MFA-ADB Seminar on Results Management in Public Sector Excellence (Education)
17 – 21 August 2009 at Civil Service College Singapore
Summary of Country Presentations
on Friday 21 August 2009
Each country is invited to present and share their experiences on the respective
progress, status and plans for the results management process in the areas of performance
based budgeting as well as key reforms in the education sector. Active questions from
the floor and discussion are encouraged between the participants for each country
presentation/presenters.
Cambodia, 10.00 – 10.30am
2.
Presenter provided general information on Cambodia’s GDP, percentage of
growth and GDP per capita, life expectancy and literacy rate. He also introduced the
class to the country’s Public Financial Reform and their current achievements,
advantages of programme budgeting and how outcomes are linked to resources used and
each Ministry’s strategic plans as well as to build accountability of the performance.
3.
The visions of the Public Financial Management Reform is to look at 4 different
platforms of (a) building a more credible budget (2005 – 2007), (b) the current Effective
Financial Accountability (2008 – 2010), (c) Linking Budget to the Policy (2011 – 2013)
and (d) holding budget managers accountable for results (2014 – 2015). The Ministry of
Education has an ‘Education Strategic Plan’ which is a 5-year plan of the Ministry of
Education to strengthen the capacity of the ministry and build equitable access to
education. Achievements of net enrollment rate, primary completion education rate etc,
are shared. Further plans include post-expenditure audit, quarterly revenue-expenses plan
and cash flow plan, expenditure norms to serve as base of budget preparation, among
others, to improve the budget management framework.
China (Fudan Centre for Public Budgeting and Performance Evaluation), 10.45 –
11.15am
PART (Program Assessment Rating Tool)
4.
Presenter introduced how China uses PART (Program Assessment Rating Tool)
to evaluate programmes in a systematic, consistent and transparent manner, as well as to
determine programme type and decisions on resource allocations. However, he shared
that China has modified PART to suit their purposes. PART also focus on programme
improvements that include specific actions and outcomes. Presenter shared how China
determines the programme type through 7 criteria which includes research and
development. He noted that the strength in PART is in how it groups programme
evaluation into 4 sections of Programme Purpose and Design (10%), Strategic Planning
(20%), Programme Management (10%) and Results (50%). He shared that in the early
years of 2002, the initial ratings of PART revealed that programmes were not successful.
Only in the recent years of 2008 that PART showed that programmes have had a vast
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improvement in terms of ratings, redundancy and effectiveness. A screen capture of
PARTweb is shown.
5.
He shared how budget is sought and allocated in how China allocates its funds.
China’s version of PART is different in the sense that it emphasizes on performance
evaluation in advance, emphasizes both department’s self evaluations and those
organized by MOF, set up performance evaluation system based on budget performance
cycle. He also shared suggestions of how to successfully use PART for programme
planning and execution purposes as well as manage results. He also recommended hthat
do not tightly link performance results to resource allocation, manage expectations and
also have incentives to motivate civil servants to change behaviors.
Results-Based Performance Budgeting Reform- Practices and Exploration for Minhang
District, Shanghai
6.
Presenter introduced the ideas behind the reform, development stages and their
experience in do this project. The reform emphasizes on planning and linking
government targets to budgetary targets. He shared that the government of Minhang
district selected areas of compulsory education, public health, employment, social
security and public safety as pilot programmes to carry out performance budgeting
reforms. The project teams conducted personnel training, organized workshops in
performance budgeting reform processes and adapted/simplified from PART. He also
shared on how the cycle of systematical designing for the performance budgeting
framework was done to meet overall objectives and formulate new regulations to include
online feedback, self assessment by agencies involved as well as district-level assessment.
He shared the Minhang District’s experience in performance budgeting reform which saw
support from leaders and a re-shaping of budget culture.
Lao PDR, 11.15 – 11.40am
7.
Presenter gave an overview of general information about the country. He also
shared the education system in Lao PDR on the division of Kindergarten to Upper
Secondary, National University and private Colleges. He gave numbers of educational
institutional students in the country with the majority in primary education. The country
has Education Reform Plan and Priority Strategies, the 5-4-3 system of schooling that
emphasizes on equitable access to quality primary education, assuring gender parity in
the access to education opportunities, establishing an education sector development
Framework. He shared on the different focus and outcomes of education system and its
various stages, for example Secondary Education which is meant to train pupils in basic
knowledge and vocational techniques, to change learning assessment methodology and
supply school textbooks especially to mountainous, rural and isolated areas.
8.
He focused on the 8 phases Lao PDR has structured in conducting MfDR, looking
at Strategic Planning, Selection of indicators and targets, establishing accountabilities,
measuring performance & results, analysis, using findings, reporting to stakeholders,
getting feedback and inputs. Their Ministry of Education has 7 levels of Monitoring and
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Evaluation systems. There is a Department of Inspection set up, as well as an overall
Human Resource Development Plan.
Nepal, 11.40am – 12.15pm
9.
Presenter gave the background of basic education in Nepal that comprises formal
education from grade I-V, expanding up to grade VIII on an experimental basis. The
country aims to achieve the 2015 Millennium Development Goal, Education for All
(EFA). He also shared figures of Primary Total Enrolment as well as student-teacher
ratio, drop out rates, promotion rates and repetition rates at primary level. The challenges
are the access and equity to basic education, quality of basic education defined by the gap
in quality between one school to another / community vs private schools, unsatisfactory
pass rates and huge diversity in the geographic, ethnic, community, social and economic
make-up of the population. The people’s attitude towards education must be changed as
well.
