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Protocol on Education and Training in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Protocol on Education and Training in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Jurisdiction
African Regional Bodies · Southern African Development Community (SADC)
Date
8 September 1997
Language
English
Type
Protocol
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Southern African Development Community

Protocol on Education and Training in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

  • Published
  • Commenced on 30 September 2000
  • [This is the version of this document at 8 September 1997.]
PreambleWE, the Heads of State or Government ofThe Republic of AngolaThe Republic of BotswanaThe Kingdom of LesothoThe Republic of MalawiThe Republic of MauritiusThe Republic of MozambiqueThe Republic of NamibiaThe Republic of South AfricaThe Kingdom of SwazilandThe United Republic of TanzaniaThe Republic of ZambiaThe Republic of ZimbabweCONSIDERING Article 21 of the Treaty which provides for areas of co-operation and Article 22 which provides for CONCLUSION of Protocols which may be necessary in AGREED areas of co-operation;AWARE that human centred development is one of the most essential means by which to achieve the objectives of the Treaty;RECOGNISING that the development of human capital to its fullest potential is the sine qua non for tackling socio-economic problems facing the Region;RECOGNISING FURTHER that high literacy and numeracy are the major contributory factors to the achievement of sustainable development;ACKNOWLEDGING that socio-economic and technological research is crucial for sustainable development;ACKNOWLEDGING FURTHER that no SADC Member State can alone offer the full range of world quality education and training programmes at affordable costs and on a sustainable basis;MINDFUL of the fact that programmes of human resource development, utilisation and increased productivity must have both national and regional dimensions;CONVINCED that in education and training a concerted effort by Member States is necessary to adequately equip the Region for the 21st century and beyond;CONVINCED FURTHER that a concerted effort can only be effected through the implementation of co-ordinated comprehensive and integrated programmes of education and training that address the needs of the Region;DESIROUS of launching a concerted effort to achieve the above mentioned aims;HEREBY AGREE AS FOLLOWS:

Chapter one
Definitions

Article 1 – Definitions

In this Protocol, unless the context otherwise requires—“Centre of Excellence” means a research institute within the Region designated as such by Member States under Article 8B of this Protocol;“Centre of Specialisation” means an institution within the Region designated as such by member States under Article 7E of this Protocol;“Community” means the organisation for economic integration established by Article 2 of the Treaty;“Council” means the Council of Ministers of SADC established by Article 9 of the Treaty;“Degree” includes a degree or any equivalent qualification;“Distance Education” means a system of learning and teaching that is grounded in the principles of open and resource-based learning and takes place in different contexts at a multiplicity of sites, through a variety of mechanisms and learning and teaching approaches;“Equivalence” means accepted arrangements of quality of educational competence and qualitative value of the various levels of the education and training systems and of whole education systems;“Executive Secretary” means the Chief Executive Officer of SADC appointed under Article 10 (7) of the Treaty;“Harmonisation” means agreed and accepted arrangements which match the educational competence and qualitative value of one educational and training system with another or among a group of education and training systems;“HRD Sector” means the Human Resources Development Sector;“Organ” means the organ of the sub-Sector established by Article 11 of this Protocol;“Protocol” means this Protocol on Co-operation in Education and Training;“Region” means the geographical area of the Member States of SADC;“Secretariat” means the HRD Sector Co-ordinating Unit;“Standardisation” means agreed arrangement of fixed same levels of educational competence and quality attached to whole education and training systems;“Sub-Sector” means the sub-Sector for Co-operation in Education and Training established by Article 11 of this Protocol;“Technical Committees” means the Technical Committees of the sub-Sector estab­lished by Article 11 of this Protocol;“Training Fund” means the SADC Training Fund established by Article 15 of this Protocol;“Treaty” means the Treaty establishing SADC;“Tribunal” means the Tribunal established by Article 9 of the Treaty;“University” includes any recognised degree awarding institution;

Chapter two
Principles and objectives

Article 2 – Principles

Member States agree to act in common in pursuit of the objectives of this Protocol which shall be implemented in accordance with the following principles—
a)recognition of the equality of all Member States;
b)equitable participation, balance and mutual benefit in regional co-operation;
c)maximising the effective utilisation of existing regional expertise, institutions and other resources for education and training in the Region, in order to ensure long term sustainability of the co-operative effort;
d)reduction and eventual elimination of unnecessary and costly duplication of effort in provision of education and training and in particular, at tertiary and professional training levels;
e)establishment and promotion of regional Centres of Specialisation and Centres of Excellence as a major instrument for providing efficient and effective education and training and research in the Region;
f)active involvement and participation of all key stakeholders in education and training at the level of Member States and regionally, including in institutions executing regional education and training programmes;
g)guaranteeing academic freedom in institutions of learning and research as it is the sine qua non for high quality education, training and research and as it ensures freedom of enquiry, experimentation and critical and creative thinking;
h)Member States shall take all steps possible to act together as a Community, in the gradual implementation of equivalence, harmonisation and standardisation of their education and training systems under this Protocol. However two or more Member States may progress at a differential rate than that achieved by any other Member States;

