About the Book
Since the 1980s, Commonwealth countries have implemented various reforms in their public sector, mostly patterned around market-orientation public management principles. Many of these have been accompanied by other political and economic reforms, which in the main has compounded the implementation process. In spite of the challenges, however, Commonwealth countries are widely respected for the success of their reform programmes, so much so that the experience of the OECD members, namely Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, is often presented as a model to the rest of the world. While a good deal has been written and documented about these four experiences, the contributions of the remaining 50 developing countries have remained largely under-appreciated. In continuation of the Commonwealth Secretariat's "Strategies for Improvement" series, this book provides a country-by-country synopsis of the public sector reform programmes in 36 Commonwealth developing countries. First, it presents a brief profile of each country and the background to political and economic changes at the turn of the 21st century.
This is followed by an outline of the key reform initiatives, the implementation processes, the achievements and problems encountered. Wherever possible each section concludes with a sketch of proposed initiatives and future programmes. The overarching aim of the publication is to facilitate the sharing of experiences and good practices through a comprehensive but easily accessible focus on the experiences, successes and achievements of the developing Commonwealth countries.
Table of Contents:
Foreword Acknowledgements Introduction AFRICA Botswana, Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe ASIA Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Singapore, Sri Lanka CARIBBEAN The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Jamaica, Montserrat, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago EUROPE Cyprus, Malta PACIFIC Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau References List of Contributors
About the Author :
Victor Ayeni is Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Review :
'a must read for African educational scholars, administrators and all stakeholders in African educational enterprise.' - The African Symposium: An Online Journal of the African Educational Research Network, Volume 9, No.1, June 2009 (Read the full review (p.151): http://www.ncsu.edu/aern/TAS9.1/TAS9.1.pdf). The African Symposium: An Online Journal of the African Educational Research Network, Volume 9, No.1 'a valuable examination of the inequalities present in the school systems of four Commonwealth countries and will prove interesting to anyone interested in educational policy, social inequality and professional development. It is easy to engage with, strongly underpinned statistically, and insightful as to its recommendations.' - ESCalate (Read the full review: http://escalate.ac.uk/5200). ESCalate 'The book is admirable, particularly in the way in which it renders rather complex statistical data in an accessible and comprehensible form, which makes the book 'user-friendly', even for those who may not be involved with schooling or the EFA. It is concisely written and very informative. A definite 'must read' for those immersed in the field of education and EFA and MDGs.' - Perspectives in Education, Volume 28(1), March 2010. Perspectives in Education, Volume 28(1)