10.
Nepal looks into the activities to be aligned with the procedure to be adopted
including time frame and tentative cost, clarity of responsibility and accountability in
order to set up monitoring indicators for easy comparison with targets set and results
obtained. Reporting Mechanisms include Flash Reports of Department of Education,
Nepal Living Standard Survey, etc. The challenges in the country’s education sector see
it having to justify receiving priority from the point of budget allocation or continuous
investment, establishing linkage between monetary investment and physical
output/outcome. Presenter shared that lessons learnt included to have effective and sound
development planning to achieve compliance and results.
Philippines 1.40 – 2.20pm
11.
Presenter gave an overview of the government structure in the country. The
country’s results-based management framework outlines the Medium Term Philippine
Development Plan (MTPDP) moves down to the Agency Strategic Plan to Organizational
Performance Indicators Framework (OPIF) and then the Agency Performance
Management System (PMS). The evaluation system looks at monitoring individuals and
departments. They are of the view that the system promotes a high performance culture
in the public sector by aligning individual department’s objectives to the organization’s
objective. Philippines has adopted the Performance Indicator Framework (OPIF) is an
avenue to install results-based management in the bureaucracy, for example, how many
farm-to-market roads have been built versus the targets set looking at results and impact.
12.
Inputs, activities and outputs are monitored along with the value-for-money
objectives. Examples are shown of their key performance indicators versus strategic
outcomes. Also shared were other RBM instruments currently used in the country- The
Agrarian Reform Communities’ Level of Development Assessment (used by DAR) and
the CAP Scan. Challenges are to link existing government processes/systems across
various levels of governments from regional, provincial, municipal/city. There is also a
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need to establish a universal database to share best practices. Going forward, there is a
need to advocate a Whole of Government (WOG) framework in managing results.
Sri Lanka, 2.20 – 2.55pm
13.
Presenter provided general information of Sri Lanka, its government system,
economy, growth rate, ethnic make-up of its population, etc. At this stage, the Ministry
of Plan Implementation looks at Electronic Project Monitoring System and Evaluation
Information System for a results-based monitoring system since the mid 1990s. They
shared their web portal on the monitoring systems which will host information online on
project profiles, financial and physical progress, etc. MfDR initiative is a government
policy endorsed by Cabinet of Ministers. The country has a new vision for a ten-year
national development plan (2006 – 2016). The current budgetary system is explained on
block vote budgeting as well as programme budgeting. In the medium-term budgetary
framework, linkages between outcome indicators and actual budget figures are still weak.
14.
The themes of the education policy are to increase equitable access, improve
quality of education, enhance economic efficiency and equity of resource allocation and
strengthen education governance. The education sector budget is shown along with
budget allocation to central government schools is explained how funds move from the
Ministry of Finance to Ministry of Education is spread among national colleges, national
institute of education, national schools and universities. Budget Allocation to provincial
schools is also discussed. Tables are shown of how the budget is broken down to average
per pupil and per school budget in 2007. Key Performance Indicators for the Education
Sector include the net enrolment ratio, survival rate through Grade 9, completing the
basic education cycle, and have schools staffed with certified trained teachers.
Challenges include trying to establish mechanisms to introduce these KPIs to provincial
level as there are 2 tiers of Administration, establishing strong links with relevant
Ministries- MOE, MPI and MOF for MfDR, identify exact budget allocations to stated
KPIs and, independent evaluation of results.
Vietnam, 3.00 – 3.40pm
15.
Presenter introduced the government and institutional structure of Vietnam, as
well as its 10-year Socio-Economic Development Strategy, 5-year Socio-Economic
Development Plan (SEDP) which was approved in 2006, Annual Plan, National, Sector
and Local Plans. The planning process is introduced by a directive from PM, guidelines
from MPI to provinces and ministries, guidelines to provinces to districts and communes.
The SEDP aims to reduce poverty, achieve MDGs and VDGs and exit from low income
country status. SEDP has 4 overall objectives and about 300 indicators. It aims to
promote strong economic growth, promote social inclusiveness and environmental
management. There is fiscal discipline in a stable budget for all levels of government
since 1997. Since 2002, block budgeting is used for recurrent expenditure. Now, in the
link from planning to budgeting, under Fiscal Discipline, there is a 5% GDP deficit, 20%
budget expenditure for education, 1% budget expenditure for environment and 2% budget
expenditure for S & T. In Allocation Efficiency, there is a 5 year expenditure plan linking
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to strategies- National Target Programmes (NTP), autonomy of local governments,
participatory procedures and Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). On
Operational Efficiency, autonomy of spending units, transparency and accountability are
emphasized.
16.
On monitoring and evaluation are decentralized to each ministry/province. Data
for budget will be analyzed and reported to the National Assembly and Government. The
SEDP which was approved in 2006 has a mid term review in 2008. There is increased
awareness among leaders and officers of results-based M & E and the country is
interested in the application of ‘block-grant’ budgets. The M & E system must always be
enhanced. Some recommendations would be to formulate the RBM Strategy and getting
consensus on that, institutionalizing MTEF, more decentralization, strengthen capacitybuilding and train officers especially in planning and budgeting.
Conclusion
17.
Facilitator (Mr Chen Shian Jan) rounded up the session.
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