Article 3 – Objectives

Member States agree to co-operate in education and training under this Protocol for purposes of achieving the following objectives—
a)to develop and implement a common system of regular collection and reporting of information by Member States about the current status and future demand and supply, and the priority areas for provision of education and training in the Region;
b)to establish mechanisms and institutional arrangements that enable Member States to pool their resources to effectively and efficiently produce the required professional, technical, research and managerial personnel to plan and manage the development process in general and across all sectors in the Region;
c)to promote and co-ordinate the formulation and implementation of comparable and appropriate policies, strategies and systems of education and training in Member States;
d)to develop and implement policies and strategies that promote the participation and contribution of the private sector, non-governmental organisations and other key stakeholders in the provision of education and training;
e)to promote and co-ordinate the formulation and implementation of policies, strategies and programmes for the promotion and application of science and technology, including modern information technology and research and development in the Region;
f)to work towards the reduction and eventual elimination of constraints to better and freer access, by citizens of Member States, to good quality education and training opportunities within the Region;
g)to work towards the relaxation and eventual elimination of immigration formalities in order to facilitate freer movement of students and staff within the Region for the specific purposes of study, teaching, research and any other pursuits relating to education and training.
h)to promote policies for creation of an enabling environment with appropriate incentives based on meritorious performance, for educated and trained persons to effectively apply and utilise their knowledge and skills for the general development of Member States and the Region;
i)to promote the learning of English and Portuguese as the working languages of the Region.
j)to achieve gradually and over a period not exceeding twenty years from the date of entry into force of this Protocol, the implementation of the ultimate objective as stated in paragraph (k) hereof;
k)to progressively achieve the equivalence, harmonisation and standardization of the education and training systems in the Region which is the ultimate objective of this Protocol;

Chapter three
Areas of co-operation

Article 4 – Co-operation in policy for education and training

Member States acknowledge that whilst currently each Member State has its own policies for education and training and whilst co-operation and mutual assistance in education and training is desirable and pos­sible, the co-operation can be facilitated more effectively and can be expanded to cover more areas by the development and formulation of coherent, comparable, harmonised and eventually standardised policies with regard to the following matters, amongst others:—
a)widening provision and access to education and training as well as addressing gender equality;
b)increasing equitable access, improving the quality and ensuring the relevance of education and training;
c)rationalising admission requirements to education and training institutions and accreditation of qualifications;
d)encouraging joint development and production of teaching and learning materials;
e)achieving a partnership approach to financing education and training, among governments, bene­ficiaries and employers;
f)promoting academic freedom and creating an enabling environment with appropriate incentives based on merit, for educated and trained persons to effectively apply and utilise their knowledge and skills for the benefit of Member States and the Region.
g)achieving comparability, equivalence and standardisation of education and training systems.

Article 5 – Co-operation in basic education: Primary and secondary levels

1.Member States hereby acknowledge that primary and secondary education provide the critical foundation upon which tertiary education is built and therefore that it is important to improve and sustain the educational standards at primary and secondary levels.
2.Member States agree that the primary and secondary education curricula shall include material on SADC countries in order to promote consciousness about the community which in turn will lead to fuller awareness of the imperative and process of regional integration.
3.Member States hereby agree that in order to eradicate illiteracy, each Member State shall strive to provide universal basic education providing for at least nine years of schooling.
4.Member States agree that where necessary and appropriate but without prejudice to the normal admission requirements, socially disadvantaged groups shall be given special support in admission to basic education in order to balance access to education;
5.Member States acknowledge that basic education shall strive to provide life long skills;
6.Member States agree that whilst education at primary and secondary level shall continue to be largely the responsibility of each Member State, co-operation and mutual assistance is possible and shall take place in the following areas, among others:—
a)curriculum design and development to ensure provision of high quality and relevant basic education and to move the education systems towards comparability, harmonisation and eventual standardisation;
b)joint development, provision and exchange of educational materials to improve the quali­ty and relevance of education;
c)exchange of experiences, ideas and information to broaden the knowledge base and skills of curriculum developers, teachers, trainers and education managers;
d)development of national examinations and accreditation systems to move the education systems towards harmonised, equivalent, and eventually standardised certification;

Article 6 – Co-operation in intermediate education and training: Certificate and diploma levels

