UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES IN EDUCATION (IISE) SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Implementing Partner of the UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF) PROGRAM IN EDUCATIONAL POLICY, PLANNING AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (BiH) __________________________________________________________________ TRIP REPORT (DRAFT): SEMINAR IN EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA John L. Yeager and Michel Rakotomanana (Zenica, 23-25 October, 1995) __________________________________________________________________ BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA OCTOBER 1995 TABLE OF CONTENTS: Page I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................... 2 II. INTRODUCTION: ................................................... 3 III. NARRATIVE OF THE SEMINAR IN EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING IN BiH: ................................... 4 IV. MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SEMINAR: ............................. 10 V. PROPOSED FOLLOW-UP AND NETWORKING ACTIVITIES: ................. 11 VI. TEAM OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS CONCERNING THE STRATEGIC PLANNING SEMINAR: ................................ 12 ANNEXES: Annex I. Summary of Schedule and List of Key Meetings and Interviews During the Trip: ...................... 16 Annex II. List of Participants to the Seminar in Educational Strategic Planning in BiH: .......................... 17 Annex III. Materials Provided to Participants During the Seminar ... 19 Annex IV. Summary of Participants' Evaluation of the Seminar ............................................ 20 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: ______________________________________________________________________________ The purpose of this report is to highlight some of the major achievements of a seminar on Educational Strategic Planning that was conducted in Zenica, Bosnia-Herzegovina from 23 to 25 October 1995, under the auspices of UNICEF and as part of the UNICEF/School of Education Program in Educational Policy, Planning and Technical Cooperation in BiH. The seminar was facilitated by Professor John L. Yeager, Chair of the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh; assisted by Michel Rakotomanana, Administrator for UNICEF/School of Education Program in BiH. The objectives of the seminar was to provide the participants with an overview of strategic planning, reflecting the BiH context and other international experiences; and to provide a working environment that would foster greater interaction among participants, taking into account some of the communication difficulties that affected the implementation of educational policy in BiH, due to the military conflict. The seminar addressed such issues as the definition of strategic planning, the different levels/stages of strategic planning, the issue of the linkage between planning, resource allocation and performance, the planning process and evironmental assessment, and the principles of effective planning. The participants were also provided an overview of international experiences, including that of the United States, in relation to such topics as strategic planning at various levels, state, and public schools. Through group work and presentations, participants were given the opportunity to reflect on some of these issues in relation to educational policy in BiH, especially at national level, cantonnal level, and municipal level. Finally, participants were asked to reflect on a possible plan of action that would assist in the long-term sustainability of the seminar through a networking mechanism with the School of Education of the University of Pittsburgh. The seminar was successful in many respects. It was attended by 28 participants that represented virturally all levels and sectors of the BiH educational system from Sarajevo, Tuzla, East Mostar, West Mostar, Tuzla, and Zenica. Some of the institutions that were represented included the National Ministry of Education in Sarajevo, the Ministry of Education of Tuzla, Pedagocial Institutes and Pedagogical Academies, and other concerned institutions such as Secretariat for Social Activities. Inteaction and exchanges of views between the participants and the team from Pittsburgh indicate that the seminar was successful in providing the participants with an enhanced understanding of educational strategic planning issues and techniques. Also, given the continued exchanges between participants, the objective of providing a forum for inteaction among the participants was achieved. Most importantly, an arrangement was reached on possible ways of continuing the relationships thus reinforced, possibly with the continued involvement of the School of Education, University of Pittsburgh. II. INTRODUCTION: ______________________________________________________________________________ This report describes a seminar in Educational Strategic Planning that was held in Zenica, BiH (23-25 October). The seminar was conducted as part of the UNICEF/University of Pittsburgh Program in Educational Policy, Planning and Technical Cooperation in BiH, of which the Institute for International Studies in Education (IISE), School of Education, University of Pittsburgh, is the UNICEF Implementing Partner. The seminar was facilitated by Professor John L. Yeager, Chair of the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies, School of Education, University of Pittsburhgh; assisted by Michel Rakotomanana, Program Administrator, IISE. The timing of this seminar is to be considered in conjunction with recent events that took place in BiH during the past four years. Because of the continued hostilities, regional educational institutions in BiH have been relatively isolated and have assumed more of a decision-making role. For example, because of the security situation in Sarajevo, the Pedagogical Institute in Zenica has assumed more of a central