Biographies
Citations for the SACMEQ Medals 2011
Honorable Haroun Suleiman (United Republic of Tanzania - Zanzibar)
Mr Haroun Suleiman is a former Minister of Education in Tanzania (Zanzibar) from 2001 up to 2010. As Minister of Education for Zanzibar he worked closely with the SACMEQ National Research Co-ordinators in Zanzibar, and used evidence from the SACMEQ I and SACMEQ II research results for Zanzibar to lead his Ministry in developing programmes that were aimed at addressing the identified short-comings in the education system. As a result, Zanzibar registered one of the highest levels of improvement in pupil achievement results among SACMEQ school systems between 2000 and 2007. Hon. Suleiman attended all SACMEQ Assembly of Ministers meetings and SACMEQ Managing Committee meetings. He hosted the SACMEQ Managing Committee meeting that was held in Zanzibar in 2005. He presided over the SACMEQ Assembly of Ministers in 2009, and made major contributions to SACMEQ research programmes as the longest serving Minister of Education among SACMEQ school systems.
Professor Kenneth N. Ross (Australia)
Professor Kenneth Ross was the initiator of a small UNESCO-IIEP research project that was conducted in Zimbabwe in 1991. Professor Ross has been associated with all stages in the evolution of SACMEQ from a small project into an international organization of 15 Ministries of Education in Southern and Eastern Africa. He was the Project Manager of the IIEP’s programme of cooperation with SACMEQ up to the time of his retirement in 2009. Professor Ross has been the technical master mind behind all aspects of the design and implementation of SACMEQ’s three large-scale research projects (the SACMEQ I, II, and III Projects). Professor Ross has been a teacher, a trainer, and a mentor to SACMEQ National Research Coordinators for over 15 years. He has inspired SACMEQ National Research Coordinators, and researchers from SACMEQ countries to widely disseminate SACMEQ research results in their respective countries and to use the SACMEQ data archive for their Master’s and Doctorate degrees. He has continued to provide inputs to SACMEQ research and training activities beyond his retirement, and serves as the Chair of the SACMEQ Scientific Committee.
The SACMEQ National Research Team in the Ministry of Education in South Africa.
The SACMEQ National Research Team in South Africa collected data for the SACMEQ III Project from a larger sample than other SACMEQ school systems. The SACMEQ Team in South Africa demonstrated high levels of efficiency in accomplishing all the large-scale data processing tasks in less than 4 months, and completed all tasks related to the SACMEQ III Project in accordance with internationally agreed time frames. The South African SACMEQ Team has fully integrated SACMEQ into the ‘Systemic Evaluations’ of their school system, and conducted wide dissemination of the SACMEQ III research results within the Ministry of Education, and the country as whole through the production of the SACMEQ III National Report, National Policy Briefs, and National Posters relating to pupil achievement levels in reading, mathematics and knowledge about HIV and AIDS. They have also collaborated with universities and other education stakeholders in South Africa to enhance the use and impact of SACMEQ research results on educational policy in South Africa.
UNESCO-International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP).
The IIEP has been associated with SACMEQ from its inception. For more than 15 years IIEP teaching staff have provided technical support for SACMEQ’s research and training programmes in all aspects of the design and implementation of the SACMEQ I, II and III Projects. Through the IIEP and its international experts, SACMEQ National Research Coordinators have been empowered to employ scientific methods for monitoring and evaluation of the conditions of schooling and the quality of their own basic education systems. Since March 2007 the IIEP has been hosting the SACMEQ Coordinating Centre (SCC) by providing office space and administrative support for SACMEQ research and training programmes. This has led to greater efficiency in the work of the SCC, as the SACMEQ Director and Technical Manager have been able to work in close proximity with IIEP staff and IIEP consultants. The support and dedication of IIEP staff from different sections under the leadership of the current Director of the IIEP has contributed immensely to the successful completion of the major tasks associated with the SACMEQ III Project.
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Citations for SACMEQ Medals 2009
Albert Byamugisha (Uganda) obtained a Masters Degree in Statistics from the University of Sheffield, and subsequently served as Head of the Statistical Methods Department in the Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics at Makerere University. He is currently Director of the Statistics, Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation Division of the Ministry of Education and Sports. He was involved in all aspects of the design and implementation of the SACMEQ II and III Projects, and he co-authored the SACMEQ II National Report for Uganda.