1.Member States hereby agree that intermediate education and training provides the requisite middle level personnel for various sectors of the economy and its effective development.
2.Member States acknowledge that intermediate education and training provides knowledge, skills and attitudes which also underpin and support the application of professional and higher level knowledge and skills and that it is therefore important to expand the opportunities for and improve the standards of intermediate education and training.
3.Member States agree that whilst education and training at intermediate level shall continue to be largely the responsibility of each Member State, co-operation and mutual assistance are both desirable and possible and shall take place in the following areas, among others:—
a)Teacher education
i)curriculum design and development to ensure high quality and relevant teacher education and to move the teacher education systems towards comparability, harmonisation and eventual standardisation;
ii)joint development, provision and exchange of teacher education materials to improve and sustain the quality and relevance of teacher education;
iii)exchange of experiences, ideas and information to broaden the knowledge base and skills of curriculum developers, teacher educators and education managers;
iv)development of national examinations and accreditation systems to move teacher education systems towards equivalent, harmonised and eventually standardised certification;
v)joint development of continuing teacher education to improve subject knowledge, pedagogical skills and effective management of schools;
vi)encouragement and support of the creation of regional professional associations to enable curriculum developers, teachers and teacher educators to exchange views, ideas and experiences on their disciplines.
b)Vocational education and technical training—
i)curriculum design and development to ensure quality and relevant vocational education and technical training and to move the vocational education and technical training systems towards comparability, harmonisation and eventual standardisation;
ii)joint development, provision and exchange of vocational education and technical training materials to improve and sustain the quality and relevance of vocational education and technical training;
iii)exchange of experiences, ideas and information to broaden the knowledge base of vocational educators and technical trainers;
iv)development of national examinations and accreditation systems to move vocational education and technical training systems towards harmonised, equivalent and eventually standardised certification;
v)encouragement and support of the creation of regional professional associations to enable curriculum developers, teachers and trainers in vocational education and technical training to exchange views, ideas and experiences on their disciplines;
vi)development and support for the incorporation of entrepreneurship development in vocational education and training systems;
c)Establishment in accordance with the provisions of Article 7E of this Protocol, of Centres of Specialisation for teacher education where joint programmes shall be developed and offered especially in specialised fields such as Special Education which caters for children with disabilities. These areas shall be identified and agreed by Member States from time to time.
d)Establishment in accordance with the provisions of Article 7E of this Protocol, of Centres of Specialisation for vocational education and technical training where joint programmes shall be developed and offered especially in specialised fields such as the development and provision of vocational education and technical training through distance learning methods. These areas shall be identified and agreed by Member States from time to time.

Article 7 – Co-operation in higher education and training

(A) Access to universities: Student and staff mobility

1.Member States agree to recommend to universities and other tertiary institutions in their countries to reserve at least 5% of admissions for students from SADC nations other than their own.
2.Member States agree to work towards harmonisation, equivalence, and eventual standardisation of University entrance requirements.
3.Member States agree that in order to prevent costly repetition of courses taken at universities within the Region and in order to contribute towards the mutual recognition of qualifications throughout the Region, universities shall be encouraged to devise mechanisms to facilitate credit transfer from one University to another within the Region.
4.Member States agree that it is desirable to work towards the harmonisation of the academic years of universities in order to facilitate staff and student mobility.
5.Member States agree that within ten years from the date of entry into force of this Protocol, they shall treat students from SADC countries as home students for purposes of fees and accommodation.
6.Member States agree to facilitate movement of students and staff from the Region for purposes of study, research, teaching and any other pursuits relating to education and training. To this end, Member States agree to work towards the gradual relaxation and eventual elimination of immigration formalities that hinder free student and staff mobility.

(B) Under-graduate studies

1.Member States agree that whilst education and training at under-graduate level shall continue to be largely the responsibility of each Member State, co-operation and mutual assistance is possible and shall take place in some fields of study which can be agreed to by the institutions concerned. To this end, Member States agree to recommend to their universities:
a)to co-operate in the design of academic programmes where appropriate, in particular in programmes which are jointly taught;
b)to establish links between themselves bilaterally and multilaterally for purposes of joint or split-site teaching, collaborative research and consultancy work, and for other academic activities where appropriate. The format, content and implementing modalities shall be worked out by the concerned universities between themselves;
c)to collaborate in the production of teaching and learning materials such as textbooks, computer software and others in order to achieve the economies of scale and to support the move towards harmonising academic and professional programmes in the Region as necessary;
d)to promote Student and staff exchange programme negotiated on a bilateral and multilateral basis by the sending and receiving universities for educational purposes and to promote cultural ties and engender commitment to the Region;
e)to increasingly make use of external examiners from the Region as this shall not only contribute towards the building of a regional community of scholars but shall also lead to the development of comparable standards in higher education in the Region;
f)to encourage and support the creation of regional professional associations to enable staff to exchange views, ideas and experiences on their disciplines, and thus enable them to develop top quality programmes which are relevant to the development of the Region;
g)to notify the sub-sector about bilateral and multilateral cooperative arrangements agreed with other universities in the Region for purposes of sharing information and experiences.
2.Member States agree that where necessary and appropriate, but without prejudice to the normal admission requirements, socially disadvantaged groups shall be given preference in admission to fields of study where they have not featured prominently. Further, Governments shall, where necessary, provide special scholarships for students from socially disadvantaged groups.
3.Member States agree that universities shall ensure that the content, quality and relevance of their under-graduate degrees shall be acceptable to graduate schools and employers in the Region for further study and for employment.
4.Member States undertake to provide, where necessary, resources to enable their universities to develop high quality under-graduate programmes through the provision of the necessary teaching and research requisites such as qualified staff, physical infrastructures, library holdings, equipment and in particular scientific and information technology equipment

(C) Post-graduate studies

Admissions

1.Member States agree that an acceptable qualification as determined by the receiving institution, shall constitute a sufficient entry requirement into a post-graduate degree programme of a University in the Region.
2.Member States agree that the actual numbers admitted shall reflect a more significant mix of stu­dents from SADC countries than that provided for at Under-graduate level.
3.Member States agree that where necessary and appropriate, but without prejudice to the normal admission requirements, socially disadvantaged groups shall be given preference in admission to fields of study where they have not featured prominently. Further, Governments shall, where necessary, provide special scholarships for students from socially disadvantaged groups.
4.Member States undertake to provide the necessary resources to enable their Universities to develop quality post-graduate programmes through the provision of the necessary teaching and research requisites such as qualified staff, physical infrastructures, library holdings, equipment and in particular scientific and information technology equipment.

