This paper discusses the process that a government uses to formulate policy in the education sector. The process of policy formulation can be seen as having three phases: problem analysis and policy formulation: decision making, sensitization and legal adoption: and, implementation, monitoring and adjustment. The paper is structured around these three phases, explaining each in detail and drawing upon six case studies – Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Mauritius, Mozambique and Uganda – for illustration of how these different phases work in practice. The major themes raised in this paper are that policy formulation is a non-linear process and that successful policy formulation and implementation is greatly enhanced by two key factors: a broad-based participation of all major stakeholders in education, and strong and stable leadership.