role in decision-making and was given more responsibility by Sarajevo. Sarajevo has a national Pedagogical Institute and a regional Pedagogical; East-Mostar has a national Pedagogical Institute; Zenica and Tuzla both have Pedagogical Institutes; Travnik has a Secretariat for Public Activities, but no cantonal ministry of education or pedagogical institute. In Tuzla, the Pedagogical Institute has been operational for a long time while the cantonal Ministry of Education is approximately one year old. Increasingly, as the war has continued, educational officials in the regions are assuming more responsibility for educational planning in their respective areas. Meanwhile, plans are underway to establish 8 cantons as part of the Federation of BiH: Tuzla (Bosnian), Zenica-Doboj (Bosnian), Bihac (Bosnian), Gorazde (Bosnian), Zap.Herzegovina (Croat), Posavian (Croat), Travnik (Bosnian-Croat), Mostar (Bosnian-Croat). In principle each canton would have a cantonal Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education in Sarajevo would remain the Republic Ministry of Education, however, it would be smaller. Cantonal Ministries of Education would have more decision-making powers and would have more autonomy to plan according to regional and local needs. Presently, only Tuzla has a cantonal Ministry of Education. Plans are underway to establish a cantonal Ministry of Education in Zenica. With the resumption of hostilities in the Spring of 1995, the map of BiH has been in a continuous process of change. These changes will have an influence on educational planning, both in the short and long-term. The consequences of the "map" change are different for different cantons. For example, Tuzla has been hit extremely hard by the influx of refugees, particularly from Srebrenica. Zeniza is even more fragmented by the differences between Croat and Bosnian communities, and the influx of Croat refugees has reinforced Croat districts. Therefore, it is important that educators in BiH begin to think about emerging trends in education in the country as a whole, and in their respective cantons. Following the cease-fire in mid-October 1995, a team of educators from the University of Pittsburgh made up of Professor John L. Yeager, Chair of the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies, and Michel Rakotomanana proceeded to BiH to facilitate a seminar on strategic planning. This was part of the ongoing series of seminars being provided by the Program to BiH educators. The team was also to examine changes that affected the 1994 UNICEF/IISE education sector study. Given the latest development on a possible peace accord, the mission worked with BiH counterparts to prepare an action plan which will provide a basis for the reconstruction of the post-war educational system in BiH, by looking at strategic planning issues. The first objective of the seminar was to provide the participants with an overview of strategic planning, taking into account some of the most recent developments in educational policy and planning in BiH. The second objective of the seminar was to provide a working environment that would foster interaction among the vairous participants, given the communication difficulties that affected the implementation of educational policy in BiH, due to the war. With a view to foster among educators the need to think about longer term issues the mission from the School of Education asked BiH educators how they see the educational system developing if they were able to repair and reconstruct damaged schools; obtain needed educational materials and resources; rebuild and reconstitute laboratories for science and languages; and have computers? What are their priorities, how would relationships develop, how would authority be delegated, how much control and authority should reside with the cantons, with the Ministry in Sarajevo, how would they respond to children with different needs and abilities, how would they rebuild support structures (for teachers, for parents, with the community, etc.), how would thery reconstitute training programs (for teachers), for older children, for soldiers when the war ends, etc ? How would they relate the educational system to the needs of the community and to the overall national needs in BiH? What policies should be developed and advocated; what do they see as emerging trends in their specific cantons and in BiH overall? III. NARRATIVE OF THE SEMINAR EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING IN BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: ______________________________________________________________________________ a. Rationale for the Seminar: Limited access to Sarajevo over the past few months has created a situation where there is little systematic contact among national and local agencies involved in educational policy formation and educational planning in BiH. The limited access to Sarajevo has strengthened in some aspects of cantonal authorities to make decision and take control over the educational system in their region. Because the cantons have not always had access to the National Ministry of Education, immediate educational planning and daily operations of the educational system have come from the regional Pedagogical Institutes or from the schools themselves. While the National Ministry does communicate through phone and faxes with the cantons, there have been no regular meetings or site visits. The security situation has had a profound impact on cantonal authorities in terms of ability to find resources to keep the educational system functionning and in terms of the need to devise innovative strategies for maintaining the system and responding to school directors, teachers, and parents in their communities. At the same time, cantonal authorities still look to Sarajevo for direction and for solutions to problems (particularly financing education and salaries). However, cantonal autorities are accustomed to some degree of control, authority, and decision-making capabilities. The