open education - how to get there through open government & open education data

8/12/2019 Open Education - How to Get There Through Open Government & Open Education Data

1/20

ePSIplatform Topic Report No. 2014 / 05 , May 2014

1

OPEN EDUCATION: HOW TO GET THERE THROUGH OPEN GOVERNMENT & OPEN EDUCATION DATA

European Public Sector Information Platform

Topic Report No. 2014 / 05

Open Education: How to Get There

Through Open Government & Open

Education Data

Author: Veronica Creu

Published:May 2014


2/20


2


Contents

Abstract/ Executive Summary: ...................................................................................................... 3How Open Government Partnership shapes education sector reforms in some of its European

member countries and makes it more open education.............................................................. 5 Re-thinking education through the prism of open education & open data whats in it for

Moldova?! ..................................................................................................................................... 9Open Education starts with school data ...................................................................................... 13Conclusions ................................................................................................................................. 17References ................................................................................................................................... 19

About the Author .................................................................................................................... 20Copyright information ............................................................................................................. 20


3/20


3


Keywords

Open Government Partnership, Open Education Data, Republic Moldova, PISA

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Education is one of the most powerful tools for sustained economic growth, for reducing

poverty and inequality, and for promoting and implementing an open, participative and

consensus building governance. Our societies are the mirrors of the educational systems we

have. Improving or fixing something one does not like in that mirror is probably one of the

most difficult and challenging tasks. It requires consensus building amongst all stakeholders, a

clear long-term vision and practical tools for implementation of new approaches and emerging

opportunities.

In the rapidly changing environment, educational systems need more than ever permanent

reviews, updates, and improvements. Failing to deliver on that, would mean failing to equip the

citizens with the skills they need in order to be able to achieve their full potential, be able to

engage in this increasingly globalized and interconnected economy, and be able to take

advantages of all opportunities ahead of them. Poor skills limit in most of the cases, peoples

access to better-paying and rewarding jobs.

In this context, more and more countries are looking further to explore and build on the

evidence of the most successful and efficient policies and practices. And success should be no

longer measured against national standards and regulations only, rather, against the best-

performing, the most rapidly changing and improving education systems: systems that build

upon emerging tendencies, futuristic type of approaches and prognosis, opened and inclusive

policy-making and more recently, on open data.

International platforms such as Open Government Partnership (OGP) and Open Data related

initiatives continue to provide new venues and opportunities for different sectors including

education, both in developed and developing economies around the world.

The philosophy behind Open Government, which was tackled previously in the Open Data

Initiative in Moldova1 paper as well as in the paper on The influence of the Open

Government Partnership (OGP) on the Open Data discussions2departs from the core

1http://www.epsiplatform.eu/content/open-data-initiative-moldova

2

http://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%

20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdf
http://www.epsiplatform.eu/content/open-data-initiative-moldovahttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/content/open-data-initiative-moldovahttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/content/open-data-initiative-moldovahttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/content/open-data-initiative-moldova


4/20


4


principles of openness, inclusiveness, participation, transparency, citizen-engagement and

innovation. This paper looks at ways both Open Government Partnership and Open Data

initiatives could shape the current developments in the educational sector particularly in

countries aspiring towards EU integration, such as Republic of Moldova, as well as the potential

and benefits they could bring in delivering better educational services and outcomes in other

Open Government Partnership member countries.


5/20


5


How Open Government Partnership shapes education sector

reforms in some of its European member countries and makes it

more open education

As of May 2014, sixty-four countries around the world have signed up to the Open Government

Partnership process, the most recent being Ireland, France and Australia3. The Open

Government Partnership is a global initiative launched back in 2011 and it aims at making

governments better by increasing civic participation in decision-making, fighting corruption and

harnessing new technologies to strengthen governance. To join OGP, countries must commit to

uphold the principles of open and transparent government by endorsing the Open Government

Declaration. Through endorsing this Declaration, countries commit to foster a global culture of

open government that empowers and delivers for citizens, and advances the ideals of open and

participatory 21st century government.OGP is seen as an international platform for domestic

reformers committed to making their governments more open, accountable, and responsive to

citizens.

When designing their National Action Plans on Open Government (NAPOG), governments have

to address one or more of the five grand challenges:

1. Improving Public Services

2. Increasing Public Integrity

3. More Effectively Managing Public Resources

4. Creating Safer Communities

5. Increasing Corporate Accountability

It is indeed inspiring to see that some of the OGP member countries have included specific

commitments in their National Action Plans which are related to the educational sector.

