THE QUALITY IMPERATIVE Education for All THE QUALITY IMPERATIVE

Education for All THE QUALITY IMPERATIVE The world is not on track to achieve the six EFA goals Without better quality, EFA is unattainable This report defines education quality, shows why it matters and indicates how it can be improved, particularly in poorer countries Achieving this and the other goals will require both policy change and more resources from the international community The EFA Goals include the two Millennium Development Goals of achieving universal primary education and eliminating gender disparity in education

103.5 million out-of-school children in 2001 Progress towards UPE NET ENROLMENT RATIOS IN PRIMARY EDUCATION 81.7% in 1990, 84% in 2001 Pace of change too slow to reach UPE by 2015 103.5 million out-of-school children in 2001 Net enrolment ratio: 85% in 2005, 87% in 2015 Out-of-school children by region (in millions), 2001 Out of school children: About 75% live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia Projections 2005 and 2015 are based on current trends SSA: average NER rose from 54% in 1990 to 58% in 1998 and 63% in 2001 South and West Asia: includes three of world’s nine high population countries (Bangladesh, India and Pakistan). Average NER rose from 73% to 79% between 1990 and 2001. Slow rise because of continued population growth. Latin America Caribbean: rose from 86% to 94% between 1990 and 1998 and reached almost 96% in 2001 Arab States: slow progress toward UPE from 1990 to 2001. NER rose from 75% to 78% between 1990 and 1998, and reached 81% in 2001. East Asia Pacific: moved away from UPE over 1990-2001: from 96% in 1990 to 94% in 2001

Progress towards Gender Parity 57% of out of school children are girls Gender parity Girls’ enrolment lags behind boys’ in 40% of countries at primary level Disparities more extreme at secondary and tertiary levels

Literacy and adult learning 800 million adults without literacy, 70% live in nine countries 64% of adult illiterates are women Gender parity GPI (F/M) in adult literacy, 2000-2004 India has 33.8% of the world’s illiterates. Figures for the other eight countries are China 11.2%, Bangladesh 6.5%, Pakistan 6.4%, Nigeria 2.8%, Ethiopia 2.7%, Egypt 2.6%, Indonesia 2.3%, Brazil 1.9%,)

Progress towards ECCE A strong influence on future school performance Slow global progress: in the majority of countries, GER in pre-primary education is still below 50% Children from disadvantaged backgrounds more likely to be excluded Attendance rates considerably higher for urban children than those living in rural areas See page 87 and 88 of full report. Viet Nam is one example of strong urban-rural disparity.

Overall progress The EFA Development Index measures progress towards UPE, gender parity, literacy and quality 41 countries have achieved or nearly achieved the four goals 51 countries have EDI values between 0.80 and 0.94. Almost half the countries in this category, most of them in Latin America, lag on the education quality goal 35 countries are very far from achieving the goals, with EDI values below 0.80. 22 are in Sub-Saharan Africa, plus Bangladesh, India and Pakistan The 41 countries are almost all in North America and Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe

Education Quality Goal 6 “Improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills” Dakar Framework for Action, 2000

The Quality Challenge A good quality education encompasses: Cognitive development: reading, writing, numeracy Creative and emotional development and the promotion of attitudes and values necessary for effective life in the community A good quality education carries personal and social benefits: Examples of these include respect for human rights, for the environment, for cultural diversity, equity and non discrimination better health, lower fertility, lower exposure to HIV/AIDS higher personal income stronger national growth

Education and HIV/AIDS: Knowledge causes behaviour to change ¨Pupil teacher ratios: in most countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia, the number of pupils per teacher exceeds 40 in primary education and climbs over 60 in several cases, including Malawi, Mozambique,Central African Republic HIV prevalence in rural Uganda (%) by education category, 1990-2001 (individuals aged 18-29)

The Paradox: Test scores and changes in per pupil expenditures in OECD

Expenditure Impact Production function studies, developing countries

Learning from the evidence A wide range of evidence indicates that additional resources improve education quality, particularly where they are scare Studies show that more resources for: Low pupil-teacher ratios more and better textbooks time spent learning in school or at home teacher qualifications and experience matter for quality

How resources are used is important for quality Research on the characteristics of effective schools highlights the importance of the following factors: strong leadership emphasis on learning basic skills orderly and secure school environment high expectations of pupil attainment frequent assessment of progress

