</strong> sequencing ................................................................... 22<br />
C.1 Summary <strong>of</strong> organizational recommendations ................................................................................. 22<br />
C.1.1 Organizational recommendations for <strong>the</strong> MEST ....................................................................... 22<br />
C.1.2 Organizational recommendations for agencies ......................................................................... 23<br />
C.2. Sequencing ...................................................................................................................................... 26<br />
C.2.1 Immediate activities (by <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> 2010) ................................................................................. 26<br />
C.2.2 Short-term activities (by <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> 2011) ................................................................................. 26<br />
C.2.3 Medium-term activities (within 5 years) ..................................................................................... 27<br />
C.3. Gender impact <strong>of</strong> recommendations ............................................................................................... 27<br />
C.4. Implications for <strong>the</strong> EPAP ................................................................................................................ 28<br />
Annex 1: List <strong>of</strong> interviews ....................................................................................................................... 29<br />
Annex 2: FRIDOM´S comments on <strong>the</strong> new organogram designed by <strong>the</strong> MEST .............................. 31<br />
2
Change language