ME 321 Educational Projects: Strategies, Implementation and Evaluation

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

SCHOOL OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND POLICY STUDIES

ME 321: EDUCATIONAL PROJECT: Strategies, Implementation and Evaluation

SEMINAR QUESTIONS 2018/2019

1.   With vivid examples, discuss the main categories in the analysis of the education system for improvement.

a)   Reveal common indicators for each category.

b)   What is the significance of these indicators to project formulation?

2.   SWOT analysis is a strategic planning technique for identifying internal Strengths and Weaknesses and external Opportunities and Threats of any organization. Using an institution of higher education of your choice, identify perceived Internal Strengths and Weaknesses as well as external Opportunities and Threats.

3.   Explain how the internal processes of the education system in developing countries, particularly in Tanzania have imposed the need for results-oriented management in education planning.

a)   Explain the evolution of the Management By Objectives (MBO) in organizations.

b)   From the above orientation, explain the application of Management By Objectives (MBO) as a tool for planning and project design.

4.   Applying your knowledge of ‘Education Sector Analysis’, discuss “Factors Influencing Teachers’ Requirement” and explain, using proper calculation, how to rationalize their placement and re-allocations.

5.   Factors influencing teachers requirement has tempted many curriculum experts and sometime educational planners.

a)   As a planner, analyze issues related to teachers’ flows using appropriate examples.

b)   Applying problem and objective trees, suggest relevant project title, project justification, and project objectives to handle perceived current problems of teachers’ requirement in education sector.

6.  Giving specific examples from Tanzania, discuss the relationship between educational policy, planning, programmes and projects in connection to education system improvement.

7. Education project identification involves collecting available data, visiting schools, and engaging in numerous consultations. Discuss.

8.   “Monitoring is the internal management process, by which systematic information about plan implementation is gathered and analyzed, with a view to identifying strengths and weaknesses.” Discuss with reference to the monitoring procedure of a Medium-Term Plan as a cyclical process.

                 

9.             a) Use “a problem tree approach” to identify an educational project by showing the causes, focal problem and effects of early pregnancies among girls at primary schools in Tanzania.

b)   From the focal problem identified above, translate the “problem tree” to “objective tree” in Means-End logic framework.

c)   State an overall objective and three specific objectives of the identified educational project.

10.         Classify and discuss the three types of project evaluations as proposed by Chang (2006). In your discussion explain the major focus of each type of evaluation.

11.         With reference to education planning and projects implementation:

a)   Discuss the major types of budgets.

b)   Explain the significance of each type in project management.

12.         ‘Owing to scarce resources, many countries resort to external sources for the financing of part of their educational investments/projects and to procure the necessary foreign currency.” Discuss the risks associated with dependence on foreign sources in funding education improvement process.

13.  Using concrete and feasible examples, discuss the inevitable link between national budgeting and the implementation of educational programmes and related projects execution.

14.         Discuss the linkages between Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRP) by focusing on projects implementation related to Primary Education Development Plan (PEDP) and Secondary Education Development Plan (SEDP) in Tanzania.

15.   With references to the purposes, processes and agencies involved, discuss the stages of project life cycle in education.

16.   a) Projects financing for educational improvements are the most challenging issue in developing countries. With references to both internal and external sources of funding, discuss these challenges.

b) Reflecting on John Williamson (1990) economic Ten Commandments and the Washington Consensus or Bretton-Woods Systems, substantiate the negative effects of conditionalities attached to loans designed for educational projects implementation in developing countries.

17.    Negotiation is an essential element for project managers in order to obtain funds for project implementation in education. As a project manager, explain how you would prepare for negotiation as well as negotiations techniques or skills you are likely to employ.

ME 321 SEMINAR QUESTIONS 2018

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

SCHOOL OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND POLICY STUDIES

ME 321: EDUCATIONAL PROJECT: Strategies, Implementation and Evaluation

SEMINAR QUESTIONS 2017/2018

1.      Discuss the reasons as to why educational planners should focus on improving the internal process of the educational system when preparing educational projects. In addition to the above, explain:

a)      What should be improved and

b)      How should be improved?

