Co-operative development of teaching programme

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VI UNITED NATIONS

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

Distr.

LIMITED

E/CK.14/STPA/3

4 September 1979 Original: ENGLISH

ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA

Meeting of Directors of the STPA Centres Addis Ababa. 22-26 October 1979

CO-OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT OP TEACHING PROGRAMME

CONTENTS

Paragraphs

, ;„. 1-4

Bcleojrion Procedures ,.«o <> o»»o oOO<.oo9.<...*<,.<. 5 " 23

Wif | | ^ r*vil c* £l C* _^^.^a.<%.__ i-£-\- ™* r\t\

VJ y J- J-CV •^"-4 O w O o t 4 O Q PO*>i>*OOOft»>OOQOfl OOQCOOOvOV 0 9 v D DOSVOOBOw OvDDvDa B '~ r \_J \_/

In-Service Training „« o <.«»«. o.» #<. °1 " °9 Specialised Training and Short—Term Courses .b<.0bo0».0,0oOD»0- 70 - 91

■.79-2J-60

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STATISTICAL TRAINING PROGRAMME FOR AFRICA CO-OPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHING PROGRAMME

Introduction ■J "': ■' ' ■

1- Bart rand Russell, writing of his advocated method on taclcli:i.<- a project, likened it to the task of investigating a mountain. First, a "broad general view should "be taken, followed by detailed investigation of portions of the mountain in turn, uith

occasional broader views to relate oach portion of the study to the whole. -Following this advice, it is valuable from time to time to assess the development of the

teaching programme of the STPA in relation to the expressed target aims.

2. In some respects, it may be considered premature, at the time of preparation of this background paper, to attempt such an assessment. Certain aspects of the

programme, for instance curricula development and the progress of In-service-JTraining

facilities, for a thorough appraisal, require the progress of:

(l) Collection of relevant material from all appropriate sources;

.^. v(2) Careful comparative consideration of the material, involving discussion

with interested parties;

and (3) Compilation of syllabuses and materials for suggested courses for

dissemination rmongst the parties concerned.

It is proposed within the coming months to follow such a procedure, but clearly at this point of time there exist deficiencies in the information at hand.

3° The meeting of the Directors of Training Centres provides an opportunity - one

not to be missed - for obtaining guidance as to the future programme for the STPA from knowledgeable, experienced"'persons who aro actually involved in the day-to-day problems of the functioning of the Training Centres. Discussion of various important topics at this meeting is invaluably. To facilitate such discussion, a background paper on these topics is desirable and it is hoped that

this paper vail serve such a purpose. It is therefore with this aim in mind that this paper is presented, while recognizing and requesting tolerance for its inevitable shortcomings.

4» It is proposed to consider briefly under tlio broad head of the co-operative development of the teaching programme the following topics:

(1) Selection procedures at Training Centres;

(2) Syllabuses at Training Centres;

(3) In-service Training at Statistical Offices;

and (4) Specialized training and short-term courses.

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Selection procedures

5- In selecting candidates to be students at the Statistical Training-ttentr'B" ■ tne first vreeding-out process is to ascertain that basic admission retirements' are mpt,,- (,Tho French-speaking centres are i:ell co-ordinated in this respect and

require for, example: ..::....

for admission to the course leading to the qualification of Adjoint ' "'

Technique Statistiquej

Successful completion of 7 years' secondary education in either

. : , Mathematical science,

experimental science, or economic science.

Selection for available places then proceeds via a competitive entrance examination, there being taken into account the desirability of allocating.

quotas of places to different countries. ■

6. By comparison, thy Eastern Africa Statistical Training Centre at Dar^es^Salaa

requires for admission to its Middle-level Certificate Course:

1. 0 level GCE including Llathematic-s and English Language, and 2. At least one year's "orking experience in Statistics.

In addition an entrance examination' must be passed.