situation of wanting to retain some measure of control and authority, while at the same time looking to Sarajevo for direction and support, does and will in the future create tension. Another factor in educational planning in BiH is the changing mission of critical educational institutions, which relates to changing relationships. For example, the Pedagogical Institute of Tuzla existed prior to the formation of the Ministry of Education and some tension between the two institutions are to be expected as the result of their respective roles. Roles, responsibilities, and functions are unclear, and each of the institutions are trying to maintain as much control over decisions and the operation of the educational system in Tuzla canton as possible. Currently, there is little systematic contact among the Pedagogical Institutes throughout the country. Generally if there is contact, it is informal and among colleagues, and there is no sense of initiating overall and systematic planning among them. Where there is formal contact, the contact is between one regional Pedagogical Institute (e.g. Tuzla) and the National Ministry of Education. Much of these contacts focus on curriculum issues, the regional Pedagogical Institute responding to mandates regarding amount of contact with primary schools directors and teachers to discuss the school calendar and work requirements, text book requirements, and salary issues. Each canton has been attempting to obtain funds to repair or reconstruct schools, additional educational resouces and supplies, rebuild laboratories, pay salaries, transportation for students, keep schools functionning, and cope with the stress of teachers and students, implement curriculum, and obtain textbooks. Long-term issues are often not addressed because short-term issues are so pressing. b. Contents of the Seminar: To begin addressing some of these problems and issues, the seminar on educational strategic planning was held in Zenica. The following provides a chronological highlights of some of the topics that were included and discussed during the three-day seminar as well as a well as a description of the activities that took place during that time period: MONDAY 23 OCTOBER: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm: 1) WELCOMING REMARKS: Lynn Cohen, Program Coordinator Rob Fuderich, UNICEF Education Advisor (Zagreb) 2) INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: By John Yeager, University of Pittsburgh: Education in Nations in Crisis Objectives and Purposes of Seminar (e.g. building a team of planner, initiating negotiation among BiH educators) Basic Concepts in Planning (e.g. participation, team-building) Long-term Linkages Between BiH and the University of Pittsburgh 3) PERSONAL INTRODUCTION BY PARTICIPANTS: [Names, titles and organization - list of participants in Annex II ] 4) ARRANGEMENTS FOR GROUP ACTIVITIES: [ list of participants and group arrangement in Annex II ] 5) INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING: a) Introduction to Strategic Planning at National Level: The topics that were addressed include the following: The Need to Coordinate Planning at National Level, Cantonal Level, Municipal Level, and School Level; Scope of Responsibilities of Each Level; Delegation in Educational Strategic Planning; Importance of Agreement, Consensus, and Participation at all Levels of Strategic Planning; Strategic Planning and National Needs; Options for the Reconstruction of the Educational System in BiH (e.g. Distance Learning) b) Definition of Strategic Planning: The topics that were discussed include: Long-Range Planning v/s Strategic Planning; Definition of Long-Range Planning; Definition of Strategic Planning (e.g. focus on Interaction between the organization and the environment); Strategic Planning as an Interactive and Flexible Process; Strategic Planning, Evaluation, and Responsiveness c) Levels/Stages of Strategic Planning (Planning Structure): The topics that were discussed include: Strategic Planning v/s Development Planning v/s Operational Planning v/s Project Planning; Linkages between Strategic Planning and Teaching/Learning Activities; Strategic Planning, Efficiency, and Effectiveness [see presentation plan in Annex III ] d) Linking Planning Resource and Allocation-Performance: [see presentation plan in Annex III] e) Stages of the Planning Process: The topics that were discussed include: "Plan to Plan": Definition of the Plan to Plan; Participants in the Planning to Plan; the Planning to Plan Process; Organizational Analysis (e.g. who is in charge - National Minister, Cantonal Minister -; Kinds of Assistance Needed; Planning Groups; Proposal for Plan - Environmental Assessment, Vision Statement, Mission Statement, Goals and Objectives, Major Issues, Strategies, Priorities) 1:00 - 4:00 pm f) Group work: Environmental Assessment: The participants were asked to work with their assigned group and to make a joint presentation on Major Trends and Education in BiH; and External Environmental Planning g) Trend Analysis: The seminar addressed other topics including: "Cross-Impact Matrix", "Delphi" Technique; "Snow-Ball" Technique; "Scenarios" TUESDAY 24 OCTOBER: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm a) Discussion of the Educational System in the U.S.: The topics that were discussed include: the Federal Level: Constitutional Assingment of Education to States (except for special programs: e.g. poverty programs, funding of military academies, loans and grants programs, research and development, nutrition programs) The State Level: The Role of the Legislature; the Governor; the State Department of Education; the Boards of Education (the Higher Education Board, the Basic Education Board); the Legislative Process and Education; Public Hearings and Education; Roles and Functions of the State in Education (e.g. teacher certification; income taxes) The District Level: Structure, Roles, and Functions of the School Boards; Education and Property Taxes; The School