(D) Spheres of co-operation

Member States agree that mounting robust post-graduate programmes in all required fields is too costly for each Member State to pursue on a realistically sustainable basis and therefore that it is essential to pool the Region’s resources in order to establish high quality post-graduate programmes. To this end, Member States agree to recommend to their universities:
a)to co-operate in the design of academic programmes where appropriate, in partic­ular in programmes which are jointly taught;
b)to establish links between and among themselves bilaterally and multilaterally for purposes of joint or split-site teaching, collaborative research and consultancy work, and for other academic activities where appropriate. The format, content and implementing modalities shall be devised by the universities concerned between themselves;
c)to collaborate in the production of teaching and learning materials such as text books, computer software and others. This would be a step towards harmonising academic programmes in the Region as necessary;
d)to promote student and staff exchange programmes negotiated on a bilateral and multilateral basis by the sending and receiving universities for educational purposes and to promote cultural ties and engender commitment to the Region;
e)to increasingly make use of external examiners from the Region as this shall not only contribute towards the building of a regional community of scholars, but shall also lead to the development of comparable standards in higher education in the Region;
f)to encourage and support the creation of regional professional associations to enable staff to exchange views, ideas and experiences on their disciplines, and thus enable them to develop programmes which are of good quality and relevant to the development of the Region. The associations would also be fora for contributing to the development of regional policy and co-operation in higher educa­tion;
g)to create an association of university Vice Chancellors in the Region as a forum for contributing to the development of regional policy and co-operation in university education and training and research and development;
h)that in order to create and maintain a data base, details of the co-operation arrangements shall be notified to the sub-Sector by the universities concerned.

(E) Centres of specialisation

1.Member States agree that the general objective of establishing Centres of Specialisation is to build capacity for regional training institutions to offer education and training programmes in critical and specialised areas and thereby increase the stock of trained personnel in the Region. This includes the need to develop local teaching and learning materials and especially, case studies to make the programmes relevant to the regional situation.
2.Member States agree to establish Centres of Specialisation in the Region at existing institutions which they shall strengthen as necessary to be able to offer regional programmes.
3.Member States agree to support Centres of Specialisation by sending students to them and by any other means including scholarships.
4.Member States agree that regional programmes shall consist mainly of post-graduate fields of study, but that some critical disciplines offered at under-graduate level such as medicine and engineering shall also be offered at Centres of Specialisation.
5.Member States agree that the selection of the Centres of Specialisation shall be on the basis of equal opportunity to bid by the relevant universities in the Region. The bids shall be assessed by a group of appropriate specialists selected by the sub-Sector and the distribution of the Centres shall aim to achieve regional spread and balance in location.
6.Member States agree that the subject areas of such Centres shall be determined by consultation between the sub-Sector, the universities and the Governments of SADC Countries.
7.Member States agree that a Centre of Specialisation shall allow for a quota for the admission into its programmes of students from the SADC Countries. The quota shall be as may be agreed upon between the Centres of Specialisation and the sub-Sector and may be varied for any agreed rea­son or period of time as may be negotiated.
8.Member States agree that the language of instruction at Centres of Specialisation shall normally be that of the host institution. The Centre shall provide and facilitate support for language train­ing in those instances where this is essential to expand regional participation.
9.Member States agree that Centres of Specialisation shall provide such facilities and services to students and staff participating in its programmes as are sufficient to enable them to pursue and complete their programmes.
10.Member States agree that Centres of Specialisation shall regard students from SADC Countries as home students of the receiving Centre for purposes of fees and accommodation.
11.Member States agree to work towards the gradual relaxation and eventual elimination of immigration formalities that hinder free student and staff mobility.
12.Member States agree that the sub-Sector in consultation with universities hosting Centres of Specialisation shall devise and implement monitoring and assessment mechanisms for ensuring that the centres dispense their mandate satisfactorily.
13.Member states agree that where the results of monitoring and assessment are not satisfactory, the university concerned shall be given a period of two years to remedy the situation, failing which, the Member States shall withdraw the regional status and support.

Article 8 – Co-operation in research and development

1.Member States affirm that for the mastery of science and technology, the Region requires first rate programmes of post-graduate education and training and both basic and applied research, for the development of the Region.
2.Member States acknowledge that the higher education systems are major performers of research and are critical for the development of human resources for research and development work, and therefore Member States emphasise that research effort in the Region shall be in line with national and regional needs.
3.Member States recognise that research, especially in science and technology is expensive and that not every country can enable its institutions to develop excellent research capacity in all fields, hence the need to allow access and to jointly develop and share research facilities.
4.Member States shall, within ten years from the date of entry into force of this Protocol, develop national Science and Technology Policies to guide the development of Science and technology, and on the basis of which a regional Science and Technology Policy shall be formulated.
5.Member States shall strengthen research capacities in their countries by allocating adequate resources to universities and research institutes to enable them to pursue socio-economic and technological research.