7... At,the National University of Lesotho, a pass in the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate is necessary (Mathematics being desirable). This compares ' roughly uith the Scholastic qualifications required for Dar-es-Salaam. Houevor," '

provision is made for admission at'mature age (ever 19 years) by selection by "'

committee, ■ : . ■

8- The University of Botswana raid Swaziland at Gaborone requires 0 level

successes (including Mathematics),,

9. Several interesting points of comparison ariseo First, the French-speaking

centres ..base-their scholastic qualifications at this level on a number of years of schooling, tjiiilst the- English-speaking centres require success at an external examination, usually taken after 5-7 years of secondary education. This does not really involve any great disparity, as those students remaining at secondary

school for 7 years uill usually have attained an 0 level standard. Better students

irill have obtained some subjects at A level (usually 2-3)8

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10. xhe next point of -interest is the pro/ision rnaclj "by Dar-es-Salaam that

candidates should have at least one year's working experience in statistics.

This is a far-sighted provision. It uas commonly ■ found in Universities and

Technical Colleges after the 1939-45 T^r, that maturer students returning from national service had "benefited considerably from their experience, and proved very good students. Again, students already having uorkod in statistics, and seeking, to improve their qualifications in this field, are more likely to persist in this

work and not leave it for other careers,

11. A third point of interest is that the French-speaking Centres1 entrance

examinations are competitive, vieing for the limited number of available places, whereas Dar-es-Salaam's examination is net competitive, requiring a pass at pre determined level. As a quota of students for the East African countries concerned is aimed at, and since this quota cannot be filled from certain countries, it is not necessa-iy for the examination to be competitive. Lesotho and Gaborone

dispense with ..special entrance examinations.

12. Another noteworthy point is that Lesotho is also prepared to dispense v.dth the necessity for scholastic qualifications for mature students. In certain countries maturity (for students) is defined as 25 years of age and 19 seems rather loir, as it

may follow closely the end of schooling.

13. However, a problem in many countries of Africa is that of finding candidates uho meet the scholastic requirements of the Centres, It is desirable to maintain standards, but too rigid an adherence to requirements in the scholastic fiold may put the training effectively out of reach of less-developed countries who are in great need of statistical personnel. This renders difficult the purpose of the Statistical Training Programme for Africa to attain self-sufficiency in this

field.

There is need therefore for:

1. Standards of Certificate and Diploma Middle- and Intermediate-level

courses not to be made too high, under mistaken academic enthusiasm; and 2. Provision to be made for exemptions from scholastic admission requirements,

under certain circumstances.

14. This- leads us to a consideration of other methods of selecting candidates to replace, in vaiying degree, the necessity for examination or scholastic attainments.

15. Again referring back to the 1939-45 *viar, considerable strides were made in personnel selection by Officer Selection Boards and this was carried forward in peace-time by business firms in selecting their potential management and other

personnel.

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16- The personal interview, carried out by professionally competent

interviewers, can be a vary adequate basis for wise decision-making. Another method that may be used, in selecting candidates, is that of tho provision of recommendations' from reputable parsons, particularly educationists,

ili Coming to training-at the-professional level, once again the French-speaking-

Centres have achieved a good degree of co-ordination. Candidates for the Ingonieur d'Application de la Statistical are required to hold a baccalaureate in either:

(1) Mathematics

(2) Experimental science or (3) Economic science, and then to take a

competitive examination.

18 Candidates not meeting the admission requirements for the three-year course

may be admitted to a one-year preparatory course. The Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics at the University of Makerere, requires candidates to fulfil University entrance requirements by attaining A level education including a

principal pass in Mathematics,

19« This latter requirement in Mathematics may be substituted by:

either

(1) A good pass at Intermediate Training Level in Statistics;

(2) A good pass in the Part II Examination of th? Institute of

Statisticians, U.K., or

(3) An equivalent qualification.

20o This has the advantage of allowing for exemptions from academic requirements for certain classes of students, and for allowing intermediate qualifications from other training centres to lead on to the higher qualification.

