SWOT?• Strengths / Weaknesses /

Opportunities / Threats

• Just what are the S&Os that will help us achieve our goals, and how do we overcome the W&Ts that are going to make it harder for us to do so?

• The whole point of SWOT is to encourage us to identify what can help us, and what won’t! – so we can improve our chances of success….

SWOT? - S• Strengths• These are what we’ve got• So, forget everyone else, what have we got that

will help us get to where we want to be?– Skills– Enthusiasm– Friends / allies / anyone who wants us to succeed (eg,

never forget that parents vote!)– Physical & financial resources– Links to all other elements of success– Other……..

SWOT? - W• Weaknesses• These are what we’ve got (but wish we didn’t!)• Be realistic about identifying them

– Natural tendencies– Lack of experience– Areas outside our main skills base– Conflicting goals– Other……

SWOT? - O• Opportunities• These are what are waiting for us to grab them and take

advantage of them….. So these are things that we have to use, no-one else will do it for us

• Don’t hold back, all too often you only get one chance!– External resources and priorities

eg, MDGs, MCC– find where they fit with your goals– and where you can bend them to do so!– Links with other programs eg, funding for wider initiatives such

as “poverty”– Almost anything can be an “opportunity” if you attack it the righ

t way

SWOT? - T• Threats• These are what are lying in wait, ready to ambush us

just when we think we’ve got it all worked out!• All too often they come from unexpected sources!

– Always remember, so long as resources are limited there will always be competition for them

– Not everyone has the pure motives that we do• Do politicians put the improvement of society above their chances of

being re-elected?• Do your colleagues in the Ministry of ????? Share your views about the

importance of funding for education – would they forego a trip to Geneva if that money was going to buy textbooks?

– Other…

SWOT? - Recap• Strengths• These are what we’ve got, our natural resources, so it is up to us to

use them as fully as possible• Weaknesses• Again, these apply to us and the resources we have available, the

vital thing is that we have to be completely honest in identifying them• Opportunities• External, we need to go looking for them and take full advantage – if

we don’t, they’ll be lost to the…• Threats• Not everyone wants us to succeed – and everyone in that category is

a threat, friends included - friendship (in the widest sense) does not always (never?) hold when it comes to competing for resources

How are we going to achieve better education for our country in the next 10 years?

Strengths

+++++++++++

Weaknesses

-----------------

Opportunities

+++++++++++

Threats

-------------------

How are we going to achieve better education for our country in the next 10 years?

StrengthsGood policy, good data, trained staff, economic growth, better infrastructure, improved security (law and order), community support

Sustained eco growth, students motivated, teacher competency and strong association, principals appointed on merit, well-defined priorities for school management, good bureaucratic guidelines and practices, senior minister and govt recognition of education priority, donors have plenty $$$, good public support, taking advantage of IT developments

Ministerial support, access to funding, good relations between education deliverers and administration, community support, government support, strong foundation of culture and language

Culture and values, human resources including voluntary support from the community, population??, support from regional agencies (eg, SPC, PRIDE) , govt support including budgetary aid for private schools and priority for education in national plan, govt improvement of ITC

WeaknessesLack of capacity to implement policy, poor planning and coordination of available resources, insufficient resources, long term sustainability

Protected economy, students attitudes, insufficient teachers and poor salaries,, non-teaching principals, mismanagement of schools and lack of accountability, staff turnover in MoE and poor career mobility, govt does NOT see education as a priority (in PNG), donors have their own agendas and don’t worry about sustainability, traditional demands put pressure on h/h funds for education, IT/videos etc competes for attention

Lack of teacher quals/training, insufficient funding/resources/infrastructure (eg, toilets, poor classrooms) , low salaries=low morale=low commitment, communication problems eg isolated areas, poor reporting system, lack of support from some communities (eg, lease , misuse of funds

Teacher quals and commitments, budget constraints (ideas >> funds), mismanagement of funds, political instability, poor data collection and reporting, general lack of resources and poor management

OpportunitiesLink between education and quality of life, attraction to donors with implication for funding, better environment > FI = better economy, peaceful and loving people

Commitment to universal access, teachers training association, on-going PD (??), partnerships and training in school management, positive effects of PS reform, global initiatives eg, EFA, MDG, public preparedness to help fund raising, network with families overseas, IT = better access to info

New donors (ROC, PRIDE, EU), education is a donor and govt priority, new strat pland process that recognises education, looming election (funding), better community relations, eco growth thru tourism, mutual regional support

New approaches from donors = education (SWAP??), public awareness and support, particularly thru > ownership, stage of the political cycle/political influence, improving management (of ??), budget process

ThreatsPolitical instability, donor priorities, land ownership, brain drain/emigration, ethnic/cultural differences

Economic collapse (risk), dropouts/lack of opportunities, teachers emigrating, competition between schools for resources, red tape inefficiencies/obstacles, govt mismanagement and changes/instability, donors pulling out at short notice, IT monopoly

Economic downturn, disasters, donors pull out/change priorities, changing govt policy, teacher strikes, staffing cuts, unforeseen Cabinet decisions, coups, racial/ethnic problems

Political instability (frightens donors), human resources (teacher grievances, emigration, poor motivation = poor performance, poor management, poor economic performance = lack of opportunities, poor fiscal management