Superintendents; The District and the Hiring of Teachers; The School Principal; Planning at District Level; Planning at School Levels Higher Education: Private Higher Education v/s Public Higher Education; Governing Boards of Higher Education; Standards and Curriculum in Higher Education; Financing of Private Higher Education v/s Financing of Public Higher Education; The Legislative Process and Higher Education; Student Financing in Higher Education; Community Colleges. The discussion that followed compared the educational sytem of BiH and the United States. Then the seminar continued the discussion on the "Plan to Plan" and addressed such topics as: the Overall Context of Planning (e.g. uncertainty, stability); Organizational Contex; the Contents of the Plan (i.e. assessment of such items as faculty, building, curriculum, job opportunities); the Role of "Stake-Holders"/Participants (e.g. parents, governmental agencies, teachers, employers, students); Timeframe for Preparing the Plan; Structure of the Plan to Plan (e.g. mission statement; goals and objectives, strategies, priorities, etc.); Description of the Proposed Program. The participants were then asked to identify the "strength" and "weaknesses" of the current education sytem in BiH at all levels and to decide on the most outstanding features. This was concluded as a brainstorming session involving the total group. 1:00 - 5:00 pm b) Presentation by Dr. Halilovic Enver, Minster of Education, Science, Culture and Sports in Tuzla canton Dr. Halilovic Enver made a presentation on some of the recent developments concerning the activities of the Ministry of Education in Tuzla canton. This was followed by a discussion on major problems. Dr Halilovic provided a comprehensive review of educational policy implementation in his canton, prior to the war, especially in primary and secondary education. He indicated in particular that most of the formation of educational policy and planning took place at the level of the Ministry of Education of BiH. Dr. Halilovic also addressed the changes that were brought by the war and by the adoption of the Federation constitution, as well as future perspectives. These include: the very poor condition of educational infrastructure; the difficulties in paying teachers' salaries; the new distribution of financing responsibility between the canton (60%) and the Federation (40%); greater involvement of the canton and municipality in the formation of educational policies; the absence of cooperation between the cantons; the current arrangement between schools and the Pedagogical Institute in curriculum development; the possible growth of private schools; and the forthcoming National Conference on Universities in BiH. The seminar then addressed the topics of: the Principles of Effective Planning: e.g. Strong Leadership (e.g. fairness, respect of others' opinion, effectiveness in decision-making, participation); Clear Mission, Goals and Objectives; Mission Statement; Vision Statement; Coordinated Planning Process (national, canton, municipalities); Community Participation; Financial Commitment; Resource Allocation; Well-Defined Procedure; Written Plan; Flexible Guidelines. [see presentation plan in Annex III ] WEDNESDAY 25 OCTOBER: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm a) Group work: To put some of the concepts discussed during the seminar into application, the participants were asked to reflect together on the following topics and to make a joint report to the plenary meeting: Mission Statement for Primary Education; Goals and Objectives for Primary Education b) Review of the Major Concepts in Strategic Planning: As part of this session, the facilitator reviewed with the participants some of the major concepts of strategic planning as discussed above. c) Follow-up activities: The following document was discussed with the participants. They were asked to provide their feed-back so as to insure the long-term sustainability of the training program in Educational Strategic Planning. They were asked to provide their feed-back thourgh Lynn Cohen, Program Coordinator, to the University of Pittsburgh. SUGGESTED FOLLOW-UP STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS UNICEF/UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH WORKSHOP OCTOBER 23 - 25, 1995 I. PHASE ONE: 1) UNICEF/Pitt will send letter to each participant to the workshop inviting them to join the project November 15, 1995 2) BiH colleagues to send letter from head of their organization indicating willingness to participate December 1, 1995 3) UNICEF/Pitt to distribute summary of Oct. 23-25 workshop to all workshop participants December 15, 1995 4) BiH colleagues to send UNICEF/Pitt: Brief Plan to Plan Organization chart (with names) External Environment Trends and Events Internal Strength and Weaknesses February 1, 1996 5) UNICEF/Pitt will review and return external and internal assessments March 15, 1996 6) BiH colleagues will send to UNICEF/Pitt statements of mission and goals April 15, 1996 7) UNICEF/Pitt will review and return mission and goal statements June 15, 1996 PHASE II. STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP (if funding available) August 1996 c) Evaluation of the Seminar: At the end of the morning session, participants were asked by Rob Fuderich, Education Advisor (UNICEF/Zagreb) to evaluate the seminar including the training program, the quality of logistic support, and the oveall quality of their stay in Zenica. 