Slovak Republic, for example, indicated as part of its first Action Plan on Open Government4

the adoption of an amendment to the Act on Universities (Act No. 6/2011 Coll. amending Act

No. 131/2002 Coll. on Universities and on Amendment and Supplement to Certain Acts as

3http://www.opengovpartnership.org/countries

4

http://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/country_action_plans/OGP%20Action%20plan

%20Slovakia%20Final_1.pdf
http://www.opengovpartnership.org/about/open-government-declarationhttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/about/open-government-declarationhttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/countrieshttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/countrieshttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/countrieshttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/country_action_plans/OGP%20Action%20plan%20Slovakia%20Final_1.pdfhttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/country_action_plans/OGP%20Action%20plan%20Slovakia%20Final_1.pdfhttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/country_action_plans/OGP%20Action%20plan%20Slovakia%20Final_1.pdfhttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/country_action_plans/OGP%20Action%20plan%20Slovakia%20Final_1.pdfhttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/sites/default/files/legacy_files/country_action_plans/OGP%20Action%20plan%20Slovakia%20Final_1.pdfhttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/countrieshttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/about/open-government-declarationhttp://www.opengovpartnership.org/about/open-government-declaration


6/20


6


amended) which lays down the obligation to publish theses on the Internet to lower the degree

of plagiarism and to promote the use of these works to be put into practice. The Ministry of

Education, Science, Research and Sports of the Slovak Republic has also published

unemployment rates of university graduates.

Albania is another country which looked at its educational system through the open

government lens and more specifically included a number of important provisions in its first

Action Plan on Open Government5: for the first time in Albania the National Exam Agency

organized in January-February 2012, the regulated professions exams in a digital mode, thus

developing an international standard of entirely digital tests, with maximum of transparency

and a reduced number of complains (http://www.akp.gov.al ).

Albanian Government has also started the implementation of a Financial Module of all

educational institutions - a system created to manage the finances and budget of the Ministry

of Education and Sciences (MES) and all regional education departments in order to built on a

central/unique database platform. The system enhances the quality of interaction, avoids

duplication of information, increases transparency and tracks educational institutions

expenses electronically. Additionally, the Public Agency for Higher Education Accreditation of

Albania (APAAL) aims at digitizing its management system, which will facilitate the evaluation

and accreditation procedures of higher education institutions and will serve to strengthen

cooperation and awareness with both stakeholders and the general public.

Finland is another OGP member country which has involved the Ministry of Education and

Culture in addressing one of the commitments of the National Action Plan on Open

Government6, particularly the one related to clear language. More specifically, Ministry of

Education and Culture is responsible for a working group to develop legislative, administrative

and service language. Clear language and especially clear administrative language is a civil right.

It gives people the possibility to participate and have their voices heard. Issues meant to be

common can be made common with the language. Good governance is mostly about good

language.

These are just few examples of countries in Europe which have looked at their education

system through the open government lens. Other countries such as Mexico, Kenya and Brazil

5 file:///E:/EPSI%20Open%20data%20articles/Albanian%20OGP%20Action%20Plan_2.pdf

6file:///E:/EPSI%20Open%20data%20articles/20130314%20OGP%20Action%20Plan%20Finland.pdf
http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/Albanian%20OGP%20Action%20Plan_2.pdfhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/Albanian%20OGP%20Action%20Plan_2.pdfhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/Albanian%20OGP%20Action%20Plan_2.pdfhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/20130314%20OGP%20Action%20Plan%20Finland.pdfhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/20130314%20OGP%20Action%20Plan%20Finland.pdfhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/20130314%20OGP%20Action%20Plan%20Finland.pdfhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/20130314%20OGP%20Action%20Plan%20Finland.pdfhttp://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_4/Albanian%20OGP%20Action%20Plan_2.pdf


7/20


7


have also committed to address education as part of their National Action Plans on Open

Government. As most of the European OGP member countries are in the process of finalizing

their second action plans on open government, there is hope that education will get more

attention from both Governments and civil society.

With Open Government Partnership so much could be done for Open Education in the OGP

member countries and not only; and vice versa, with Open Education much could be done to

open up the Governments and bring them closer to the citizenry.

Human beings always wanted to learn. By providing free and open access to education and

knowledge, we help create more opportunities and a world where people can fulfill this desire.

Learners/students of different ages can get additional information, different viewpoints and

reading materials to help them succeed. Workers can learn things that will help them succeed

on their daily job. Faculty can draw on updated resources from all around the world.

