Strengthening human resources management in Burkina Faso

21 December 2018

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Gerard Schillinger (photo taken in Burkina Faso).

By Diane Coury and Barbara Tournier, Project Coordinators, IIEP-UNESCO

 

IIEP-UNESCO embarked on an  ambitious three-year project with the Ministry of Education and Literacy of Burkina Faso in November 2018 to strengthen their human resources management. Financed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the project's first phase will lead to the consolidation of a new human resources manual, development of job descriptions and the Ministry's staffing plans, as well as the development of a guide on teacher allocation and transfer criteria. The second phase will focus on the development of an integrated computerized application that will guarantee information on the Ministry's staff is up-to-date and reliable, as well as facilitate the assignment and mobility process for staff with greater speed and transparency.

The project will help address a number of challenges the human resources department currently faces, including the absence of a human resources management (HRM) manual. The new document will help clarify all HRM procedures, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders at different levels. While HRM procedures currently exist, there are information gaps within the different levels of the system. The second phase will also help the Ministry overcome the constraints of its current computerized management and budgeting system for teachers and other staff, which will contribute to improved management and payroll.

The project will build on a south-south cooperation approach, using the experience of Senegal, which has undergone the same process and established a functioning application called MIRADOR. This tool has enabled teachers to update their contact details and express their posting preferences across the country. For Burkina Faso, where there are currently major challenges involved in its computerized management system for teachers, the potential benefits of this type of application are vast. However, one major obstacle is poor internet connectivity. Solutions will have to be found, as was the case in Senegal. Throughout the project, IIEP will ensure the strengthening of staff capacities and structures, a key element of all of its interventions, and will build on what is already in place in the country.