21. At Ibadan, admission requirements are also based on A level (a minimum of two passes including pure Mathematics), but provision is made for exemption

from this if the candidate possesses an equivalent qualification,,

22e The Centres at Maseru and Gaborone base their admission requirements for

professional training at a loner level based on 0 level standards. This is inevitable in vie-; of the dearth of candidates having A level qualifications.

Efforts at standardization by raising the required levels at these Universities uould have a deleterious effect by putting the training out of the reach of many candidates from the countries concerned* Such standardization must await

improvement in the secondary school education in these countries. .-

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23. In sum, standards of entrrjico requirements and the concomitant selection

procedures should not at this stage "b- placed at too advanced A levol, particularly in the case of middle level training. Such action would work against the interests of the less-developed countries in rendering the facilities inaccessible to most of their personnel. - :It-should -be rem-entVeTe^that 'middle^IeVel training"""alms at-producirig competent technicians who can prepare tables, ■ffiake'-'carbulationsV ^numeraTe 'and in short Sc2^y±..VTof.e?sA°Ji3'1 .staff of much^of .tho t^chnical_.i-;orK...and. enable..ttarL/t.o._.get..jon.

with.their more appropriate planning, managerial, and supervisory tasks- For such -technical -irork-srhi-gh degree of thcoretical'-or mathematical knowledge is not

required.,

Syllabuses

24- This paper is premature in that, there has been insufficient time available to gather, information on the syllabuses of the.Training Centres, and to consider and discuss it thoroughly,- though it is hoped to do this later in the year 1979-80, However, it is considered desirable to have somo points for discussion for the

'meeting set "down in -this paper. The topic "is d'eal't 'with "under The" headings:

1-lid-dle-level-syllabuses - — " " ■ —

and (2) Professional-level syllabuses.

25- The VJorking Group on Statistical Training in Africa placed.the greater emphasis on Centres for professional-level training. However, the importance of Regional Statistical Training Centres catering for middle-level students should not be

under-estimated. There is by any forecast, need for a far greater number of statistical assistants to be trained during the next ten years or so, than there is for

professional statisticians. Indeed without adequate supporting staff, professional

statisticians find their time occupied in doing work which could competently "be done by

less highly-trained personnel. '

26. It is also a mistake to consider that in-Service Training in Statistical Offices can replace Regional Centres. Given a limited supply of training

resources in qualified teachers and lecturers and other facilities, it is necessary

to concentrate these at certain centres and cover a region from each centre.

Although George Bernard Shaw, in one of his not infrequent dyspeptic moods, said "those who can do. Those who can't teach", it is not every skilful exponent of statistics who has the faculty of imparting his knowledge clearly. Again the

statisticians of a Statistical Office have their own work to do, and it is difficult to keep a regular training programme going under the pressures of work and shortage of

staff.

27- Thus the development of regional training at the middle-level is to be

encouraged.

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28. Consideration v;ill. "be given first to a course for Adjoints Techniques

Statistiqiies and'a middle-level Certificate and Diploma Course at an English-speaking Centre,

Table 1: Comparison of time devoted to sub.i ect-groups in Abidjan and Dar sub—professional

Subj ect—

group

Mathematics Statistics Economics . Accounting Other ■ -

Total

level" coursesj

Abidjan.. Adjoints Techniques

First

year

. . 170 .;■-.

■.. 265 .

, . 9P ■ :

-.; 40 .; .

55 620

Second

year

95 .

\30

460 1

No.

170

■540

135

40

i->5

030

Total

15.3 50,0

17 a

3.7 13 = 4 100.0

-■

Dar.

First

year

216

504 154

36 126 1 046

Certificate

Second year

216

504

154 100

and Diploma

1

No.

532 1 080 303

■ 36

226 2 010

Potal

*:.