Researchers can share data and develop new networks. Teachers can find new ways to help

their students learn and thus, be able to make evidence based, informed decisions and

choices. School principals learn how to use school data and engage parents and students in

decision making processes, by implementing accountability, openness and transparency at the

core of their work. Educational policy makers can exchange views with their peers and look at

best practices of both developed and developing countries in the field of education and learn

ways they could advance the most relevant ones in their respective countries. It is important

that through the means of both online and offline medium, open education becomes available,

accessible, modifiable and free.

In her speech during the European Regional Open Government Partnership meeting that took

place in Dublin, early May 2014, Veronica Cretu, member of the civil society steering

committee has mentioned that Open Government principles and values have to be embedded

in the educational system at all levels: it is through the educational system that we can educate

open government promoters, build skills such as critical thinking, innovative thinking, open

thinking that are essential to help future citizens become ready for an open government, be

ready to co-create and co-design policies, initiatives, challenge and utilize data/evidence for a

better informed decision making. If we start designing open and participatory schools, learner-

centered, in which everyone has a word to say both on the process and content, we are much

more likely to build an open government in our countries. Research also shows that the

decisions made at the school level based on open education data, change completely the

quality of the decisions made as well as the quality of the educational outcomes. So, open


8/20


8


government also starts from open minded educational policy makers, open schools, open

teachers, open students.7

7

http://opengov.si.md/353-education-participation-and-innovation-in-open-government-are-priorities-whos-

time-has-come-in-ogp/
http://opengov.si.md/353-education-participation-and-innovation-in-open-government-are-priorities-whos-time-has-come-in-ogp/http://opengov.si.md/353-education-participation-and-innovation-in-open-government-are-priorities-whos-time-has-come-in-ogp/http://opengov.si.md/353-education-participation-and-innovation-in-open-government-are-priorities-whos-time-has-come-in-ogp/http://opengov.si.md/353-education-participation-and-innovation-in-open-government-are-priorities-whos-time-has-come-in-ogp/http://opengov.si.md/353-education-participation-and-innovation-in-open-government-are-priorities-whos-time-has-come-in-ogp/http://opengov.si.md/353-education-participation-and-innovation-in-open-government-are-priorities-whos-time-has-come-in-ogp/


9/20


9


Re-thinking education through the prism of open education &

open data whats in it for Moldova?!

Republic of Moldova is Open Government Partnership member country since April 2012 and

has already approved its second action plan on Open Government. Neither its first nor its

second action plans have commitments related specifically to the educational sector. However,

for a country like Moldova, looking at the education sector through the prism of core principles

and values of open government, or exploring the potential of open education data is really

worth considering.

The country has a population of 3.5 million people8and relatively small territory (33.8

thousands km2

), and it was under Soviet Union until it gained its independence in 1991. Much

efforts have been put in place during 2013-2014 by the Ministry of Education of Moldova to

implement reforms that would lead to re-organization of the entire system, which,

unfortunately, still carries much of the heritage of Soviet Union as regards construction of the

educational system as well as peoples attitude and expectations toward schools.

The Educational Code or Codul Educatiei stipulates that Education is the first national

priority and the basic factor for a sustainable development of the knowledge based society .

Amongst the core principles for the educational systems organization and operation

mentioned in the document are: transparency and public accountability, inclusiveness,

participation and responsibility of community, parents and other relevant social actors these

are indeed the principles that are also behind the philosophy of Open Government. The

document, however, does not contain any references to open data or any education data at all.

Interestingly enough, open data is not mentioned at all in the Education Strategy 2020 either,

while one of the core expected results of the strategy is to gain more broader participation of

the community in the school governance processes. This comes well in line with one of the

strategic objectives related to the elaboration and implementation of efficient mechanisms for

engaging communities and families in addressing education related issues and assuming certain

responsibilities.

These two documents are at the core of the future initiatives and reforms in the educational

system of Moldova for the upcoming years, and they are going to be determinant for the kind

of openness, transparency and accountability embedded in the system at all levels.

8http://www.statistica.md/
http://www.statistica.md/http://www.statistica.md/http://www.statistica.md/http://www.statistica.md/


10/20


10


Why are these principles so important for Moldovas current educational system and what kind

of potential lies behind them?!

Moldova PISA 2009 + results: OECD Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA, is

an comparative survey of 15-year-olds knowledge and skills in reading, mathematical and

scientific literacy and it measures how well young adults have acquired the knowledge and

skills that are required to function as successful members of society. PISA allows both

governments and educators to elaborate adequate response mechanisms, and raises

awareness amongst parents and students themselves on areas which require improvement.

