Aim of the course:

to improve knowledge and develop practical skills of government officials/statisticians on fundamental aspects of official statistics from planning phase to collection, processing, tabulation, basic analysis and dissemination phases of official statistics, including indicators for monitoring and evaluation of progress towards achieving MDGs. The subject matter of the course will be levelled to fundamentals and practical aspects will be treated in greater depth.

Learning outcomes

	Improved knowledge on MDG indicators: their definitions, measurement, data requirements, data sources, presentation, analysis and interpretation;
	Improved knowledge on Integrated Economic Statistics: concepts, principles, data sources, and macroeconomic accounting framework of the 2008 SNA;
	Improved the ability to plan, design and implement of probability sample surveys, in particular household and establishment surveys.
	Improved the ability to communicate professionally and use effectively presentation techniques

Course design:

The course consists of lecture sessions as well as practical sessions for workshop assignments, group visits to Japanese Industries, Statistics Bureau, and other government agencies/ministries responsible for compilation of official statistics. The programme also will include visits to households to observe the organization and data collection process of Family Income and Expenditure survey in Japan. Demonstration survey is carried out by the participants. Each participant is expected to develop an action plan of activities to be implemented upon return to their home countries.

The provisional list of the course content is given in curriculum; however, depending on the latest developments in international statistics of particular subject area as well as on the interest and abilities of participants, the content may be modified if considered necessary.