21.5 50.2

15.3

1.8 11.2

100.0

29- In Table 1, the first striking comparison is that the number of hours at

Dar-es-Salaam devoted to lectures and other supervised work (2010) is almost exactly twice as much as th" corresponding number aJj Abidjan (l030). It would appear that more

time is allowed for private study at the Frencl:-specking centre. Many would, feel that, at this level, at which students have not reached a stage where they can be relied upon.to direct their own work, the greater figure is the more realistic one to make the best use of a student's time at a Centre*

30. In comparing the percentage times devoted to the subjects, a remarkable agreement

is found in that devoted to statistical, subjects (about 50$), This seems sensible

for the main part of the course,

31 •• The time devoted to economics compare reasonably closely (l7«l per cent and.

15.3 per cent) and the times are spread evenly, in both cases, between the years.

Few would quarrel with an allocation of. this order to.the important subject of

economics. . ■

32. Dar spreads the teaching of basic mathematics over two years, whilst Abidjan

covers it in the first year. The former treatment uould seem preferable.

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33» Both Dar and Abidjan give little time to the elements of accounting. This

too would seem sensible as it would not be wise to become involved in the intricacies of accounting procedure,,

34« Considering the courses in Mathematics, those of "both Centres suffer from too

academic an approach and cover more ground than is required for an adequate

understanding of the statistical methods taught in other courses. For example,

in Bar's Certificate year the syllabus gives, amongst other topics (comments in paranthescs):

Matrix algebra;

Mathematical induction;

Inequalities;

Binomial theorem for any index (positive index will suffice);

Complex numbers;

Mean value theorem,

35* In the Diploma year, this tendency to be over-ambitious is even more

marked. There is included:

Convergence;

Partial: differentiation; .

Differential equations;

Differentiation under the integral Double integration;

Lagrange interpolation formula

(simple linear interpolation should be enough)

Differentiation should be treated simply, from the points of view of;

(l) a slope;

and (2) a. rate of increase

Integration should similarly be treated simply ?,~:

(1) the inverse of differentiation; "

(2) the limit of a summation;

(3) the area under a curve.

36. By omitting the unnecessary topics, it will be possible to concentrate on the

items important to the technician and to give plenty of practice to relevant ;.

exercises.

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37«. -In the Abidjan Adjoints Techniques math emetics course, .there is a more appropriate approach tut the following topics appear:

Rolls's theorem;

Finite differences (first difference is enough for interpolation);

Partial differentiation, ■ ■

These could well be omitted,

38* Apart from other arguments, it is doubtful whether the mathematical background of the students permits them to obtain an adequate grasp of the topics

mentioned (for both Dar and Abidjan).

39« Turning to the courses in French at Abidjan and English at Dar, the French course is much superior for these middle—level students,.

40. it keeps in mind the purpose of providing the students with an adequate :

command of the language to enable them to absorb instruction-in other subjects

and to function as a statistical assistant using the language.

41. The Dar course, on the other hand, seems to have been lifted from an English Grammar textbook without much adaptation to the special requirements of the Centre.

"Selected passages from books, plays and poems11 would be better replaced by passages

from e.g. economic texts*

42. The economics courses, as well as those in mathematics, also suffer to some extent from too academic an approach. The subject should be treated simply, aiming at a stt-ndard somewhere between O-level and A-level GCE Economics-

Thus, in the Dar syllabus, there is covered: :

IS/LM analysis, (which seems unnecessary).

43. The Abidjan course is more down to earth in its "General" section, but that dealing with "Planning" could be treated in a more general manner.

44o In the Statistics subjects, the first year courses at Dar and at Abidjan are well-adapted to the technician's requirements. In the Dar course, tests of significance could well concentrate on tests for large samples using the Normal

Distribution and omitting "t and f" tests.

45- In the Abidjan first year courses, the inequality of Tchebicheff could

well be omitted.