1:00 - 5:00 pm d) Implementation of the planning process: The participants also discussed issues of : Planning Postures (e.g. Reactivism; Inactivism; Proactivism; and Interactivism) e) The Need to Obtain Information: f) Strategic Planning as an Interactive Feedback System: IV. MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SEMINAR IN EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING IN BiH: ______________________________________________________________________________ The seminar in Educational Strategic Planning in BiH (Zenica: 23-25 October) that was conducted by the team from the University of Pittsburgh and with contribution from Rob Fuderich, UNICEF/Zagreb was sucessful in many respects. Some of the major achievements of the seminar are: a) the seminar contributed to fostering among BiH educators a sense of the urgent need to look at long-term issues as they relate to the reconstruction of the overall educational system in BiH, taking into account the specific needs of each and every canton; b) the seminar brought educators from the cantons together with educators form the National Ministry of Education in Sarajevo. The seminar also brought representatives from the Pedagogical Institute of BiH (Sarajevo) together with representatives from Pedagogical Institutes and Pedagogical Academies from such towns as East Mostar, Tuzla, and Zenica; c) the seminar provided a comprehensive forum for discussing trends, priorities, and strategies in educational reconstruction, as well as other issues related to education. The discussions that took place were enriched by the views and perspecitives offered by representatives from a number of other institutions that are directly interested in educational issues such as District Secretariat for Social Activities, Municipality Secretariat for Social Activities, and community centers. The seminar developed of a deeper group understanding of the dynamics of educational reconstruction, taking into account all relevant socio-economic and cultural factors; d) the seminar provided an opportunity for all involved to re-establish contact and to share information, experiences, and view points on the reconstruction of the post-war educational sytem in BiH. It provided an opportunity for the National Ministry of Education and Pedagogigal Institutes to reestablish direct contact with the cantons. As indicated in the introduction above, it is of a particular importance for cantons to know what the National Ministry in Sarajevo is thinking. On the other hand, the National Ministry was offered a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of its mission, especially in view of recent developments that affected the educational system during the past few months; e) the seminar fostered among participants the need to consider their work beyond the such immediate needs as the repair and/or reconstruction of damaged schools, and the provision of educational materials and supplies. While aknowledging the importance of these issues, the seminar underscored the many opportunities that are now offered to BiH educators to re-think and re-shape their educational system so as to address today's emerging educational and socio-economic needs at regional, national and global levels. The seminar provided a comprehensive forum on how best to approach the reconstruction of the educational system in the longer term from the perspective of each and every institutions represented at the seminar. f) the seminar also provided the participants with a expanded understanding of strategic planning issues taking into account other international experiences on a comparative basis. For example the comparative discussion of the educatational system in the U.S. and in BiH was most useful in comparing ways and means of dealing with educational issues especially in relation with such topics as: legislative processes and educational reforms; educational structures in a decentralized system; educational financing at national, regional, and municipal levels; private v/s public education; community participation (government agencies, educational institutions, administrators, teachers, parents, students); and teacher education/status. V. PROPOSED FOLLOW-UP AND NETWORKING ACTIVITIES: ______________________________________________________________________________ As part of the Program in Educational Policy Planning and Technical Cooperation in BiH, one of the initatives taken at the School of Education in Pittsburgh, was the establishment of a number of "clusters" including faculty members and graduate students interested in specific aspects of the Program. For example, one "cluster" group deals with Training in Active Learning has been instrumental in the development of a Guide in Active Learning for Educators from BiH, as well as in the selection of relevant educational materials that were sent to educators in BiH. Where security situtation permits, some of faculty members from that "cluster" will conduct further training activities in BiH during the coming months. Along similar lines, and prior to this mission, efforts were made at the School of Education to identify faculty members and graduate students who might be interested in issues of educational planning in BiH. Upon their return to Pittsburgh, the team reported to faculty members and graduate students from the School of Education to seek further contribution to this team effort. The mandate of the "cluster" in Educational Policy and Planning is to provide full support to the field in a larger effort to working with BiH educators in such areas as strategic planning. The "cluster" will also identify and send educational materials that might be of interest to BiH colleagues. The School of Education and IISE perceive the seminar that was held in Zenica as yet another step toward establishing long-term institutional linkages between BiH educational authorities and the University of Pittsburgh. As reflected in the above suggested plan of action, it is the intention of the IISE to maintain contact with BiH educators and to build-up upon the work accomplished so far. For example, the brief "plan to plan", the organizational chart, the assessment of the extenal environment trends and the assessment of "internal strength and weaknesses" will be most instrumental for the "cluster" in educational planning to review the current situation as seen by BiH educators. The statements of mission and goals from each and every cooperating institution will prepare the ground for further training activities. Such information