Presentation by Mamadou Ndoye Executive Secretary, ADEA

Hanoi June 26th 2006

Development of Education in Africa: Challenges

Synopsis

1. Progress

2. Challenges by sector

3. Cross cutting issues

1. Progress Made

Progress in Primary Education

Today, 9 children out of 10 go to school In 1990-1991, almost one fourth of African children did not have even have access to the first year of schooling.

• The latest figures show that in 2002-2003, such exclusion represents less than 10% of children today.

Source : Global Monitoring Report: Education for All 2006, p310

Gross Intake Rate (GIR) in Primary Education (%)

1998/1999 2002/2003

Total M FGPI

(F/M)Total M F

GPI (F/M)

Southern and Western Asia

105.1 111.2 98.5 0.89 105.6 108.1 105.6 0.98

East Asia and the Pacific

108.4 112.5 104.2 0.93 110.8 115.0 108.0 0.94

Sub-Saharan Africa 88.7 91.3 86.1 0.94 95.8 98.4 94.9 0.96Developed countries 100.3 101.1 99.6 0.99 99.4 100.5 98.3 0.98Developing countries 104.2 104 104.7 1.01 104.3 106 102.1 0.96Countries in transition 93.7 92.7 94.8 1.02 102.6 102.7 102.5 1.00World 101.1 102.0 100.2 0.98 101.1 100.2 102.1 1.02

Progress in Literacy

There has been a strong increase in the ratio of literate adults. • 60% of African adults over the age of 15 are literate (2000-2004) in comparison to 50% in 1990.

• This increase is among the strongest registered increase in the world.

Source : EFA, Paving the Way for Action, Dakar + 5, p.72

Literacy rates (15 years +) in the developing world (en %)1990 2000/2004

North Africa 48.1 59.6 Sub-Sahara Africa 49.7 60.9 Latin America and the Caribbean

85 89.3

East Asia 79 91.3 South Asia 47.5 58.5 Southeast Asia 84.1 89.2 West Asia 67.3 76.4 Oceania 62.8 71.6

Progress in Secondary Education

Today, more than a third of African children have access to secondary education.• Progress was made largely after 1990: the average GER for secondary education in Africa rose from 28.3% in 1990 to 35.4% in 2002-2003; a 7 point increase in 12 years.

• 46% of youngsters of the same age group are enrolled in the first year of middle school (compared to 28% in 1990/91).

• Today, 22% of youngsters reach the first year of high school and 18% complete high school.

* Based on data from EFA, Paving the Way for Action, Dakar+5

Progress in Higher Education

Higher education is developing rapidly. • The number of students per 100,000 inhabitants has almost doubled in the last 12 years, going from 232 per 100,000 in 1990-1991 to 449 per 100,000 in 2002-2003.

• Contrary to popular belief the enrolment rates in higher education are growing more rapidly than those of primary school: the percentage growth for higher education between

1990/91 and 2002/03 was +94% .

2. Challenges by

sector

Basic education: UPE

Universal Primary Education (UPE) is far from being achieved. Africa holds the lowest primary achievement rates in the world.

Source : 2006 Global Monitoring Report, EFA, page 335

Survival rate to last grade (2001/2002)

Total M F

South and West Asia 64.9 63.3 66.9

East Asia and the Pacific .. .. ..

Sub-Saharan Africa 59.5 57.5 62.4

Developed countries 97.7 97.2 98.3

Developing countries 74.5 72.4 76.7

Countries in transition 98.2 99.2 97.1

World 84.9 .. ..

All values shown are medians

Challenges to basic education

Raise completion rates

4 out of 10 children do not finish primary school (2002-2003). - In 2002-2003 five countries had primary completion rates lower than those of 1990-1991: Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe. - Two countries remain behind: Niger (27%) and Burkina Faso (29%).- Five countries achieved Universal Primary Education or are close to achieving it very soon: South Africa, Botswana, Cape Verde, Mauritius, Namibia.

Repetition and dropouts are the main constraints on universal primary education. - The drop out rate in primary school in Africa (40.5% in 2001/02) is the highest in the world (25.5% for developing countries).