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46O In the Dar Diploma, the. standard ..airbed at is too high in many items, for example:

Moment and probability generating function;

negative :"binomial distribution;

Hypergeometric distribution;

and Maximum likelihood estimators.,

47» In Abidjan's second year courses, the treatment, of probability also seems too advanced„

48. The courses in Applied Statistics at both Centres appear from the syllabuses to be well thought out and useful to these students.

49° The opportunities for practical and field vrork are in both cases to be commended. Care must be taken in a "Stage Pratique" that the vrork is carefully planned and supervised. Students merely attached to busy statistical offices may merely prove to be a nuisance and thus not gain much from the experience.

:50» Similarly for professional level training a comparison may be made, of. the

three-year course for the qualification of Ingenieur do Travaux Statistiques (i.T.S.)

at Abidjan with the three-year course leading to B. Stats, at Makcrere. Table 2 shows the number of hours allocated to subject groups at these centres.

Table 2: Comparison of time devoted to Subject-groups in Abidjan and Makerere

Subject- Group

Professional-level courses

MAKERERE 1st 2nd 3rd TOTAL

year year year

1st year

2nd

year

ABIDJAN 3rd*

year

Hours

TOTAL

Mathematics Statistics Economics Accounting

Other

238 320 256

-

64

128 384

96 96

—

-

576

96

—

416 1 280

448 96' ' 64

18.1 55-5

19*4

4o2 2.8

225 170 145

-

95 95 145

210

45

155

-

160 60

-

80

1 320

475 385 45

330

20.6

30.5

24.8

2.9

21.2

Total 928 704 672 2,304 100,0 6O5 65O 300 1 555 100.0

* Applied Statistics Stream

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51o As in the case of the middle-level courses, a striking feature is the

difference in the number of hours spent on course and supervised work at the centres*

The aggregate over the three years for Abidjan is 1555 hours whilst that for Makerere is 2304, almost 50 per cent higher. For six months of the third year, students at Abidjan are engaged in a Stage Pratique, but this may be roughly equated, as

providing practical experience with 18 weeks Workshop Practice in the University holidays following the first and second years at 1-lakerere.

52O However, even if the first and second years only are considered, omitting the third years, tho number of hours at Abidjan is 1255 compared vjith 1632 at Makerere, the latter being greater by about 30 P^r cent,

53° Certainly, at this level, students should be better able to make effective

use of private study time than at the middle level, but the number of hours at Makerere does not seem excessive.

54° The next point of comparison lies in the rough classification of subject groups in Table II. In this, for statistical subjects, Makerere allocates about omitted.

(55 per cent of time, -jhilst Abidjan gives about 30 per cent). For mathematics

(18 per cent and 21 per cent) and Economies (19 per cent and 25 per cent) the proportions are roughly comparable, but for "Other Subjects" there is a large discrepancy (3 per cent and 21 per-cent). A significant difference of approach is apparent here. The

French-speaking centre includes amongst "Other Subjects", Linear Programming,

African Sociology, and Physical Education* It is to be noted that in the comparison in Table Ilji.. for. Abidjan, the specialisation in "Applied Statistics" has been

taken. If that in "Accounting" had been considered, the proportion of statistical subjects, would have been lower, the course including Commercial Law and Marketing.

It wouldse'em that such specialisation is "hardly necessary'for professional statisticians*

55. Mathematics, as an auxiliary subject to Statistics, may be treated rather more academically' at-this level-, but- the-aim -should still -be. to provide students. wLfclL the-, necessary basic mathematical knowledge to enable them to grasp statistical methods.

56. Both courses at Abidjan and at Makerere uould benefit from a more practical approach to this end. The aim should not be to produce specialist mathematicians unless the area of specialisation is mathematical statistics.

57" Thus, any treatment of set theory, vectors, matrices, differential equations, and'-fdni-te--d-i^'-tG~ren-ces-'Sh-ould. be--s-irnple -fo-r-th^ purposes .of .either. X..T...S,. or 3.,. _, St at s•

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58* The Statistics Courses in "both cas^s cover the necessary ground adequately,

and "both provide the desirable "basic acquaintance with' Computer Science. As with Mathematics, Economics should be treated simply, aiming to give .the. "basic knowledge to enable students to understand "batter the field of Economic

Statistics and National Accounts, which latter is well-treated at both"Centres.