will also be useful to other parties that might be interested in being part of the team effort to reconstruct the educational system in BiH in the future. Once formalized, and through the resident Program Coordinator, the team will follow-up on the plan of action that was suggested to BiH educators during the seminar. Upon their return, the team will also explore additional funding opportunities through such agencies as the United States Agency for International Development. Currently, discussions are underway with such agencies and organizations as UNESCO and USAID that might be interested in various aspects of technical cooperation in all sectors of education in BiH. These several activities and others under the Program are intended to insure the long-term sustainability of the current effort undertaken under the Program in Educational Policy, Planning and Technical Cooperation. VI. TEAM OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS CONCERNING THE STRATEGIC PLANNING SEMINAR: ______________________________________________________________________________ a) General Outcomes: Overall, the strategic planning seminar was effective in meeting its objectives of providing the participants with an overview of strategic planning. The major focus of the workshop was at the macro level of educational strategic planning. Time limitations prevented detailed exploration of specific sub-areas within strategic planning and the integration of various types of divisional and program plans into organizational strategic plans. Most participants by the end of the workshop had gained an enhanced understanding of strategic planning and how various elements of the plan could be developed. A second objective, that of providing a working environment that would foster interaction among the various participants, was also achieved. The participants represented diverse geographical areas within Bosnia and included individuals from a variety of administrative positions. To a large extent all participants remained actively involved in the workshop to the very end. Wednesday afternoon saw a modest reduction of participants to about 20, since many had to leave to arrange for transportation and to perform other tasks. The participants worked in small groups that were designed to provide a mix of participants representing various agencies. In all cases the teams formed a nucleus for information sharing and informal discussion. It was noted that in a number of cases members of these teams continued their interaction at the breaks and over breakfast and lunch. Further, when teams made presentations to the full group, they supported each other and practically everybody actively participated in their group. Although during the first day of the workshop there was some degree of formality among the participants and between the participants and the facilitator, by the last day there was a great deal of informality, open communication, and numerous questions concerning how the various educational agencies operated both within BiH and the United States. The workshop thus achieved its two major goals: a) to explore educational strategic planning at the national, canton, municipal, and local school level; and b) to foster participation and communication among the participants. b) Continuation of Seminars on Strategic Planning Activities: One major outcome of the workshop was a proposed strategic planning continuation process that was proposed and developed by the facilitator and the participants as described in the proposed plan of action above. It was agreed that if any organization represented by the participants wished to pursue strategic planning, a communication link would be established between BiH educational organizations, the School of Education of the University of Pittsburgh, through the UNICEF/Pitt office in Zenica. During the course of the next eight or nine months information would be exchanged, translated, reviewed and returned concerning the development of an organization's strategic plan. There seemed to be interest in this approach and it is estimated that two or three organizations may participate in this activity. As a first step, Lynn Cohen, resident Program Coordinator will solicit from each participant their organization's interest in developing a strategic plan. Their willingness to do so will require a letter from the head of their organization, ministry, canton, municipality, or school indicating their willingness to conduct this process. At the current time it is too early to tell whether any or several organizations will volunteer to continue their planning efforts. As indicated above, letters of intent are expected by early December. c) Recommendations for Future Seminars: It is important to note that for future seminars in the areas of strategic planning, due consideration should be given to a modified time schedule. Three days morning and afternoon, working through translators, is tiring and too slow-moving for the participants. Possibly a six-hour day should be considered and extended over four or five days to provide for more group work and exercises. Translation is of major importance and while the workshop was fortunate to have UNICEF/University of Pittsburgh staff to provide this assistance, consideration should be given to obtaining simultaneous translation equipment. This would greatly facilitate and speed up the process. Perhaps, plans should be made in the future to provide of a portable simultaneous translation equipment. In addition, there is a need for more homogeneous groups of participants or teams of individual participants from a given organization. In a group of 25+ individuals, it is very difficult to determine a base level of common understanding when many of the participants do not hold positions that required significant organizational-level strategic planning while others did. It was this mixture of backgrounds that further slowed the process. Having homogeneous groups, for an example, Ministers of Education at