(A) Universities and research

1.Member States agree to urge universities to take the necessary steps to strengthen basic and applied research and consultancy work in order to assist the development effort of their countries and the Region, through post-graduate research programmes and those of university research institutes.
2.Member States agree to urge universities non-university research institutes to co-operate in the area of research and to forge links with industry/private sector and other relevant sectors, including the SADC sectors, for the purpose of determining priority areas of research and conducting research for those sectors.
3.Member States agree to recommend to university research organs and non-university research institutes to allow access and to jointly develop and share research facilities including costly sophisticated scientific equipment and materials in order to maximise the use of scarce resources.
4.Member states agree to encourage and support the creation of professional associations of researchers in the Region through which researchers shall share ideas, views and experiences to enhance the quality and relevance of their research programmes.

(B) Centres of excellence

1.Member States, in consultation with universities and Research Institutes, agree to establish Centres of Excellence in critical areas of research in order to maximise the use of scarce resources and expensive research facilities. The distribution of the Centres shall aim to achieve a regional spread and balance in location.
2.Member States, shall consult universities and research institutes to determine the modalities for selecting the Centres and priority areas of research.
3.Member States shall facilitate movement of researchers within SADC countries for purposes of research, consultancy work and related pursuits, by working towards relaxing and gradually eliminating immigration formalities that hinder free movement.
4.Member States agree that the sub-sector in consultation with the research institutes hosting the Centres of Excellence shall devise and implement monitoring and assessment mechanisms for ensuring that the centres dispense their mandate satisfactorily.
5.Member States agree that where the results of monitoring and assessment are not satisfactory, the research institute concerned shall be given a period of two years to remedy the situation, failing which, the Member States shall withdraw the regional status and support.

Article 9 – Co-operation in life-long education and training

1.Member States reaffirm their commitment to the achievement of universal literacy and numeracy in their countries in the shortest possible time and agree to commit the requisite resources to this end.
2.Member States agree that achieving universal literacy and numeracy is primarily a national responsibility and commit themselves to the establishment of national adult and distance learning centres which shall network nationally and regionally as necessary in order to strengthen their efforts.

(A) Distance education

1.Member States agree that the objectives of distance education are, among others—
a)to improve access to education and training and to reduce the inequalities in the acquisition of education and training;
b)to work towards achieving universal literacy and numeracy;
c)to reduce the cost of education and training by maximising on the economies of scale offered by Distance Education;
d)to develop of life skills.
2.Member States agree to formulate national policies on distance education so as to provide a framework for co-operation at the regional level.
3.Member States agree that where no distance learning institutions exist in a Member State, that Member State shall establish distance learning institutions to cater for all levels of education and training.
4.Member States hereby agree to the establishment of a SADC Distance Education Centre which will contribute towards improving and strengthening distance education and training systems in the region through collaborative efforts.
5.Member States agree to promote co-operation among distance education institutions in the Region in the design, production and dissemination of distance learning materials, in the training of distance educators and trainers and in teaching some of their programmes.
6.Member States agree to encourage and support the creation of regional professional associations in distance education and exchange of personnel through which the institutions shall share ideas, views and experiences to enhance the quality and relevance of their programmes.

(B) Adult education

1.Member States agree that the objectives of adult education are, among others:—
a)to improve access to education and training and to reduce inequalities in the acquisition of education and training;
b)to work towards achieving universal literacy and numeracy;
c)to train adult educators and trainers and to contribute to community development;
d)to develop life skills.
2.Member States agree that where no institutes or departments of adult education exist in a Member State, that Member State shall establish these for the purpose of contributing to the national efforts to achieve universal literacy and numeracy, training adult educators and conducting research and evaluation in the areas of adult education, literacy and numeracy programmes.
3.Member States agree that adult education institutions shall be involved in a broad range of activities involving the education of adults and community development.
4.Member States agree to promote co-operation among institutes, centres and departments of adult education in the Region, in the design and production of teaching materials, and shall teach some of their courses jointly where possible. They shall be encouraged to conduct collaborative research in their fields of competence.

(C) Short courses, seminars and workshops

1.Member States agree to promote co-operation amongst management development institutions, competency based training institutions, universities and other institutions that run short courses, seminars and workshops.
2.Member States agree that the objectives of short courses, seminars and workshops are, among others, to:—
a)impart skills for specific purposes such as curriculum development or entrepreneurship skills;
b)enhance skills which are no longer sufficient or relevant in a changing work environment;
c)acquaint workers with new technologies;
d)impart management and administration skills;
2.Member States agree to urge universities and other training institutions in SADC Countries to offer a variety of short courses, hold seminars and conduct workshop, designed for both national and regional participants, to impart skills to make workers more productive. These shall be run using various methods such as face to face teaching, distance learning and evening classes.
3.Member States agree to recommend to universities and other training institutions to conduct periodic needs assessment for such courses, seminars and workshops.
4.Member States agree to recommend universities and other training institutions to consult closely with employers and SADC Sectors regarding the content of the short courses, seminars and workshops.
5.Member States shall urge universities and other training institutions to run courses, seminars and workshops on a full cost recovery basis.
6.Member States shall urge Universities and other education and training institutions to exchange staff and training materials for purposes of teaching the courses, holding the seminars and conducting the workshops.