2.      Designing of relevant educational projects requires an educational planner to use a strategic approach at the initial stage of developing a project. Identify distinctive features, which differentiate strategic planning in business enterprise from strategic planning in educational organizations.

3.      SWOT analysis is a strategic planning technique for identifying internal Strengths and Weaknesses as well as external Opportunities and Threats of any organization. Using an Higher Education Institution of your choice, identify the perceived Internal Strengths and Weaknesses as well as External Opportunities and Threats.

4.      Discuss strengths and weaknesses of different approaches used in Needs Assessment in identifying educational projects.

5.      Giving specific examples from Tanzania, discuss the relationship between educational policy, planning, programmes and projects in connection to education system improvement.

6.      Education project identification involves collecting available data, visiting schools, and engaging in numerous consultations. Discuss.

7.      Discuss different stages (cycles) of educational projects, examining the purpose, the agents and the process involved at each stage.

8.      Applying your knowledge of ‘Education Sector Analysis’, discuss “Factors Influencing Teachers’ Requirement” and explain, using proper calculation, how to rationalize their placement and re-allocations.

9.      Factors influencing teachers requirement has tempted many curriculum experts and sometime educational planners.

a)      As a planner, analyze issues related to teachers’ flows using appropriate examples.

b)      Applying problem and objective trees, suggest relevant project title, project justification, and project objectives to handle perceived current problems of teachers’ requirement in education sector.

10.   “Monitoring is the internal management process, by which systematic information about plan implementation is gathered and analyzed, with a view to identifying strengths and weaknesses.” Discuss with reference to the monitoring procedure of a Medium-Term Plan as a cyclical process.

11.  With reference to education planning and projects implementation:

a)         Discuss the major types of budgets.

b)         Explain the significance of each type in project management.

12.  ‘Owing to scarce resources, many countries resort to external sources for the financing of part of their educational investments/projects and to procure the necessary foreign currency.” Discuss the risks associated with dependence on foreign sources in funding education improvement process.

13.  Discuss the relevancy of both hard and soft data in identification of project gaps through an inductive needs assessment.

14.        a) Point out the differences between ZOOP and ZOPP in the identification of social needs for project implementation in education sector.

b)   What are the main critiques and consequential quality features which encourage criticism to ZOPP applicability in need identification?

c)   Explain the implication of project assumptions/risks focusing on pre-conditions and frame-conditions.

d)  Using diagrammatic representation show the relationship of ZOPP in needs assessment.

15.  Considering the significance of indicators in project identification and implementation, discuss different types of indicators and prepare a simplified matrix of Primary Education Improvement Programme, which shows the relationship between project description, indicators/targets, and sources of verification and programme assumptions.

16.  Discuss the main steps of sector analysis and explain why you think these steps are necessary for project identification and implementation in education sector.

17.  Discuss general features of fully functioning Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) in Tanzania taking into account the reasons for its introduction, experiences in formulation and implementation, achievements and challenges.

18.  With reference to Local Government Financial Act No. 9 of 1982, discuss features of structural relationship between educational improvement through project design and implementation in the context of Tanzania and the annual operational plan and budgeting within the President’ Office, Regional Administration and Local Government Authorities (PO-RALG) formerly under Prime Minister’s Office abbreviated as PO-RALG.  

19.  a) With examples from developing countries, discuss the problems of national budgets and the risks of dependence on external sources of financing educational improvement projects.

b)      “Negotiation is inevitable for securing external financial sources for project implementation”. Explain how country-specific norms, values and cultural differences can influence negotiation and describe techniques that can help you become an effective negotiator for your country.

ME 212 SEMINAR QUESTIONS, 2017-2018

College Of Education

School of Educational Studies

Department of Educational Management and Policy Studies

ME 212: Educational Planning

Seminar Questions 2017/2018

1.              a) What does it mean when we discuss a planning theory as:

                           i.          Theory of education planning,

                         ii.          Theory for education planning,

                       iii.          Theory in education planning

b) Describe the major differences between normative theory and positive theory in education planning.

c)     Differentiate between procedural normative theory and definitional normative theory for education planning.