As per PISA 2009+ report9, students in Moldova attained an average score on the PISA reading

literacy scale below the average attained in all OECD countries.

43% of students are estimated to have a proficiency in reading literacy that is at or

above the baseline needed to participate effectively and productively in life. The

majority of students do not perform at the baseline level of proficiency in reading.

Students in Moldova attained an average score on the mathematical literacy scale that

is below the average attained in all OECD countries.

In Moldova, 39% of students are proficient in mathematics at least to the baseline

level at which they begin to demonstrate the kind of skills that enable them to use

mathematics in ways that are considered fundamental for their future development.

This compares to 75% in the OECD countries, on average. Students in Moldova were

estimated to have an average score on the scientific literacy scale that is statistically

the same as that observed in the lowest scoring OECD country, Mexico.

In Moldova, 53% of students are proficient in science at least to the baseline level at

which they begin to demonstrate the science competencies that will enable them to

participate actively in life situations related to science and technology. This compares

to 82% in the OECD countries, on average.

The above data speaks about an urgent need to re-think and re-design the current approaches

related to teaching-learning practices, school governance, teacher training, community and

parents engagement in decision-making and use the existent education data to make

adjustments and improvements where needed.

With the adherence of the Republic of Moldova to the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in

2012, there was a hope for redressing the situation by infusing the core principles of openness,

9http://www.acer.edu.au/media/acer-releases-results-of-pisa-2009-participant-economies/
http://www.acer.edu.au/media/acer-releases-results-of-pisa-2009-participant-economies/http://www.acer.edu.au/media/acer-releases-results-of-pisa-2009-participant-economies/http://www.acer.edu.au/media/acer-releases-results-of-pisa-2009-participant-economies/http://www.acer.edu.au/media/acer-releases-results-of-pisa-2009-participant-economies/


11/20


11


transparency, and accountability in the educational system. One of the first steps undertaken

by the civil society was to start looking into ways education in Moldova could become open. In

December 2012, a workshop on the Role of Open Education in the Republic of Moldova

brought together several representatives of the Ministry of Education, civil society,

international organizations, schools, academia, and parents10

. Cape Town Open Education

Declaration states that Open education draws upon open technologies that facilitate

collaborative, flexible learning and the open sharing of teaching practices that empower

educators to benefit from the best ideas of their colleagues. Learner-centered strategies,

techniques that contribute to developing such competences as critical, creative or

entrepreneurial thinking all lead to opening up of both teachers and students for new

opportunities for development.

Open education could also bring more open education data and thus, provide parents with the

opportunities to engage in decision-making processes related to changes needed in the

educational system. As innovation is one of the key elements of todays societies and

economies, open education data could generate more innovation and research in education as

well as place the beneficiary of the system, the student (and the parent), at the core of the

policy making.

Even if policy documents and educational policy makers in Moldova mention all the time that

the educational system in Moldova is learner-centered, most governmental decisions are top

down, with ordinary beneficiaries having very limited or no knowledge/understanding of the

data behind, of the way the decisions were made, and how those decisions are going to

directly affect them.

Even if the Ministry of Education has a good online presence:

its official governmental web page - http://www.edu.md/;

provides access to its policy documents through the national online platform for

participation http://particip.gov.md;

has an active presence in the social media -

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ministerul-Educa%C8%9Biei-al-Republicii-

Moldova/175831395836759 ;

first open education data sets that are available at http://date.gov.md

10http://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdf
http://particip.gov.md/http://particip.gov.md/http://particip.gov.md/https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ministerul-Educa%C8%9Biei-al-Republicii-Moldova/175831395836759https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ministerul-Educa%C8%9Biei-al-Republicii-Moldova/175831395836759https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ministerul-Educa%C8%9Biei-al-Republicii-Moldova/175831395836759http://date.gov.md/http://date.gov.md/http://date.gov.md/http://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdfhttp://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdfhttp://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdfhttp://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdfhttp://date.gov.md/https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ministerul-Educa%C8%9Biei-al-Republicii-Moldova/175831395836759https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ministerul-Educa%C8%9Biei-al-Republicii-Moldova/175831395836759http://particip.gov.md/


12/20


12


www.date.gov.md should continue playing the role of the liaison portal between different

Governmental Agencies and Ministries and showcase new applications, etc11

. One of the

attempts to explore open education data has been made back in 2012, as part of a World Bank

Initiative called Open Innovation Moldova, through an application called www.afla.md

(something similar to Philippineshttp://www.checkmyschool.org/ ). However, the developers

working on this app did not get support from the Ministry of Education on the release of the

data sets they needed, neither the Ministry assumed the responsibility to institutionalize the

platform and make it become part of the Ministry of Education online space and interaction

between parents, community, students and the Ministry itself. This app is now purely based on

crowd sourceddata and maintained by the developers who have created it.