the canton level, participate in the workshop, would probably facilitate relevancy of the information as well as increase the range of material that could be covered. A different approach would be to have teams consisting of possibly a Minister, two or three other major assistants, or representatives from municipalities and the local schools within the canton. In this way there could be more of a team-building approach that would actually be responsible for conducting a strategic planning process. Based on this rather limited example of one seminar, it is recommended that consideration be given to a rather different approach for conducting future seminars in the area of educational strategic planning. Instead of having a consultant come in for a three- or four- or even five-day workshop in the area, and then leave it would seem more effective to have a consultant facilitate a different type of strategic planning seminar. An example would be to have a consultant available for possibly a two-week time period. During the first week the consultant would work with between three and no more than five individuals representing various educational organizations at the canton or national level, who would have a working knowledge of English. During the first week these participants would work together to develop a strategic planning workshop. During the course of the development of this workshop, this "core team" of trained individuals would receive an in-depth concentrated review of strategic planning and by the end of the first week would have available both the initial knowledge and tools to conduct a strategic planning workshop and a plan for doing so. During the second week, the consultant with the five trainers would then present a workshop for between 25 and 30 individuals at which time the consultant would function as a facilitator and resource person for BiH trainers. It is anticipated that if this type of format were followed, the following benefits would be derived: i. There would be five resident BiH educators who would have expertise in strategic planning to conduct future workshops who understand the BiH culture, educational structure, and problems. ii. Future workshop costs could be considerably lowered because of the elimination of consultant travel and related costs. iii. Organizations where the trainers work would have available in-house expertise to develop strategic plans. iv. The strategic plan trainers would have access via e-mail to consultants in the United States when they have specific questions to be discussed. v. Since the trainers would speak and read English areas, planning materials in English could be shared with them and where appropriate translated for general use. vi. Because the ability of the trainers to speak the native language, a great deal of strategic planning content could be communicated in a much shorter amount of time with a great deal more relevancy. d) Concluding Observations: Because of the high degree of uncertainty that still exists and the need to respond to immediate needs and pressures, any type of strategic planning must be done within the context of a high level of flexibility. Strategic planning should focus on direction, consideration of what education is attempting to accomplish at all levels, and how it should organize itself to do so. It is not recommended that at this time, that specific detailed plans be developed, but rather an emphasis on a planning culture within which macro level plans are considered. It would appear to the team from Pittsburgh that participants within the workshop seem to be eager to move ahead, but were at the same time, because of the conflict over the last several years, weary and unsure of what the immediate future would hold. Although it may be reasonably assumed that there is a relatively long tradition in the former Yugoslavia of national and regional planning, this was in the context of a somewhat Current western notions of strategic planning would suggest the need to develop a new kind of planning culture that would support the development of strategic planning activities. This will take training, time, and a process that moves ahead in an incremental and continuous fashion. There seemed to be some difficulty on the parts of some participants to understand that they can and must do more than simply respond to immediate problems. Rather, they must come a greater understanding that they must anticipate factors and events that will affect their organizations and that they are responsible and accountable for decisions and actions that the organization takes. The topics of decision making, accountability, and flexibility need to be further explored. In a few instances, it was perceived that participants would prefer that the educational system of ten years ago be the model for future development and were reluctant to entertain ideas of change. In terms of the strategic planning process, it is important that all options be considered before any final determination is made as to the final direction of education for BiH and the cantons. Strategic planning helps structure a problem and facilitates a consideration of options. Educational plans are intended to continually evolve. ________________________ ANNEX I. SUMMARY OF SCHEDULE AND LIST OF KEY MEETINGS AND INTERVIEW DURING THE TRIP: Zagreb: 19.10.95 Briefing UNICEF Office, Meeting with Rob Fuderich, UNICEF Education Advisor 20.10.95 Meeting with Shamsul Farooq, Senior Program Officer, UNICEF Office, Zagreb; Security briefing with UNICEF Security Officer 21.10.95 Travel Zagreb/Split/Zenica Zenica: 22.10.95: Briefing at the UNICEF Office and Preparation for the Seminar 23.10.95: Seminar in Educational Strategic Planning in BiH 24.10.95: Seminar in Educational Strategic Planning in BiH 25.10.95: Seminar in Educational Strategic Planning in BiH 26.10.95: Debriefing at the UNICEF Office and Writing of Trip Report Meeting with Officials from the Pedagogical Academy of Zenica: Arnaut Muhamed, Dean; Suljicic