1. Keeping the Promise: The Importance of Investing in both Primary and Secondary Education
May Rihani
Senior Vice President and Director
Academy for Educational Development
March 2008

2. Overview of Gains in Primary Education
The EFA Global Monitoring Report shows that primary school enrollment increased by 36% in sub-Saharan Africa and 22% in South and West Asia between 1999 and 2005.
Governments in 14 countries abolished primary school tuition fees, a measure that has favored access for the most disadvantaged.

3. Increase in Education Spending as Share of GNP
In most countries where primary school enrollments rose sharply, their education spending as a share of their GNP increased.
Public expenditure on education increased by over 5% annually in sub-Saharan Africa and South and West Asia, the two regions farthest from achieving Education for All.

4. Why focus on both Primary and Secondary?
Despite huge gains in primary enrollment, reaching a world average of 83.8% in net primary enrollment, large numbers of students do not continue on to secondary school.
The rate of secondary enrollment drops to 59.3%
In sub-Saharan Africa, only 17% of girls are enrolled in secondary school.

5. Sub-Saharan Africa, where 25% or fewer girls are enrolled in secondary school, 2002/2003
Sources: UNESCO Global Education Digest, 2005, and EFA Global Monitoring Report, 2006

6. Why Fewer Girls at Secondary? Barriers and challenges:
Economic constraints: The direct financial cost plus the “opportunity cost,” in particular for rural girls
Cultural constraints: Distance and safety concerns
Educational constraints
Only the best-performing children are allowed to continue
Lack of adequate number of female teachers, which impacts the participation of girls
Inequity constraints: Girls face behavioral inequities in the classroom and a lack role models

7. Why investing in girls’ secondary education is Imperative
Primary education’s benefits are not sufficient to move nations socially and economically forward in a meaningful way
Given globalization, benefits of primary education are a necessary but not sufficient condition
The benefits of secondary education enable girls to make a quantum leap in terms of their social roles, decision making, and empowerment
What are these benefits?

8. Main benefits of girls’ secondary education I. HEALTH
Girls’ secondary education decreases infant mortality
Research shows that where only half as many girls as boys go to school, these gender gaps are negatively related to children’s mortality
Research also shows that infant mortality is one quarter lower where girls are educated as much as boys

9. Main benefits of girls’ secondary education I. HEALTH (con’t)
Postponement of marriage and reduction of family size
A study of Brazil finds that illiterate women have an average of six children each, while literate women have an average of 2.5 children each
Higher rates of children’s immunization
A multi-country study shows that educated mothers are about 50% more likely to immunize their children than uneducated mothers
Improvement in children’s and family nutrition

10. Source: Population Action International, 1998
Secondary education is related to lower fertility rates and unwanted pregnancies
Girls’ secondary education and teen birthrates for selected countries, 1995
Source: Population Action International, 1998
Top seven countries in girls’ secondary education
Bottom seven countries in girls’ secondary education
Gross secondary enrollment rates for girls
Births per 1,000 girls, years old

11. Girls’ Secondary education is associated with lower children’s stunting0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Gross % of girls enrolled in secondary school
Gross % of children younger than 5 with severe stunting
Burkino
Faso
Burundi
Chad
Guinea
Mozambique
Niger
Argentina
Bahrain
Barbados
Countries with fewer girls in secondary school
Countries with more girls in secondary school

12. Marriage, sexual relations, and parenting
No education
Primary education only
Secondary education only

13. Main benefits of girls’ secondary education II. MITIGATION OF HIV/AIDS
Half of the more than 40 million people living with HIV and AIDS are women and girls
A study of Zambia finds that AIDS spread twice as fast among uneducated girls compared to educated girls (Vandermoortele & Delamonica, 2000)

14. Main benefits of girls’ secondary education II
Main benefits of girls’ secondary education II. MITIGATION OF HIV/AIDS (con’t)
Secondary school creates a valuable window of opportunity since it captures girls when self esteem and self confidence can be most important
When secondary school introduces the “fourth R,” “Responsibility,” which includes life skills and relevant quality curriculum, then girls and boys can learn healthy behaviors

15. Main benefits of girls’ secondary education III. EDUCATION
The existence of secondary schools in a catchment area tends to increase primary school enrollment and quality
Ensuring that all students are within a reasonable distance of an affordable middle school increases parental commitment to schooling
Parents’ involvement in school leads to higher quality education

16. Main benefits of girls’ secondary education IV. SOCIAL BENEFITS
Secondary education equips students with critical thinking skills, increasing civic participation and democratic change
Secondary education reduces the risk of human trafficking by increasing economic opportunities and making children less vulnerable to outside influences

17. Main benefits of girls’ secondary education V. ECONOMIC BENEFITS
Primary and secondary education can become a tool for poverty alleviation
With secondary education, girls and women are empowered to access additional work opportunities
Girls’ secondary education produces health benefits that have positive economic impacts on families

18. Vicious Cycle High infant and child mortality Very low % of
girls’ participation
in secondary
education
Mothers with low
functional and
analytical literacy
Heavy economic
opportunity cost to
women and families
Large number
of pregnancies
High material
mortality

19. Virtuous Cycle Low infant and child mortality High low % of
Higher level
of socio-eco-
nomic development
because all members of
society are educated
and engaged
Women are
empowered to
access additional
opportunities and are more
highly engaged in their
communities
and countries
Low infant
and child mortality
High low % of
girls’ participation
in secondary
education
Educated mothers
with functional and
analytical literacy
Heavy economic
opportunity cost to
women and families
Fewer
pregnancies
Lower material
mortality/higher
economic
productivity

20. Investment in Secondary Education
The 2006 EFA Global Monitoring Report states that in 2002 developing countries spent 15.5% of total government expenditures on education
91.8% of total public educational expenditures were spent on primary education
The Strategic questions would be:
Should public expenditures on education be increased? and
Based on the gains that are reaped as a result of girls’ secondary education, should public expenditures on secondary education be increased?

21. THANK YOU