This fact re-confirms once again that the real value of the open data is when it is being used

and not locked up in government archives or databases. In long-run, Moldova might look at

identifying success factors about How applications based on Open Data as well as Open

Data portals can be implemented. Open Data are a means, not a goal, and it is an

important aspect that key stakeholders should be emphasizing more and more often. This

is important in order to help avoiding getting into the extreme side of Open Data.

11

http://opengov.si.md/360-reflecting-back-on-may-2012-open-government-and-open-data-initiatives-in-

moldova/
http://www.afla.md/http://www.afla.md/http://www.afla.md/http://www.checkmyschool.org/http://www.checkmyschool.org/http://www.checkmyschool.org/http://opengov.si.md/360-reflecting-back-on-may-2012-open-government-and-open-data-initiatives-in-moldova/http://opengov.si.md/360-reflecting-back-on-may-2012-open-government-and-open-data-initiatives-in-moldova/http://opengov.si.md/360-reflecting-back-on-may-2012-open-government-and-open-data-initiatives-in-moldova/http://opengov.si.md/360-reflecting-back-on-may-2012-open-government-and-open-data-initiatives-in-moldova/http://opengov.si.md/360-reflecting-back-on-may-2012-open-government-and-open-data-initiatives-in-moldova/http://opengov.si.md/360-reflecting-back-on-may-2012-open-government-and-open-data-initiatives-in-moldova/http://www.checkmyschool.org/http://www.afla.md/


13/20


13


Open Education starts with school data

The Republic of Moldova was the first country in the region to launch an open data portal

www.date.gov.md in April 2011. A coordinating body for Open Data (and Open Government)

was created within the State Chancery reporting directly to the State Secretary and Prime

Minister. This unitcalled the eGovernment Centerdirectly manages Moldovas Open Data

efforts in close coordination with the Chief Information Officers (CIOs) that now exist at every

ministry, including operations of the Open Data portal and implementation of the Open Data

Directive by every agency.

Moldovas Action Plan on Open Government for 2014 kept open data as its main focus. One of

the ambitious actions is the adoption of the Open Data Principles, highlighting the principle of

open data by default. These principles will also guide public institutions in the process of

providing and opening public information for reuse.

Open Education Data, however, has not been addressed neither as a separate component nor

as a separate initiative. During the elaboration of Moldovas National Action Plan on Open

Government for 2014 there have been attempts made to secure specific commitments from

the Ministry of Education for this Action Plan, both on more open education data and on

engaging the key beneficiaries more actively in policy making. However, this exercise was not as

successful as expected12

.

What does open education data tell us about? And where could the open education data

work start?

Open education data could be explored to guide decision making about teaching and learning

practices, teacher training, instruction, curriculum, programming and other several areas.

As the PISA results for Moldova already showed, there is a huge gap between low - and

medium/high achieving students in the participating countries, and this gap continues to grow

at country level as well. The need for data becomes impetuous to guide administrative and

educational decisions.

Unfortunately, educators in Moldova have little or no experience at all in using data

systematically to inform decisions. More than that, they are elaborating their work plans and

setting annual goals, however, these goals are not been driven by the careful study of the

schools evidence of student learning. Similarly, heads of schools are not basing their decisions

12http://www.ogphub.org/blog/veronica-cretu-we-need-new-ways-of-thinking/
http://www.date.gov.md/http://www.date.gov.md/http://www.date.gov.md/


14/20


14


on the broader range of education data. Most commonly, data related to the financial aspects

is what predominates at this level. Each school administration should work intensively to

explore and build on the potential open data could provide to the institution. So the open

education data work should start from the school and it should be a bottom-up driven process!

In line with the above, here are some core categories of open education data that are essential

to consider:

Type of data Sub-categories What can we learn from this data

Demographic Enrollment, attendance,

drop-out rate, gender,

ethnicity, grade level

- Details on students that are enrolled in

the school;

- Details (profile) of the parents;

- Possible problems that might occurdue to students moving to another

school especially after primary

classes/grades;

- Students needs in terms of

transportation, meals, special

education, after class programs;

- Parents involvement;

- Dominant behavior patterns of the

students;

- Social interaction and possiblechallenges.

All in all, data for this category should be

able to tell us about:

- Who are our students?

- Where our students come from (from

the near vicinity or from other areas as

well)?