59» The time devoted to Business Accounting is limited at both Centres, and

is enough for a simple treatment of the subject. .. ..

"Oo Time up to the present has not allowed for a fuller treatment of this'

important subject. Following the mooting of Directors and other discussions it is intended to devote more^att^ntion. to the consideration of the syllabuses of the different courses offered "by the participating Centres of the STPA,

In-service Training

61. One of the recommendations of the Working Group on Statistical Training was

that training of sub-professional personnel should be carried out at the national level, wherever possible,

62- It is highly desirable for national statistical offices to organise

and expand regular in—service training for statistical assistants and clerks.

This will help to improve the performance of their middle—level personnel. It is not practicable to consider that this typo of training obviates th^ need for middle-level regional training centres. The professional staff of a statistical office are not always cjualii'ied teachers and have their own

work to do, which will oftenbe accorded priority over training. The resources for such training, of specialised lecturers, for example, are in short supply and concentration of those resources regionally is necessaryQ

63« Once again, there has not been time as yet to collect information to

enable a thorough rsviuu of in—service training to "be made but some examples are referred to below.

64.0 Realising that Middle—level personnel, statistical assistants and clerks constitute the mainstay of the statistical service, the Central Statistical Office, Zambia, began in 1975 an'In-Service Training Course at two levels,..

r primary * and 'int ennediat e'.

65o These courses, being half-time, have continued since, each primary courso taking 3i months and each intermediate course 9 months.

The primary courso covers:

1, Introduction

a) Basic statistical sorvicosj

b) Collection, compilation and presentation of statistics;

c) Background mathematics.

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2. Elementary Statistical Methods;

3. Zambian Statistical Services;

4. Current official, statistics.

The Intermediate course covers:

1. Mathematics;

2» Economics;

3« Accounting; . :

4. Theoretical Statistics and Elementary Statistical Methods;

5. Applied Statistics.

Some practical field vrork is undertaken at "both levels.

66. in.September-December 1978, the Statistical Servicestof Kano, Nigeria undertook a project with a strong emphasis on o:i-the-job training. IT 3

statistical workers from different departments attended the course, which was given during the last working hour, three days a wede. Thus 38 one-hour lectures were given

covering: ■ .

1. Definition of statistics. Producers and usurso Accuracy and approximation.

2* Collection of data. Primary and £ .condary data.

Confidentiality. Abstraction from other publications. Design of

forms. Purpose of investigation Standards.

3. Statistical operations.

Distribution and receipt of material.

Timetable. Flov Chart* Control lists.

Pilot survey. Editing and coding. Publications.

Primary strtistics for tabulation.

Record cards and punched cards.

Intermediate tabulation section.

Examples of forms.

6?. This example constitutes a different type of training specially associated

xrith a project.

68. The Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs of tho Republic of Liberia is planning a one-year Middle-Level Certificate Course in conjunction with the

University of Liberia.

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69» Those examples sho" some of the activity that is tricing place, no doubt

duplicated in other countries of thj region. Every encouragement should "be given to such In-Sorvice Training compljaunting th..^ 7;ork of the middlo-lev-d

Regional Training Centres.

So xdrlined Training and Short~t .'.ru Courses

70o In the Report of tli Working Group to Rjvier Statistical Training N-;3ds in ■

Africa, August 1977, (para, f-9 (iii) suit--- (iv)), it is r.-co&m :ncUd:

"Spooialiscd po.stgraduate tra^juiug.

. ■• (a) In order to reduce dupoii..jnc^ on specialist p'^rsoniul from countries

outside thy, region, an expansion of fociliti'.s for training ?,t this IoVjI should "be dovelopod through tho STPA.