Challenges to basic education

Improve the quality of education • For every 6 children that complete primary school, only 3 show a good grasp of fundamental learning skills (mathematics, reading, writing).

There are strong disparities between and within countries. (SACMEQ, PASEC et MLA)

Challenges to basic education

Including the excluded

Eliminating disparities • Between males and females For every 100 boys that complete primary school only 87 girls complete their primary education.

• Between rural and urban areasThe primary completion rate (PCR) in urban areas (61%) is over twice as strong as that in rural areas (28%).

• Between the rich and the poor The Primary Completion Rate (PCR) is 23% for the poorest 20%, while reaching 68.6% for the richest 20%.

Secondary education : Respond to a growing demand

•It is estimated that the number of learners completing primary education will triple between now and 2015.

• Even at the current transition attainment rate, SSA-SE enrollment would jump from 24 million in 2002 to 32 million by 2015.

•But responding to the growing demand leads to increase radically the transition rate

Source: Global Monitoring Report EFA 2006 , pages 342

Challenges for secondary education

How to transform a king into a people? Or from a elite SE to mass SE

• How to finance ? Teacher salaries

• How to diversify the modes of delivery?

• How to ensure quality? Science and technology

• How to define and develop skills and competencies needed by the economic growth and the social development ?

Challenges for secondary education

lower secondary: Lengthen the duration of basic education or generalize access to college?

• Improve the provision of secondary education - Promote models that are adapted to local resources and to the present and future needs of African countries. - Develop relevant curricula - Diversify streams and the modes and delivery of education

• Emphasis on sciences and technology vs. humanities

Upper secondary : a transition to HE or a terminal towards world of work?

Challenges for secondary education

TVET : one of the most complex challenges

When? End of primary or lower secondary or upper s.

How? Vocationalize secondary education curriculum or vocational education or job training

Challenges : lower the unit costs, define and develop skills in a changing labor market, establish effective public-private partnerships

Revitalize higher education in the context of a global market

Regulate students flows?

Invest more to finance the increase?

Reconceptualize HE?

Source: Global Monitoring Report, EFA pages 350-351

Gross enrolment ratio (GER) in tertiary education (%)1998/1999 2002/2003

Total M F GPI (F/M) Total M F GPI (F/M)

South and West Asia .. .. .. .. 6.2 8.2 4.1 0.50 East Asia and then Pacific

.. .. .. .. 16.4 18.2 14.5 0.80

Sub-Saharan Africa 2.3 2.5 2.1 0.84 2.5 3.6 1.7 0.46 Developed countries 48.4 43.9 52.9 1.21 57.7 49.6 66.2 1.34 Developing countries 11.0 14.7 7.1 0.48 13.0 9.5 16.7 1.76 Countries in transition 29.9 27.8 32.0 1.15 37.9 38.3 37.5 0.98 World 21.2 20.4 21.9 1.07 26.7 23.5 30.0 1.28

Challenges for higher education

Paradoxes: unemployment/ brain drain/ deficit of capacities

• Reshape higher education : scientific and technological divide/-23% productivity in Africa - Redefine objectives to reinforce scientific and technological dimensions and the relationship with economic growth, MDGs and enhancement of the endogenous potential of development. - Review the curricula and pedagogical approaches with the aim of developing fundamental and specific skills. - Develop specialized and professional streams- Diversify the modes of delivery in relation to new possibilities offered by NICTs (ODL)

• Regulate student flows : more rigorous admission policy in upper secondary and HE

Challenges for higher education

• Diversify sources of financing/cost recovery and equity issues

• Develop partnerships including public/private partnerships

• Improve good governance and management - Reinforce the autonomy and accountability of institutions - Promote strategic planning exercises - Implement mechanisms for accreditation and quality assurance.

• Position higher education provision in a context of growing international competition and evolution towards information and knowledge based economies/societies

3. Cross-cutting

issues

Defining key priorities and sequencing (1)

Two angles:

• Human rights approach - Basic education is fundamental in regards to the basic human right to education.