- What tendencies/trends do we see in

our student population?

- What factors outside the school may

help us understand our students?

School process Description of school

programs and processes

- Data for this category allows to identify

how successful are the schools

compulsory and optional

programs/classes;

- how are the standards being met;

- capacity of teachers to design and

program/plan;- implementation capacity of both


15/20


15


teachers and school administration;

- estimate costs for implementation,

others.

Perceptions Perceptions of learning

environment values and

beliefs, attitudes and

observations

This data allows to find out:

- How much is the community satisfied

with our educational program and the

degree to which the school responds

to their expectations?

- What do parents and students

perceive as being the strong areas of

the school and what are the emerging

needs of the school?

- What does the employers community

(private sector) think about the skills ofschools graduates?

- How much are the students satisfied

and what do they think about the

schools capacity to deliver on their

expectations?

Student learning Authentic assessment,

teacher observations of

abilities & attitudes,

standardized tests.

This category of data allows to understand:

- what are most appropriate/relevant

teacher observation forms;

- dominant abilities and attitudes per

grade/age/ethnicity/gender;

- how to improve the standardized tests

based on results;

- do the current textbooks deliver on

the needed competencies;

- is the curriculum relevant as of todays

requirements and if not, what should

be changed;

- others.

Open education data changes the way decisions are made at the school level and re-designs

completely the processes behind it. This is a valuable tool especially for countries with young

democracies.

Below are just few comparisons between decision-making processes based on open data as

opposed to a traditional, stereotyped driven process:

Decisions based on traditional/old Decisions based on open government, open


16/20


16


approaches education related principles

Budgetary decisions based on prior models or

requirements

Budget allocations to programs based on

data-informed needs with participation of

both parents and students. A certain % of the

budget allocation could be decided by the

students, e.g. participatory budgeting.

Staff assignments based on interest,

connections, availability

Staff assignments based on core competences

needed as per data analyses. Only through

this approach the school can become

competitive and deliver better

quality/services.

Parent communication via once or twice-a-

year traditional meetings with parents

Regular parent communication both online

and offline regarding the progress of their

children. Meetings with parents are muchmore frequent and imply sessions on parental

education, education policy, participatory

approaches, etc. This could provide a great

venue for parents capacity building on

engaging in decision making on educational

policies.

Typical/traditional meals menu based on the

decision of both school administration and

national health regulatory agency (e.g. in

Moldova it is National Center for Preventive

Medicine).

Meals menu generated by both students and

their parents in close consultation with

relevant authorities, based on health data.

School curriculum for optional courses

decided by the teachers/educators and school

administration.

Optional courses voted and defended by the

students, based on their specific interests and

needs, shared through specific data collection

tools.

This table clearly illustrates how radically the decisions change based on the data available for

each of the above components. Open and inclusive decision-making is also a transparent and

accessible process, and responsive to the wide range of

students/parents/teachers/educators/policy makers.

Openness for the school context means providing both students and their parents with

information, consultation platforms, decision-making tools, and also engaging them in

monitoring and evaluation. To be successful, these elements must be applied at all stages of

the design and delivery of educational policies and services (processes which could be adapted

based on OECD recommendations on Public engagement for better policy and services, 2009).


17/20


17


Conclusions

There is no doubt that both Open Government Partnership and Open Data (education data)

could bring significant changes into ways education systems will operate in the years to come

not only across countries in Europe but around the globe as well:

Embedding open government values in the educational system will contribute to

a) opening up the educational system towards innovation, participation, inclusiveness, and thus

having a more Open Education that addresses the needs and builds competences based on the

data analyses etc.; and

b) will increase the level of understanding and awareness at the broader community level on

the role of citizens in building their own societies by informed decision making mechanisms.

Curriculum and teaching practices will be the areas directly influenced by open data

analyses. Several courses/subjects at school are no longer relevant given the rapidly

changing and globalized world. Schools will be forced to abandon those subjects, which

according to data, are no longer needed. It will directly influence both in-service and

pre-service teacher training organizations and their approaches as well.

Keeping schools accountable for the delivery of the services and on the expected

results is indeed another component that will be affected by open data.

Exposing parents and students to inclusive, participatory and transparent decision

making processes contributes to strengthening the partnership between the school,

students & parents & the community by building more trust among them.

It also contributes to building capacity of all key stakeholders to make informed

decisions and choices based on evidence, based on open data.

There is more transparency and accountability and this helps in responding to the

needs of the parents, students and the school and facilitates an interactive

participation of parents in policy-making processes.

