President of the National Statistics Council 1 Ridha FERCHIOU National Statistics Council 2007 CNS OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy THE ROLE OF NATIONAL STATISTICS SYSTEM IN MEASURING AND FOSTERING NATIONAL PROGRESS (The Tunisian Experience) (Istanbul - June 2007)

I - The general framework 2 II - Case study: How to measure the effectiveness of a loan related to education THE TUNISIAN EXPERIENCE IN PROVIDING STATISTICAL DATA IN ORDER TO DEMONSTRATE NATIONAL PROGRESS National Statistics Council 2007

3 How to integrate statistical activity into the global economic and social development strategy? 2 success factors: 1- an institutional framework: The National Council of Statistics (CNS) 2- Implementation of tools: National Statistics Program Other specific tools National Statistics Council 2007 I - THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL STATISTICS SYSTEM IN MONITORING AND EVALUATING NATIONAL PROGRESS

4 Missions: Consultative body Coordination of Statistical Activities Dialogue and Consultation between producers and users of statistical data General Orientations in Statistical Activities Monitoring Evaluation National Statistics Council 2007 I-1: THE NATIONAL STATISTICS COUNCIL

5 Users and Decision Makers: (18) Administration Private sector University and research centres Civil society and national organisations Functioning: Reports, Notes and Programs submitted directly to the Prime Minister National Statistics Council 2007 Composition: Balance between data producers and users Producers: The National Institute of Statistics + The main specialised statistical public structures (18)

6 I-2 : THE NATIONAL STATISTICS PROGRAM (PNS) I-2-1 : The PNS as an instrument for the integration of statistical activities within the framework of the global economic and social development strategy National Statistics Council 2007 The PNS must submit to planners and decision makers Upstream: statistical data for decision making Downstream: statistical data for monitoring and evaluating economic and social progress

7 National Statistics Council 2007 The PNS covers (by law) the same period as the development plan (5 years) development plan and PNS: same priorities and same objectives The PNS is a synthesis of dialogue and consultation between policy makers and statistical producers The PNS as an instrument for dialogue between statistical data producers policy makers and statistical data users

Examples: 8 National Statistics Council 2007 Economic and social development Plan Priorities National Statistics Program X th Plan ( ) XI th Plan ( )PNS1 ( ) PNS2 ( ) Employment A study on employment Statistics Special Statistical attention to university graduate employment Employment surveys on three monthly basis Competitiveness and Economic Climate monitoring Creation of National Observatory of Competitiveness Creation of National Observatory of Economic Climate monitoring development of monthly and quarterly statistics Services and Knowledge Economy Ad-hoc Permanent Working Group within National Council of statistics Special studies and Seminars on development of Special statistical Data

9 I-2-2 : The PNS as a tool for monitoring and evaluation of statistical activity and indirectly of economic and social progress Several tools: Annual Statistical Program Commission for granting visas for surveys and field work The observatories and other specific tools National Observatory of Competitiveness National Observatory of Economic Climate monitoring SIADE: Computer-based system for foreign debt and international aid management National Statistics Council 2007

10 II - CASE STUDY Statistical data to monitor and measure the effectiveness of a loan related to education and training in Tunisia The high institutes for technological studies project (ISET project) What outputs and outcomes we need to monitor and measure the effectiveness of the project National Statistics Council 2007

11 II-1 : OPPORTUNITY OF THE PROJECT AND ITS OBJECTIVES The project objectives To train senior technicians and middle management staff to meet industrial and tertiary sector needs Qualification level intermediate between Engineers Skilled workers National Statistics Council 2007

12 Inside enterprises and administration, the pyramid is inverted Most of Tunisian enterprises are small and medium enterprises that would prefer to hire polyvalent senior technicians rather than engineers In 30 years, the Tunisian education system has trained many more engineers and higher level staff and managers than senior technicians and middle management staff Project opportunity Big shortage of senior technicians in Tunisian industry and administration National Statistics Council 2007

13 II-2 : SUCCESS CONDITIONS OF THE PROJECT ISET network should have its specific place and curriculum within the whole education and training system in the country ISET trainers should have specific profile and statute ISETs should be well integrated in the national and regional economic and social environment ISET project (as a new product) needs a very efficient promotion campaign National Statistics Council 2007

14 II-3 : STATISTICAL DATA FOR MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF ISET PROJECT Success Conditions of the ISET project Project outputs, outcomes and monitoring indicators A -Opportunity of the ISET -ISET place within the education and training system in the country -ISET specific training curriculum -Efficient promotion campaign A1: Number of ISET students A2: Number of ISET graduates A3 : Number of employed and unemployed ISET graduates A4: Rank of high school graduates who choose to be registred in the ISET A5: Actual place of ISET graduates within enterprise hierarchy National Statistics Council 2007

15 Success Conditions of the ISET project Project outputs, outcomes and monitoring indicators B Integration of the ISET in its national and/or regional economic environment B1: Number of partnership agreements between the ISET's and business community B2: Percentage of ISET budget financed by business community B3: Number of training hours in the ISET's assured by professionals B4: Number of ISET training hours through evening courses and other permanent education programs B5: Geographic distribution of the ISETs within the country C Train the specific corps of ISET trainers: technologists C1: Number of ISET trainers or technologists C2: Number of ISET students/trainer C3: Academic level and profiles of candidates to be ISET trainers National Statistics Council 2007

IN CONCLUSION The role of National Statistics System in measuring and fostering National Progress is very important The importance of linking planning of statistics with National Development Planning The need to have indicators that measure the results as well as intermediate outputs of a project intervention Post evaluation should take into account Quantitative data Qualitative change 16 National Statistics Council 2007

17 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION National Statistics Council 2007