• Effectiveness of investments- Social and private returns are higher in the primary cycle (25.4%) than in the secondary (18.4%) and tertiary cycle (11.3%)?- Attaining a critical threshold of human capital is a requirement to enter into a sustainable process of development. In Africa most countries have yet to attain that base of minimal education.

Defining Priorities (2)All challenges at the same

time Assess challenges in order to define priorities

Investment choice: Costs and benefits/Social returns/ Absorption

capacity/Equity Respect, shorten or jump the successive stages

Priorities Pre-Industrial Industrial Post-Industrial

Challenges Societies Societies Societies

Higher Build Education a competitive

scientific and technological capital

SecondaryEducation Educate/train massively

personnel/middle staff

Basic education Educate the population

Quality and relevanceImproving learning results

Variable Promising avenue Blind alley

Curriculum

Using African languages as medium of instruction in early gradesContent organized in a limited number of subjectsDirect instruction with supporting structured materials

“Colonial” languagesDiscovery learning and open ended instruction

Learning materials

A textbook in core subjects for every childNotebook and other suppliesSundry classroom suppliesTeacher guidesClassroom library

Computers in classrooms

Time1000 hours of instructionRegular teacher presenceArrangements for substitute teaching

Double shift use of teachers

InfrastructureCommunity managed classroom constructionDouble shift use of classrooms

National competitive bidding

Teachers and schools

Continuous in-service training and supportMore female teachersDistance education for teachersSchool-based managementTraining school heads as instructional leadersSupport by pedagogical counselors

Lengthy pre-service trainingCentralized managementInspectionsSpecialist teachers

StudentsSchool lunchesCommunity managed ECD and preschool programsSchool health (micro nutrients and parasites)

Nutrition and ECD Services provided by central government agencies

Parents

School management committees with authority on resource allocation and school organizationAdult basic education focused on learning needs and interests

Decentralization of responsibility without resourcesMass campaigns

Quality and relevance

Quality assurance system

Science and technology

Equity : Including the excluded

• Affirmative action/positive discrimination policies (food and health programs, scholarships, abolition of school fees…)

• Targeted strategies : adapt schools to the situation and the needs of disadvantaged groups (distance school family,curriculum, timetable and calender year, language of instruction, teachers…)

Financing

• Adapt costs of teachers, textbooks and classes construction : Costs per students (in % GDP)Primary : from 2.8% (DRC) to 37,5% (Djibouti)Secondary : from 5.7% (Botswana) to 57,8% (Lesotho)Tertiary : from 48.7% (Mauritius) to 692,4 % (Lesotho)

• Effective financing: look for cost-effective inputs, balance between salaries and other quality inputs

• Diversification and equity

• Mobilizing external financing / dependence

Management

• Management based on up-to-date and reliable data : EMIS

• Focus on results

• Effective human resources (teachers) management

• Good governance and fight against corruption

• Decentralization, participation, school autonomy and local dynamics

• Management personnel need to be trained to be professionals/school leadership

Impact of HIV/AIDS – Education in conflict and post-conflict

situations

• Combat HIV/AIDS pandemic and civil conflicts and mitigate their impact on education supply and quality (curriculum and extra-curriculum activities,shortage and absenteeism of teachers…)

• Between now and 2010, it is estimated that 10% of primary school age children will be orphans due to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, diverse diseases and armed conflicts.

The need for specific and sectoral approaches

A deep analysis of national needs, resources, capacities and constraints

A holistic, diversified and integrated vision of the development of the education and training system.

• The need for internal balances (levels and streams ) : regulate taking into account equity, sustainability and needs of the economic and social development

The need for intersectoral approaches

Planning education and development: Place education at the heart of development strategies- economic growth - fight against poverty - human development

Intersectoral collaborations- break traditional barriers- intersectoral approaches from development to implementation of education policies

Interactions and partnerships: promote participatory management- public/private- state/civil society- community are actors and recipients/beneficiaries

How to enter in the virtuous cercle?

Education/development+/education+/development++…