Rising to the challenge The report draws lessons from 11 “ambitious” and “high-performing” countries on the quality front The ambitious countries Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa and Sri Lanka have introduced policies to expand access and address quality. Reforms focus on teachers, training, curriculum, management and achieving greater equity The high-performing countries International assessments (SACMEQ, PASEC AND PISA) implemented in these countries on a comparable basis and completed over the last decade. See Page 121-122 of the full report for details on these tests plus data on national achievement tests. Canada, Cuba, Finland and Republic of Korea have achieved universal access, give teachers high status, have explicit vision of education’s objectives and policy continuity over time

Quality diagnosis highlights In many low-income countries more than one third of children have limited reading skills even after four to six years in school Stark regional inequalities: a child in Africa spends five to six fewer years in school than one in Western Europe Drop-out: in 30 out of 91 countries with data, less than 75% of children reach grade 5 Large classrooms: pupil-teacher ratios on the rise in countries where education has expanded rapidly. Lack of teacher training and poor conditions of service hinder learning in many low-income countries. ¨Pupil teacher ratios: in most countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia, the number of pupils per teacher exceeds 40 in primary education and climbs over 60 in several cases, including Malawi, Mozambique,Central African Republic and Chad. See table 13A annex of report. In Arab States, Asia, LAC and SSA, disadvantaged areas tend to receive less trained teachers Teacher training: In some Sub-Saharan Africa countries, fewer than 60% of primary school teachers have received some pedagogical training. In Latin America, percentage of trained primary school teachers is under 78% in half the countries with data for 2001. Disadvantaged areas generally receive fewer trained teachers.

Quality diagnosis: achievement tests International assessments point to weak performance Southern Africa: in 4 countries less than 10% and in 3 others around one-third or less of tested grade 6 students reach a ‘desirable level’ in reading Francophone Africa: in 6 countries, between 14% and 43% of grade 5 pupils have low achievement in French or mathematics OECD countries: between 2% and 10% of 15-year-olds have serious deficiencies in literacy skills, whereas in middle and low-income countries, between 20% and 50% do so International assessments (SACMEQ, PASEC AND PISA) implemented in these countries on a comparable basis and completed over the last decade. See Page 121-122 of the full report for details on these tests plus data on national achievement tests.

Literacy scores Changes between Sacmeq 1 and 2 ¨Pupil teacher ratios: in most countries of Sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia, the number of pupils per teacher exceeds 40 in primary education and climbs over 60 in several cases, including Malawi, Mozambique,Central African Republic and Chad. See table 13A annex of report. In Arab States, Asia, LAC and SSA, disadvantaged areas tend to receive less trained teachers Teacher training: In some Sub-Saharan Africa countries, fewer than 60% of primary school teachers have received some pedagogical training. In Latin America, percentage of trained primary school teachers is under 78% in half the countries with data for 2001. Disadvantaged areas generally receive fewer trained teachers.

Quantity versus quality in primary schooling Study Country Cohort % that has ever enrolled (ages 6-14) % that survived to grade 5 % that achieved minimum mastery NER in primary for the period before the test SACMEQ Malawi 100 91 31 7 69 (1995) Mauritius 99 98 52 Grade 6 Reading test Namibia 97 74 19 84 U. R.Tanzania 87 70 18 54 PIRLS (2001) Colombia 60 27 Grade 4 Reading test Morocco 77 59 81 PASEC Burkina Faso 35 25 21 28 (mid 1990s) Cameroon 88 45 33 73 Grade 5 French test Côte d’Ivoire 65 38 49 Guinea 48 32 36 Madagascar 78 20 63 Senegal 42 51 Togo 82 40 66 Quantitative versus qualitative indicators of participation in primary schooling

Towards better quality: a holistic approach Start with learners and take all actors into account On page 143 of main report ●Start with learners: inclusive policies that respond to very diverse circumstances (gender, HIV/AIDS, conflict, disabilities) ●Improve teaching and learning ●Gain and use knowledge to improve practice ●Equitable and accountable use of resources ●Management and governance Report considers each dimension, this presentation focuses on select policies

In the classroom: investing in teachers Only one-third of students reach last grade of primary education where pupil/teacher ratios are high Primary education: pupil/teacher ratios and survival to the last grade, 2001 Note: Countries with a survival rate of less than 75% are labelled. See figure 3.26 in full report.