(D) Professional development

1.Member States agree to promote continuous professional development through support professional bodies. Member States agree to integrate and involve these in the implementation of the SADC Programme through involvement in the Technical and other relevant Committees as and when necessary.

Article 10 – Co-operation in publishing and library resources

(A) Publishing

1.Member States recognise that they face problems of the production of educational materials and dissemination of research results, and that commercial publishers are normally reluctant to publish academic works including journals which may not be profitable, and they may not always be willing to publish textbooks which are geared to local needs unless there is a large market for them.
2.Member States also recognise that not all Member States are able to set up local Presses and Publishing Houses, normally located at universities, on account of the high cost of such ventures.
3.Member States agree that there is a need to establish a Press and Publishing House in the Region with the objective of publishing and disseminating research results, textbooks, academic journals and creative works mainly by authors and artists in the Region. To that end, Member States agree to mandate the Universities and non-University research institutions and existing Publishing Houses in the Region to explore the feasibility of establishing a regional Press and Publishing House.
4.Member States shall encourage institutions and local writers to jointly launch and publish journals and textbooks where appropriate in order to maximise on the economies of scale and to stimulate research and publication in the Region.
5.Member states shall encourage and support the publication of material in indigenous languages to promote the development and growth of these languages, national cultures and the works of authors writing in indigenous languages in the Region.

(B) Libraries

1.Member States recognise the crucial importance of libraries as resource centres for learning, teaching and research, and affirm that quality education to a large measure is dependent on good libraries.
2.Member States undertake to provide adequate financial, technological and human resources to enable school, national and university libraries to be viable sources of learning, teaching and research materials.
3.Member States agree to recommend to universities in the Region to share library materials through inter-library loan systems, and through the use of modem information technologies.
4.Member states recognise the abundance of information necessary for advancement which is available in hard copies as well as electronic media. Therefore, Member States recommend to education and training institutions to provide information literacy skills programmes which are closely linked to classroom education, assignments and research.

Chapter four
Institutional arrangements

Article 11 – Establishment of sub-Sector on Education and Training, Organs and Technical Committees

1.Member States hereby undertake to establish appropriate institutional mechanisms within the HRD Sector as are necessary for the effective implementation of this Protocol.
2.Without prejudice to paragraph 1 hereof, Member States agree to establish a sub-Sector for Co-operation in Education and Training as the core sub-Sector in the HRD Sector and that the following shall be its main objectives:—
a)to develop and implement a common system of regular collection and reporting of information by Member States about the current status and future demand and supply, and the priority areas for provision of education and training in the Region;
b)to establish mechanisms and institutional arrangements that enable Member States to pool their resources to effectively and efficiently produce the required professional, technical, research and managerial personnel to plan and manage the development process in gener­al in the region;
c)to promote and co-ordinate the formulation and implementation of comparable and appropriate policies, strategies and systems of education and training Member States;
d)to develop and implement policies and strategies that promote the participation and contribution of the private sector and other key stakeholders in the provision of education and training;
e)to promote and co-ordinate the formulation and implementation of policies, strategies and programmes for the promotion and application of science and technology including modern information technology, and research and development in the Region;
f)to work towards the reduction and eventual elimination of constraints to better and freer access, by citizens of Member States, to good quality education and training opportunities within the Region;
g)to promote policies for creation of an enabling environment, with appropriate incentives based on meritorious performance, for educated and trained persons to effectively apply and utilise their knowledge and skills for the general development of the Region;
h)to liaise with other SADC Sectors and with national, regional and international organisations on matters of mutual interest;
i)to mobilise finances and other resources for implementing education and training programmes and projects;
j)to provide upon request and in furtherance of the objectives of this Protocol, technical assistance to Member States, Organs and Technical Committees;
k)to progressively achieve the equivalence, harmonisation and standardisation of the education and training systems in the region which is the ultimate objective of this Protocol;
l)to achieve gradually and over a period not exceeding twenty years from the date of entry into force of this Protocol the implementation of the ultimate objective;
3.The sub-Sector shall have the following organs as the institutional arrangements for implementation of this Protocol:—
a)the Committee of Ministers;
b)the Committee of Senior Officials;
c)the HRD Sector Co-ordinating Unit which shall be the Secretariat of the sub-Sector;
4.
(a)The sub-Sector shall have the following technical committees which shall report to the Committee of Senior Officials—
i)the Technical Committee on Basic Education (Primary and Secondary levels);
ii)the Technical Committee on Intermediate Education and Training (Teacher Education, Vocational Education and Technical Training);
iii)the Technical Committee on Higher Education and Training and Research and Development;
iv)the Technical Committee on Life-long Education and Training;
v)the Technical Committee on the Training Fund;
vi)Technical Committee on Certification and Accreditation;
vii)the Technical Committee on Distance Education.
(b)The Sub-Sector may, from time to time, establish additional Technical Committees as the need arises.