This approach builds in a completely new culture in the educational system of the

countries with young democracies in which everything is based on performance

results, indicators and specific tools to measure.

School transparency, image, reputation, visibility - with open education data changes

will occur in access to information about the actions of the schools, its operations and

programs, and will increase the visibility. This could, in turn, improve the enrolment at

the school and attract more students from the vicinity areas;


18/20


18


Schools efficiency and effectiveness could be improved getting the parents and

students contribute to the process including through participatory budgeting tools,

crowd sourcing ideas through consultations, etc. will lead to having the school do much

more with the same amount of resources;

Unfortunately, often open data initiatives (not only open education data), face resistance from

bureaucratic forces within governments, especially from there where there is lack of

understanding and awareness of the open government, open education, citizen engagement

concepts. Strong, sustained, political leadership is therefore important in overcoming any kind

of resistance.

That is why, more European Governments part of the Open Government Partnership should be

encouraged to look into the benefits and advantages of open education and open education

data and endorse strong commitments for the years to come.


19/20


19


References

1. Education Code of the Republic of Moldova -http://www.eumission.mfa.md/img/docs/education-code-rm-en.pdf

2. Education 2020 Strategy (Educatia 2020 Strategia sectoriala de dezvoltare pentru

anii 2012-2020) - http://particip.gov.md/public/documente/137/ro_427_Proiectul-

Strategiei-Sectoriale-de-Dezvoltare-Educatia-2020.pdf

3. Education Data Initiative - http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/education-data-

initiative/

4. E-Government Center, Moldova - http://www.egov.md/index.php/en/

5. Cretu, V (2012) Workshop Report Role of Open Education for the Republic of

Moldovahttp://codd.md/wp-

content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdf

6. Cretu, V & Manolea, B (2013), The Influence of the Open Government Partnership

(OGP) on the Open Data discussions, EPSI, Topic Report No. 2013/10

http://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Op

en%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20disc

ussions.pdf

7. Cretu, V (2012) Key take away from Open Innovation Week Initiatives implemented in

Moldova during May 2012. Report from June 1, 2012

8. Cretu, V (2013) Moldova Action Plan on Open Government for 2014 -

http://opengov.si.md/116-moldovas-second-action-plan-for-open-government-for-2014/

9. Cretu, V & Tisacova, I (2014), Open Data Initiative in Moldova -

http://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/2014-02-Open_Data_Moldova.pdf

10.Citizens as Partners OECD Handbook on Information, Consultation and Public

Participation in Policy-Making

http://www.ezd.si/fileadmin/doc/4_AKTIVNO_DRZAVLJANSTVO/Viri/Citizens_as_partn

ers_hanbook_oecd.pdf

11.Guide to using data in school improvement efforts (2004) -

http://www.learningpt.org/pdfs/datause/guidebook.pdf

12.Launch of Moldovas open data portal version 3.0 - http://opengov.si.md/268-268/

13.Open Data Portal - http://date.gov.md

14.Tisacova, I (2013) Moldova making steps towards a more inclusive and participatory