Nihad, Prodean; Mahovkic Velida, Secretary Zagreb: 27.10.95 Travel Zenica/Split 28.10.95 Travel Frankfurt/Pittsburgh ANNEX II. LIST OF PARTICIPANTS TO THE SEMINAR IN EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIC PLANING IN BiH: (Zenica 23-25 October 1995) SARAJEVO: 1. Group B: Merlo Mira, Representative of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of BiH 2. Group B: Fako Alija, Representative of the Ministry fo Education, Science, Culture and Sports of BiH 3. Group C: Jasarevic Rifat, Representative of the Pedagogical Institute of BiH 4. Group D: Pekmez Velida, Representative of the Pedagogical Institute/Sarajevo 5. Group B: Ajanovic Sadeta, Representative of the Pedagogical Institute/Sarajevo 6. Group B: Sukalo Nadzida, Representative of the Pedagogical Institute/Sarajevo 7. Group A: Rasidovic Safija, Representative of the Secretariat for Education, Science, Culture and Sports 8. Group D: Selimagic Behija, Representative of the District Secretariat for Social Activities 9. Group C: Mehmedbasic Emir, Representative of the Community Center 10. Group A: Pasic Fahrudin, Representative of the Community of Novi Grad TUZLA: 1. Group D: Halilovic Enver, Minister of Education, Science, Culture, Sports and Information in Tuzla Canton 2. Group A: Hodzic Abdulah, Assistant to Minister of Education 3. Group D: Gazdic Izet, Director of the Educational - Pedagogical Institute 4. Group B: Cardiz Mugdim, Head of the Department for Primary Education 5. Group C: Tobudic Nusret, Pedagogue, Advisor for Classes Instructions MOSTAR EAST: 1. Group C: Osman Bajgaric, Director Pedagogical Institute 2. Vahid Durakovic, Representative of the Pedagogical Institute MOSTAR WEST: 1. Group B: Mario Markotic, Head for Education, Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports 2. Group A: Ljubomir Brajkovic, Educational Advisor in Educational Institue, Croatian Republic Herzeg Bosnia ZENICA: 1. Group B: Berberovic Mustafa, Representative of the Secretariat for Social Activities in Zenica District 2. Group D: Basic Mehmed, Representative of the Secretariat for Social Activities in Zenica District 3. Group A: Begovic Fehim, Director Pedagogical Institute in Zenica District 4. Group C:Karic Mumin, Advisor of the Pedagogical Institute in Zenica District 5. Group A:Arnaut Muhamed, Dean Pedagogical Academy 6. Group D: Suljicic Nihad, Prodean of the Pedagogical Academy 7. Group B: Mahovkic Velida, Secretary of the Pedagogical Academy 8. Group D: Omerhodzic Sefedin, Representative of the Municipality Secretariat for Social Activities 9. Group C: Orsulic Anto, Representative of the Municipality Secretariat for Social Activities ____________________ ANNEX III. MATERIALS PROVIDED TO PARTICIPANTS DURING THE SEMINAR ANNEX IV. SUMMARY OF PARTICIPANTS' EVALUATION OF THE SEMINAR: Overall Comments: The seminar was evaluated by the participants as good. They also made several comments concerning the need for the seminars to be continued, with more feedback from the participants on how the seminar reflects the work in their related fields. Some indicated that the seminar was nice and should be continued. Others indicated that the seminar was too intensive - it lasted all day, although the facilitator deserves high quality praise. Other participants expressed their gratitude to the organizers for holding the seminar and also indicated that it should have been enriched by more detailed aspects of the positive lessons learnt from US education system as well as their eventual implementation in the BiH context. Some participants expressed the need for more concrete examples, and more time for individual and small group work, using actual planning exercises. Others indicated that such seminars are indispensable, especially in these times, although additional literature is needed. Other participants, indicated that there is a need to harmonize group work and to take into account the participants' different levels of training. It was also indicated that there is a need for more information on US and other educational systems including more literature on other systems. Concerning Future Seminars: Participants indicated that the training seminars are essential for the future of the BiH, i.e. planned development. The view was expressed that the seminars should include more practical planning for individual participants, that the participants should be organized into groups, taking into account their equal level or corresponding field of study - not participants from different levels - . It was also indicated that to avoid monotony, more facilitators/presenters should take part in the seminar. Other participants indicated that the seminar should last at least five days with lower pace of lectures. The view was also expressed that seminars are useful, that they should be continued, that they should include generally homogeneous teams coming from different parts of BiH, and that they should be less intensive. Some participants indicated that future seminars should be held in other location than Zenica, with better facilities and hotel accomodations. It was also indicated that translators should be more aware of the topic being discussed so that translation can be easier to understand. It was felt that some had problems with translations. Many indicated that the perdiem was too low and should be raised. Concerning the Facilitator: The facilitator was given high marks for the clarity of his presentation and for his ability to relate to BiH context. He was also given high mark for his knowledge of strategic planning, for being friendly and open-minded, for listening well to the participants' experiences, and for seeming to be interested in learning from the participants. The fact that he didn't speak the language was a problem, but the participants felt that he should return again for another seminar. Some participants felt that the pace of the seminar was too intense. They would like more time with the facilitator to discuss the various aspects of planning. ________________