Can conditions of service attract teachers? Real wages of teachers have declined relative to average incomes in low-income countries In Africa, teacher earnings were lower in real terms in 2000 than they were in 1970 Earnings often too low to provide an acceptable standard of living: less than $2 a day in Sierra Leone government schools, but even less in community schools Significant reductions from 1998-2001 in Argentina, Indonesia, Philippines, Tunisia and Uruguay See page 163-167 of full report

In the classroom: pedagogical renewal Rigid chalk and talk pedagogy is widespread Discovery-based pedagogies pioneered in many programmes are difficult to implement on national scale in resource-constrained contexts Structured teaching is a pragmatic option in low-income settings. Teacher presents material in small steps, checks student understanding and encourages interaction Regular assessment and feedback improves learning See page 152-154 of full report

Other essentials that make the difference Curriculum: relevant, balanced with carefully defined aims Instructional time: few countries reach recommended 850-1,000 hours/year Learning materials: strong impact on learning but small percentage of education spending goes to textbooks Language: Successful models start in mother tongue and make gradual transition to second or foreign language School environment: safety, health, sanitation for girls and boys, access for disabled Curriculum: Literacy is a critical tool for the mastery of other subjects and is one of the best predictors of longer-term achievement. It must be considered a priority area in efforts to improve the quality of basic education (pp. 146-149) Instructional time has decreased in Sub-Saharan Africa in grades 1-4 between 1980 in 2000 reflecting pressure to meet higher demand under tight resource constraints. Regional average in Arab States = 805 hours, 830 in Latin America, 817 in East Asia Pacific, 789 hours in South and West Asia, 866 in Sub-Saharan Africa. (pp.150-151) Language policy: 20% of world population speaks ‘local language’ as mother tongue. Zambia, Papua New Guinea, China, Cambodia among examples cited in the report (pages 155-158) Until recently, school construction projects in Sub-Saharan Africa rarely included latrines or water supply

Beyond the classroom: policies conducive to better quality Governance: school leadership, room for consultation between teachers, governments and other stakeholders on curriculum, employment and working conditions Participatory learning networks and professional advisory bodies to encourage sharing of best practice Combating corrupt practices: fraud in public tendering for school buildings and textbooks, nepotism and bribes in teacher appointment and examinations Equity: reducing regional and social inequalities advances education for all Governance: pp. 174, 182-183 Corruption: in Zambia, a study in 2000 found that less than 10% of books produced had actually reached the classroom. Page 184-185 main report. P. 185 on main forms of corruption in the education sector Brazil: national programmes to equalize funding, help poor families and give late entrants a chance to catch up

National resources: finance and quality In low income countries, increasing spending has a positive impact on learners’ cognitive achievement 6% of GNP recommended on education spending not reached in majority of countries Education spending higher in rich countries (5.1% of GNP) than in systems where access and quality remain a top challenge (under 4% in Africa and East Asia/Pacific) Spending increases in East Asia and Pacific and Latin American and Caribbean in late 1990s, but -24% in Philippines; -8% in Indonesia Total public expenditure on education as % of GNP: 3.4% SSA, 3.3% South and West Asia; 4.6% LAC, 3.6% East Asia and the Pacific, figure not available for Arab States

National resources: finance and quality Students in countries that invest more in education tend to have better literacy skills. In high-income states, the impact of additional resources is less clear variation in literacy scores limited even as expenditure doubles from PPP US$40,000 to US$80,000

International commitments: the need for sustained investment The Dakar Pledge: No country seriously committed to education will be thwarted by lack of resources Bilateral and multilateral aid to basic education = $1.54 billion New pledges could increase aid to $3.2 billion This falls short of $5.6 billion additional resources to achieve UPE and gender parity goals Fast Track Initiative: total resources so far raised are tiny compared with requirements. Even in the first ten countries endorsed, a financing gap of $200 million remains Additional information on external assistance: ●Eight donors account for 85% of bilateral aid ● All donors except Finland that give relatively high priority to education aid make post-secondary education the most important level ● Fragmented programmes: donors disburse aid to an average 63 countries; recipient countries dealt on average with seven to twelve bilateral donors in 2001-2002

Improving aid effectiveness Eight donors account for 85% of bilateral aid to education All donors -except Finland - that give relatively high priority to education aid make post-secondary the most important level Fragmented programmes: donors disburse aid to an average 63 countries; recipient countries dealt on average with seven to twelve bilateral donors in 2001-2002 Few studies link aid and better learning outcomes Additional information on external assistance: ●Eight donors account for 85% of bilateral aid ● All donors except Finland that give relatively high priority to education aid make post-secondary education the most important level ● Fragmented programmes: donors disburse aid to an average 63 countries; recipient countries dealt on average with seven to twelve bilateral donors in 2001-2002

Education quantity and quality are complements, not substitutes Wrapping up Education quantity and quality are complements, not substitutes Successful qualitative reforms require: Prime attention to quality of teaching profession Strong leading role by government A societal project for improving education Policy continuity over time EFA Global Monitoring Report www.efareport.unesco.org / efareport@unesco.org