process around Open Government

http://blog.opengovpartnership.org/2013/08/moldova-making-steps-towards-a-

moreinclusive-and-participatory-process-around-open-government/
http://www.eumission.mfa.md/img/docs/education-code-rm-en.pdfhttp://www.eumission.mfa.md/img/docs/education-code-rm-en.pdfhttp://particip.gov.md/public/documente/137/ro_427_Proiectul-Strategiei-Sectoriale-de-Dezvoltare-Educatia-2020.pdfhttp://particip.gov.md/public/documente/137/ro_427_Proiectul-Strategiei-Sectoriale-de-Dezvoltare-Educatia-2020.pdfhttp://particip.gov.md/public/documente/137/ro_427_Proiectul-Strategiei-Sectoriale-de-Dezvoltare-Educatia-2020.pdfhttp://particip.gov.md/public/documente/137/ro_427_Proiectul-Strategiei-Sectoriale-de-Dezvoltare-Educatia-2020.pdfhttp://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/education-data-initiative/http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/education-data-initiative/http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/education-data-initiative/http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/education-data-initiative/http://www.egov.md/index.php/en/http://www.egov.md/index.php/en/http://www.egov.md/index.php/en/http://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdfhttp://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdfhttp://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdfhttp://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://opengov.si.md/116-moldovas-second-action-plan-for-open-government-for-2014/http://opengov.si.md/116-moldovas-second-action-plan-for-open-government-for-2014/http://opengov.si.md/116-moldovas-second-action-plan-for-open-government-for-2014/http://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/2014-02-Open_Data_Moldova.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/2014-02-Open_Data_Moldova.pdfhttp://www.ezd.si/fileadmin/doc/4_AKTIVNO_DRZAVLJANSTVO/Viri/Citizens_as_partners_hanbook_oecd.pdfhttp://www.ezd.si/fileadmin/doc/4_AKTIVNO_DRZAVLJANSTVO/Viri/Citizens_as_partners_hanbook_oecd.pdfhttp://www.ezd.si/fileadmin/doc/4_AKTIVNO_DRZAVLJANSTVO/Viri/Citizens_as_partners_hanbook_oecd.pdfhttp://www.learningpt.org/pdfs/datause/guidebook.pdfhttp://www.learningpt.org/pdfs/datause/guidebook.pdfhttp://opengov.si.md/268-268/http://opengov.si.md/268-268/http://opengov.si.md/268-268/http://date.gov.md/http://date.gov.md/http://date.gov.md/http://blog.opengovpartnership.org/2013/08/moldova-making-steps-towards-a-moreinclusive-and-participatory-process-around-open-government/http://blog.opengovpartnership.org/2013/08/moldova-making-steps-towards-a-moreinclusive-and-participatory-process-around-open-government/http://blog.opengovpartnership.org/2013/08/moldova-making-steps-towards-a-moreinclusive-and-participatory-process-around-open-government/http://blog.opengovpartnership.org/2013/08/moldova-making-steps-towards-a-moreinclusive-and-participatory-process-around-open-government/http://blog.opengovpartnership.org/2013/08/moldova-making-steps-towards-a-moreinclusive-and-participatory-process-around-open-government/http://date.gov.md/http://opengov.si.md/268-268/http://www.learningpt.org/pdfs/datause/guidebook.pdfhttp://www.ezd.si/fileadmin/doc/4_AKTIVNO_DRZAVLJANSTVO/Viri/Citizens_as_partners_hanbook_oecd.pdfhttp://www.ezd.si/fileadmin/doc/4_AKTIVNO_DRZAVLJANSTVO/Viri/Citizens_as_partners_hanbook_oecd.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/2014-02-Open_Data_Moldova.pdfhttp://opengov.si.md/116-moldovas-second-action-plan-for-open-government-for-2014/http://opengov.si.md/116-moldovas-second-action-plan-for-open-government-for-2014/http://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://www.epsiplatform.eu/sites/default/files/The%20influence%20of%20the%20Open%20Government%20Partnership%20(OGP)%20on%20the%20Open%20Data%20discussions.pdfhttp://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdfhttp://codd.md/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/OpenEducationWorkshopReport.pdfhttp://www.egov.md/index.php/en/http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/education-data-initiative/http://www.ed.gov/edblogs/technology/education-data-initiative/http://particip.gov.md/public/documente/137/ro_427_Proiectul-Strategiei-Sectoriale-de-Dezvoltare-Educatia-2020.pdfhttp://particip.gov.md/public/documente/137/ro_427_Proiectul-Strategiei-Sectoriale-de-Dezvoltare-Educatia-2020.pdfhttp://www.eumission.mfa.md/img/docs/education-code-rm-en.pdf


20/20


About the Author

Veronica Cretu is President of the Open Government Institute (Moldova). Veronica is a

member of the civil society Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership (OGP)

since April 2013, and is a coordinator of the civil society working group on E-Government/Open

Government (part of the Moldova National Participation Council). In addition to her work on

Open Government, she has been actively engaged for the past 10 years in issues related to

Internet Governance. Veronica is a member of the Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) to

the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and member of the Nominating Committee (NomCom) of

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbering). She is also a member of the

Civil Society Advisory Group on Gender Equality and Womens Empowerment to UN in

Moldova. Veronicas background is in Diplomacy and IT with Mediterranean Academy of

Diplomatic Studies of Malta. Veronica worked as an international expert in the field of

education, particularly in critical thinking methodology, in countries such as Liberia, Turkey and

Nepal (on behalf of Open Society Foundations).

Copyright information

2013 European PSI Platform This document and all material therein has been compiled

with great care. However, the author, editor and/or publisher and/or any party within the

European PSI Platform or its predecessor projects the ePSIplus Network project or ePSINet

consortium cannot be held liable in any way for the consequences of using the content of this

document and/or any material referenced therein. This report has been published under the

auspices of the European Public Sector information Platform.

The report may be reproduced providing acknowledgement is

made to the European Public Sector Information (PSI) Platform.

open education - how to get there through open government & open education data

Documents