Article 12 – Composition and functions of the organs

1.The organs established by Article 11 shall comprise the following—
a)the Committee of Ministers shall comprise of one Minister from each member State, preferably a Minister responsible for Education and Training;
b)the Committee of Senior Officials shall consist of Senior Officials responsible for Education and Training in the Member States. Each Member State shall appoint a representative;
c)the Secretariat shall comprise of a Director and staff appointed or seconded by the Member State co-ordinating the HRD Sector.
2.The Committee of Ministers shall have the following functions—
a)to establish the policy and strategy of the sub-Sector;
b)to review areas of co-operation as provided in Article 4 of this Protocol;
c)to consider and recommend for approval by the Council the annual reports of the sub­-Sector;
d)to consider and approve recommendations on projects and programmes;
e)to consider and approve recommendations on rules and regulations governing the sub­-Sector;
f)to consider any matter having a bearing on the objectives, direction and implementation of this Protocol brought to its attention by a Member State, the Committee of Senior Officials or the Secretariat;
g)to recommend to the Council amendments to the Protocol and/or changes or modifica­tions to the structure of the sub-Sector;
h)to elect the chairpersons, vice-chairpersons of the meetings of the Committee of Ministers and decide on the venues and dates of these meetings;
i)to consider any matter referred to the Committee of Ministers by the Council;
j)to create such other organs as may be necessary for the implementation of this Protocol;
k)to identify and introduce new areas of co-operation which may be agreed to be areas of co-operation in terms of this Protocol;
l)to add to or eliminate an area or areas of co-operation as may be agreed under this Protocol;
m)to recommend to the Council of Ministers the adoption of subsidiary agreements to regu­late co-operation in any particular area of co-operation; however such subsidiary agreement shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of this Protocol.
3.
a)The Committee of Senior Officials shall have the following functions:—
i)to advise the Committee of Ministers on the activities of the Sub-Sector;
ii)to recommend the agenda, provisional work programmes, studies and projects proposed by the Secretariat of the Sub-Sector for the consideration of the Committee of Ministers;
iii)to perform such other functions as may be assigned to it by the Committee of Ministers.
b)The Committee of Senior Officials may, from time to time, seek the advice of prominent individuals preferably those who are citizens of SADC Member States on issues related to the Protocol and its implementation.
4.The Secretariat shall have the following functions:—
a)to provide technical and administrative support services to the sub-Sector and its techni­cal committees;
b)to co-ordinate the day to day operations of the sub-Sector;
c)to facilitate the implementation of this Protocol and monitor its implementation;
d)to implement the decisions of the Committee of Ministers;
e)to organise and manage the meetings of the sub-Sector and its Committees;
f)to undertake any other functions which it may be called upon to perform by the Committee of Ministers.
5.Each organ shall determine its own rules of procedure.

Article 13 – Composition and functions of the Technical Committees

1.The Technical Committees established by Article 11 shall comprise the following:—
(a)The Technical Committee on Basic Education which shall consist of one representative from each Member State in at least one of each of the following categories:—
i)Ministry official responsible for Basic Education;
ii)primary or secondary school teacher educator;
iii)non-governmental organisations with a key stake in basic education.
iv)teacher organisations;
v)private sector;
vi)student organizations;
and the general function of the Committee shall be to deal with matters of co-operation agreed under the Protocol in the area of basic education.
b)The Technical Committee on Intermediate Education and Training which shall consist of one representative from each Member State in at least one of each of the following categories:—
i)Ministry official responsible for Intermediate Education;
ii)Vocational education teacher educator;
iii)teacher educator;
iv)teacher organisations;
v)private sector;
vi)student organisations,
and the general function of the Committee shall be to deal with matters of co-operation as agreed under this Protocol in the area of Intermediate Education and Training.
c)The Technical Committee on Higher Education and Training and Research and Development which shall consist of one representative from each Member State in at least one of each of the following categories:—
i)Ministry official responsible for Higher Education and Training;
ii)technical or research institutions;
iii)higher education council or equivalent organisation;
iv)private sector;
v)student organisations
and the general function of the Committee shall be to deal with matters of co-operation as agreed under this Protocol in the area of Higher Education and Training and Research and Development.
d)The Technical Committee on Life-long Education and Training which shall consist of one repre­sentative each per Member State in at least one of each of the following categories:—
i)Ministry official responsible for adult education;
ii)management development and training institutions;
iii)non-governmental organisations with a key stake in Life-long Education and Training;
iv)private sector;
v)student organisations,
and the general function of the Committee shall be to deal with matters of co-operation as agreed under this Protocol in the area of life long education and training.
e)The Technical Committee on the Training Fund which shall consist of one representative from each Member State in at least one of each of the following categories:—
i)Ministry official responsible for Scholarships or Bursaries;
ii)Ministry official responsible for Intermediate Education and Training;
iii)Ministry official responsible for Higher Education and Training and Research and Development;
iv)private sector;
v)non-governmental organisations who provide scholarships;
vi)student organisations;
vii)co-operating partners who assist with scholarships shall be represented as observers, and the general function of the Committee shall be to deal with matters concerning the setting up, operations and management of the Training Fund as agreed under this Protocol.
f)The Technical Committee on Certification and Accreditation which shall consist of one representative from each Member State in at least one of each of the following categories:—
i)Ministry official responsible for Basic Education;
ii)Ministry official responsible for Intermediate Education;
iii)Ministry official responsible for Higher Education and Training;
iv)Ministry official responsible for Distance Education;
v)Ministry official responsible for Scholarships or Bursaries;
vi)Higher Education Council or equivalent organization;
vii)Examinations Councils;
viii)Accreditation Boards/Councils.
g)The Technical Committee on Distance Education which shall consist of one representative from each Member State in at least one of each of the following categories:—
i)Ministry official responsible for Distance Education;
ii)Higher Education Council or equivalent organisation;
iii)Distance Education association;
iv)Non-Governmental organisations engaged in Distance Education;
v)Private sector;
vi)Private Distance Education Institutions association;
vii)Student organisations,
and the general function of the Committee shall be to deal with matters of cooperation as agreed under this Protocol in the area of Distance Education.
2.Each Committee shall determine its own rules of procedure.

