Capacity development of educational planners and managers should not only consist of training activities. It also needs to focus on strengthening their professional profile. This survey on the status of educational planners refl ects the views of 81 respondents from 42 countries. Many planners are originally teachers who have received little training on educational planning and management. Educational planners are rarely recognized as a professional "corps" within the civil service. The findings also indicate promotion difficulties and high levels of staff mobility, often due to regular restructuring of ministries. Support in the form of precise job descriptions, manuals or documentation centres are often absent or of little use. These findings point to the importance of focussing on individual skills as well as organizational issues that are linked to the status and management of education planners.