("b) Regional c^ntr^s uithin Africa, off^rin^ professional training

(at undergraduate IjvjI) should ba encouraged to start or expand specialised

training at postgraduate level,

- ,(c)_ Centres should be encouraged to make available facilities for specialisation

in .one or inore areas such as:

.1. National Accountsj

2, Agricultural Statistics;

3. Sampling techniques;

. 4* Dortograplv and population statistics;

5« Economic Statistics;

6. Social Statistics;

7« Manpower and Labour Statistics;

3. Electronic Data Processing.

Short-te.rm courses and seminars for practising statisticians

(a) Centres offering sp .cialis^J. trci.iniug caul.1- organis- or host appropriate

courses or seminars - ithin th: frra'-'iork of tli - STPA,

(b) Relevant courses offered b;y .rt.rnal c.-utr. s could "jj r yarded

as part of the STPA0"

71 • Tho Centre Europeoa des Statisticians Economistes des pays ^n voio O.e

Developpement (CESD), Paris, prepares students for the higher degree of Ingeni ,.urs StatistiqUes Economistes (l«S,E*) by a thrj3-/.ar progranm-. In the third year

th^ro is specialisation in one ox the follo\dng ^alternative aroas:

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1. Economic Statistics;

2. Applied Statistics;

3- Mathematical Statistics;

or /;. Accounting.

72B This offers a comprehensive choice of specialisation. Some valid arguments may

be made against specialisation in Accounting at-the post-graduatj level upholding the point of viev; that a statistician need not be involved in the niceties of the professional accountant. Thuivj is scope however for relating the models adopted "by

"vhe accountant to those of economic and national accounting and of appraising efforts made in proposals for the adaption of "inflation accounting" to solve accounting

problems incurred by the decreasing purchasing power -of - the currency-used. ...:,.-.-. '

73. A two—year postgraduate course leading to the degree of IoS0E. is also offered at the Institut National de Statistique et d'Economie Appliquee, Rabat, Morocco. In the second year of this course, there is" specialisation in either:

1. Economic Statistics or 2. Applied Statistics

74° The impression is sometimes gained from this type of terminology that statistics dealing with" economic matters and particularly national accounting are given a higher standing than statistics dealing with other activities. Indeed such economic

statistics and quantitative measurements in terms of units of monetary currency have

received great emphasis in the past. This should not lead to an under-appreciation of the importance of such fields as, for example, demographic statistics and social statistics.

75° The Institut do Statistique cle Planification et d'Economie Appliquee (l.S.P.E.A.)

Yaounde, Cameroun, plans to initiate a two-year course leading to the I.S.E, qualification, specialising in agricultural statistics, in the near future,

76° On the English-speaking side, the Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics (I.S.A.E.), at the University of Makerere, Kampala, Uganda, offers two postgraduate

courses. The first, a tiro-year course -leads to-the qualification- of M-,- Storta.- and

provides for the following alternative areas of specialisation:

1. Economic Statistics;

2o Social Statistics;

3. National Accounts^

4. Agricultural Statistics;

5. Electronic Data Processing,

77* The second course, of one year's duration leads to the.Postgraduate Diploma in Statistics.

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7Q° In this coursrj, a student may specialize in either:

1. Statistical Methods;

2. Design of Surveys;

3. Computer Programming;;

or 4° Statistical Analysis,,

79. Both the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and tho University of Ghana offer postgraduate courses leading to:

1. M.Sc. (Stats), two years;

and 2. Diploma in Statistics, one year.