Chapter five
Resources, Training Fund and assets

Article 14 – Resources

1.Member States agree that the costs of the co-operation in education and training shall be borne by the Member States through contributions by the Member States.
2.In terms of Article 25 of the Treaty SADC shall be responsible for the mobilisation of its own and other resources required for the implementation of this Protocol.

Article 15 – Training Fund

1.Member States agree to establish a fund to be known as the SADC Training Fund to which they shall jointly contribute funds.
2.Member States agree that in order to sustain the Fund, beneficiaries shall contribute through schemes to be agreed upon from time to time.
3.Other resources for the Training Fund may include such extra resources as grants, donations, funds for projects and programmes and technical assistance.

Article 16 – Assets

Assets acquired by Member States through the implementation of this Protocol shall be treated in accor­dance with the provisions of Article 27 of the Treaty.

Chapter six
Final provisions

Article 17 – Application

Member States agree that this Protocol shall apply to co-operation in education and training in the region. However, SADC Sectors are mandated to undertake their own Sector-Specific training with the co-operation and guidance of the sub-Sector.

Article 18 – Signature, ratification, depository and accession

1.The Protocol shall be signed by the Heads of State or Government of the Member States or their duly authorised representatives.
2.Member States shall ratify the Protocol in accordance with their constitutional procedures and deposit an instrument of ratification with the Executive Secretary.
3.The Protocol shall remain open for accession by any Member State which is not a signatory state and such accession may be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Executive Secretary.
4.The Executive Secretary shall inform all Member States of the receipt of an instrument of ratifi­cation or accession.

Article 19 – Entry into force

1.This Protocol shall enter into force thirty (30) days after the deposit of instruments of ratification or accession by two thirds of the parties hereto.
2.In the case of a Member State acceding to the Protocol, the Protocol shall enter into force in respect of that State one month after the deposit of an instrument of accession.

Article 20 – National obligations

Member States shall take all steps required to give effect to the Protocol within their national territories.

Article 21 – Denunciation

1.This Protocol may be denounced by any Member State at any time.
2.Denunciation shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of denunciation with the Executive Secretary which shall take effect six months after the deposit of such instrument.
3.Within the period of six months following the deposit of an instrument of denunciation, the Member State which has deposited such instrument shall continue to comply with the provisions of this Protocol and shall continue to be bound by its obligations.
4.The Executive Secretary shall inform all signatory States of any denunciation of this Protocol in accordance with paragraph 1.

Article 22 – Amendment of the Protocol

1.An amendment of this Protocol shall be adopted by a decision of three-quarters of all the Members of the Summit of the Heads of State or Government of SADC.
2.A proposal for the amendment of this Protocol may be made to the Executive Secretary by any Member State for preliminary consideration by the Council, provided, however, that the proposed amendment shall not be submitted to the Council for preliminary consideration until all Member States have been duly notified of it, and a period of three months has elapsed after such notification.

Article 23 – Settlement of disputes

1.Member States shall endeavour to amicably settle all disputes between them, arising from the interpretation or application of this Protocol by means of negotiation.
2.If the Member States involved in a dispute arising from the interpretation or application of this Protocol cannot find an amicable solution within one month, the dispute shall be referred to an ad hoc working group convened for this purpose or designated by the Committee of Ministers for resolution. Failing attempts by the ad hoc working group to find a mutually acceptable solution within one month, the dispute shall be referred to the Council of Ministers for resolution. The Council of Ministers shall have two months within which to find a mutually acceptable solution.
3.In the event of no amicable solution being found, the dispute shall be referred to the Tribunal for adjudication in accordance with Article 16 of the Treaty.

Article 24 – Relationship with other states, regional and international organisations

Subject to the provisions of Article 6 (1) of the Treaty, Member States and SADC shall maintain good working relations and other forms of co-operation, and may enter into agreements with other states, regional and international organisations, whose objectives are compatible with the objectives and the pro­visions of this Protocol.

Article 25 – Languages

The English and Portuguese texts of this Protocol shall both be deemed to be authentic texts of the Protocol.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, WE, the Heads of State or Government, or our duly Authorised Representatives have signed this Protocol.DONE AT Blantyre this 8th day of September 1997, in two originals, in English and Portuguese languages, both texts being equally authentic.
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History of this document

30 September 2000
Commenced
08 September 1997 this version
Consolidation