Aminiel Mrutu (Tanzania) is Assistant Director for the Unit of Registration of Schools in the Office of the Chief Education Officer of the Ministry of Education and Culture in Tanzania. He obtained a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Dar es Salaam, and a Certificate in Educational Planning and Administration from the International Institute for Educational Planning. For many years he was Assistant to the Chief Education Officer, providing advice on education and training policy and the Education Act. He was involved in all aspects of the SACMEQ II and III Projects, and he was co-author of the SACMEQ II National Report for Tanzania.
Ana Passos (Mozambique) is a Senior Education Adviser at the National Institute for Educational Development where she is Head of the Teacher Education Department. Her career in education has included positions as a primary school teacher and a curriculum developer. She obtained her Masters Degree in Education from Stockholm University, and in 2009 she completed a PhD in Educational Policy at the University of Pretoria. Her Doctoral thesis employed SACMEQ II Project data to examine the impact of teacher competence on student achievement in Southern and Eastern Africa. She was involved in all aspects of the design and implementation of the SACMEQ II and SACMEQ III Projects, and she co-authored the SACMEQ II National Report for Mozambique.
Jabulane Shabalala (Swaziland) is the Director of the Educational Management Information System Unit of the Ministry of Education and Training in Swaziland. He completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Swaziland, and then followed this with a Masters Degree in Mathematics Education from King’s College and a Masters Degree in Educational Planning and Management from the International Institute for Educational Planning. For several years he taught mathematics and science in secondary schools, and for the past 15 years he has worked in the Head Office of the Ministry of Education and Training. He was Swaziland’s National Research Coordinator for the SACMEQ II and SACMEQ III Projects, and he was the author of Swaziland’s SACMEQ II National Research Report.
Khadija Ali Mohd Mbarak (Zanzibar) is the Director of the Department of Planning and Finance in Zanzibar’s Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. Her career in education has included positions as a secondary school teacher and a tutor at Nkrumah Teachers College. She obtained a Masters Degree in Education from the University of Birmingham, and subsequently completed the Advanced Training Programme in Educational Planning and Management at the International Institute for Educational Planning. She was involved in all aspects of the design and implementation of the SACMEQ I , SACMEQ II and SACMEQ III Projects, and she co-authored the SACMEQ I and SACMEQ II Reports for Zanzibar.
Mayadevi Soonarane (Mauritius) is Acting Director of the Planning Division of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Human Resources. She completed a Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Bombay, and a Masters Degree in Public Sector Management at the University of Technology, Mauritius. She taught in secondary schools before joining the Ministry where she worked for several years as a Principal Education Officer. She contributed to the development of the Education and Human Resources Strategy Plan 2008-2020 for Mauritius. She was involved in all activities related to the design and implementation of the SACMEQ II and SACMEQ III Projects, and she co-authored the SACMEQ II National Report for Mauritius.
Meshack Moloi (South Africa) is the Director for Systemic Evaluation in the Quality Assurance Division that leads and conducts national and international assessments for South Africa’s Department of Education. He obtained a Masters Degree in Science Education from the University of Leeds, and then spent several years teaching in secondary schools. His research interests have been focussed on the use of formative assessments in order to probe learners’ conceptions and misconceptions in science and mathematics. He was involved in all aspects of the design and implementation of the SACMEQ II and SACMEQ III Projects, and he co-authored the SACMEQ II National Report for South Africa.
Thomas Machingaidze (Zimbabwe) is Director of the Planning Unit in Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Education and Culture. He completed a Bachelor of Education Degree at the University of Zimbabwe, and then spent several years teaching in secondary schools. He trained as an educational planner at the International Institute for Educational Planning, and then completed a Masters Degree in Educational Administration at the University of Zimbabwe. He was National Research Coordinator for the SACMEQ I Project and senior author for Zimbabwe’s SACMEQ I National Report. He also made substantial contributions to logistical arrangements for the SACMEQ III Project data collection.
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