80. On the whole the development of regular course facilities in the region is proceeding satisfactorily,,

81. As far as short-term courses and seminars for practising statisticians(

within the region, are concerned, I.S.A.E, Makurere, has in the past held successful seminars dealing uith National Accounts and External Transactions and Balance of Payments* For the year 198O-8I and later years, further high level seminars are planned involving expert consultants. The subjects for these are still to be determined*

82O A working group meeting, but v/ith a strong training element, on the subject of

the African Household Survey Capability Programme, is being held in October 1979 at the Economic Coiomission for Africa Headquarters, Addis Abr/ba*

S3- Relevant courses offered aborrxL may be considered as falling within the

scope of the STPAO The centre for Advanced Training in Applied Statistics in Developing Countries at Munich, W. Germany, in the past held successful four-month courses during 1973-1977 in1.

1, National Accounts;

2, Foreign-Trade; ,., \ -.

3, Industrial and Handicraft Statistics;

4« Demographic Sample Surveys;

5. Agricultural Statistics;

and 60 Household Statistics-

84. In I973, a similar course was held in National Accounts and during the current

year the subject is Social Statistics (including Labour Statistics). For I98O a

scheculed topic is Foreign Trade Statistics.

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35- A feature of these courses is that they are hold both in French and in English,

In addition, in 1978* a three-weeks1 senior vrx held dealing viith Statistical

Organisation, for the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

S6a In Frence, the Centre dePerf ^ctionnenont Economiquc et Financiere plans to

h:jlcl c. two-montiis!'CourGO a.: PI-Mining r.nd ITn.tio;-/J Accounts in

<-'7• In England, through liaison with the Overseas Development Administration of the United

Kingdom Government, facilities have "been provided for statisticians to attend short courses at various institutions*

83. The Institute for Development Studies, Brighton, held a three-months' course

in early 1978 in Natione-1 Accounts and hr.s planned a four-months* course in April-July

1979 on Social Statistics.

89. The Centre for Urban Studies at University College, London, held a fourteen

ueeks1 course in 1979 dealing uith Statistics for Social Research.

90. The University of Kont plans a course on Agricultural Sample Surveys for the near future.

91* From this activity it is apparent that a good choice of specialised courses is "becoming available. The need is, whilst maintaining and expanding facilities

available outside the region, for more encouragement to "be :;iven to extend the provision of such training in the ECA countries.

Conclusion

92. Looking to the future development of the STPA and its teaching programme, the following may be singled out as priority areas for attention during the period

1279-1981;

1. The STPA Centres should "be encouraged to attain increased self-reliance within the region. Important Director's meetings should be held in

Africa0 The Centres should, however, maintain 'back-up' relationships- with International Centres outside the region specialising in work with

developing countries,,

2B Training facilities should be provided in Portuguese for the Portuguese- speaking countries. A middle-level training centres should be set up in one of these territories,, Facilities should also "be increased for training

in Arabic, one of the three official UN language,, More courses in

Arabic could be provided at North African Centres,,

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3. Facilities for the training of midclle-level personnel, the mainstay of the statistical services should be increased at English-speaking

Centres.

4. Thorough consideration should be given to appraise and revise the curricula and syllabus,r, of courses at the sub-professional level Centres. ECA should play a leading role in this, working in close co-operation with the Directors of the Centres and other knowledgeable parties. The process should consist of:

a) Comprehensive collection of up-to-date information;

b) Consideration of this material;

and c) Production of suggested courses.

93. The aim of this should not be to produce rigidly steriotyped treatments of the subjects, for there is plenty of scope for variation and inspiration to meet

special needs. Rather it should be to provide guidelines and to help Centres avoid pitfalls, whilst ensuring that standards are reasonably comparable between

Centres.

Similarly, thorough consideration should be given to the curricula and syllabuses of the professional-level Centres,,

Another field in which appraisal, consideration and recommendations are necessrry, is that of regular In-Service Training, This should be carried out for the basic courses of Mathematics, Statistical Methods and Applied Statistics, In-Service Training should be complementary to, and not a substitute for the work of the sub- professional Regional Training Centres,

Arrangements to enable Centres and user-countries to take advantage of technical assistance facilities should be improved. A suggested procedure and timetable in connection vdth student-fellowships at the Centres is attached as an annex to another paper. (See paper on