2.              “Secondary education should be free to all capable students to relieve poor families from tuition fees and to create equity among Tanzanians”. Focusing on equity policy as an issue of fairness, which goes beyond equality; discuss how planning theory can be appropriately used to establish social equity in educational setting?

3.              a) Explain the necessity and the inevitability of stakeholders’ inclusion in formulating the educational policy for effective implementation of education planning.

b) Discuss the usefulness of seven models of policy making in education planning process.

c) Explain the main differences between Lindblom-Cohen Approach and Allison model of policy making.

4.              a) What is education planning?

b) Explain the characteristics of plans and planning process.

c) Differentiate between advocacy planning and radical planning.

5.         a) Describe the main features of education planning that preceded World War II in Europe.

b)    Explain the episodes in the development of education planning under the following phases:

                           i.          Reconstruction phase

                         ii.          Manpower shortage phase

                       iii.          Rampant expansion phase

                       iv.          The innovation phase

6.                             a) “Tobias survey is a landmark in manpower surveying in Tanzania, because it is the first systematic record of high-level manpower, which provided projections of manpower requirements in the different categories within broad classes” (Skorov, 1966). Discuss the weaknesses and strengths of Tobias survey with regard to education planning in Tanzania.

b)      Discuss the post-Arusha development planning up to the reform period 1986-2002.

7.              a) Discuss the following as basic aspects in educational planning process:

                           i.          knowledge skills

                         ii.          social skills

                       iii.          empowerment

b) Explain the difference between macro and meso planning.

c) Discuss the effects of macroeconomic variables to educational planning.

8.              Discuss the tree fundamental reasons planners use to justify the inclusion of education in national development planning.

9.              a) Discuss the four major functions of educational planning.

      b) Explain the differences between strategic planning model and systems planning model.

10.          a) Discuss the following aspects of sector analysis:

                           i.          Macro-economic and socio-demographic frameworks;

                         ii.          Access to and participation in education;

                        iii.          Quality of education;

                        iv.          External efficiency;

b) Calculate the access to primary education indicator for Dodoma region given that the Grade I school-aged children in Dodoma region is 75,867 for 2013 while all primary schools in Dodoma region can only enroll 53,024 students for the same year?

c) Calculate Gross Enrolment Ratio for Grade I intake given that, Grade I enrolment was 655,800 in the year 2011, and was 690,756 in 2012.

11.          Critically discuss the following approaches to education planning:

a)    Human Resources Development Approach,

b)    Social Demand Approach,

c)     Manpower Requirement Approach,

d)    Cost-Benefit and Cost-Effectiveness Approaches.

12.          i) Access to education can be defined as the extent to which the school-age population is able to access the first grade of a particular level or cycle of education. Taking this definition as your focal point of analysis, discuss the importance of the following indicators of access to education:

a)    The apparent intake rate;

b)    The net intake rate;

c)     The transition rate; and

d)    The registration rate

                            ii.   With clear examples, calculate each of the above indicators of access to education.

13.          Globalization is a flow of technology, economy, knowledge, people, values and ideas; it is also known as mobility in forms of information, knowledge, people and employment (Carnoy, 1999; Hirst and Thompson, 1999). Substantively discuss the contention that, globalization as a process has become inseparable from teenagers’ life and consequently it is inescapable in planning the educational systems.

14.          Though found in children of primary school-age, HIV/AIDS cases are comparatively rare in children aged between 5-14 years. This age group has been referred as the “Window of Hope”, because they are least likely to be HIV-infected (Kelly, 2000). From the above speculation, explain:

                           i.     The roles of ministry of education in planning for “prevention education” that is more likely to mitigate the HIV scourge among school-aged children in Tanzania.

                         ii.     The roles of teachers as planners in implementing prevention education against HIV scourge among school-aged children in Tanzania.