Transcript Inclusive Approaches in Education

Improving quality in basic education:
what makes a difference
Mmantsetsa Marope (Ph.D.)
Director, Division for Basic to Higher Education and Learning
Brussels, 3 May 2011
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Presentation outline
1.
Two decades of Education for All
2.
Enduring quality challenge
3.
Evidence of poor quality
4.
Evidence of inequitable quality
5.
Critical causes of poor and inequitable quality
6.
Implications of poor and inequitable quality
7.
Proposed interventions and promising practices
8.
UNESCO’s general education quality improvement actions
9.
Expected benefits of quality primary education
10. Potential role of the Belgian development cooperation
2
Two decades of progress
in primary education
3
Two decades of progress in primary education
695 million children enrolled in primary school in 2008
 Equivalent to an additional 121 million children since 1990
67 million children of primary school age children were out-ofschool in 2008
 36 million fewer children out-of-school than in 1990
 The share of out-of-school girls declined slightly from 57% in
1999 to 53% in 2008
116 countries achieved gender parity in primary education in 2008
 Large gaps closing in the Arab States, South and West Asia and
sub-Saharan Africa
In 2008, children will attend school for about 11 years, on average
 In 1990, the world average was just 9 years
4
Rapid progress in primary school participation
In sub-Saharan Africa,
participation increased
by 31% between 1999
and 2008, with an
additional 46 million
children enrolled in
primary school in that
region alone.
Source: UNESCO, Global Monitoring Report 2011.
5
Missing the target
Out-of-school trends projected to 2015
6
Enrolment progress is uneven among partner countries
ANER fell
between
1999 and 2009
ANER rose
between
1999 and 2009
Source: UIS database.
7
Enduring quality challenge:
Quality is poor
8
A global quality picture: primary education survival rates
Source: UNESCO, Global Monitoring Report 2008.
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PISA result: Performances in reading 2000-2009
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Reading skills of students reaching grade 6
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Learning gaps across countries
Grade 8 TIMSS math test score
12
Source: EFA GMR 2010
Quality is poor in many partner countries
Survival rates to last grade of primary
Countries such as
Burundi and
Mozambique are
struggling with retention,
despite increased primary
school enrolment
since 1999.
Source: UIS database.
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Low achievement levels are indicative of poor quality
100
Low benchmark = basic reading skills
In South Africa, 78% of students don’t
reach the low international benchmark
Below low benchmark
90
80
% of students
reaching the
PIRLS
international
benchmark
for reading in
grade 4
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Germany
France
Indonesia
South Africa
Qatar
Morocco
Source: UNESCO, Global Monitoring Report 2011.
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Enduring quality challenge:
Quality is inequitable
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Quality is inequitable between regions
Pupil/teacher ratios high in poorest regions
40:1 ratio
international benchmark
Source: UNESCO, Global Monitoring Report 2011; UIS database.
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Quality is inequitable between countries
Latin American 2006 regional surveys of primary mathematics
placed 30 percent of Chilean grade 3 students at level 3 or 4,
compared with just 13 percent in El Salvador
About 10 percent of grader 3s in Argentina performed below
level 1 on the mathematics performance scale, while a similar
proportion performed at the highest level (UNESCO-OREALC,
2008)
Over 50 percent of grade 3s in Cuba performed at level 4 – more
than three times the share in Argentina or Chile
For the 2009 PISA, the gap between the highest and lowest
performing OECD countries was more than the equivalent of two
school years
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Quality is inequitable between & within countries
Patterns of dropout differ across wealth groups
Children from poor
households are more
likely to drop out than
children from wealthier
homes
Source: UNESCO, Global Monitoring Report 2011.
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In Kenya, wealth differences polarize
reading achievement levels
Source: UNESCO, Global Monitoring Report 2011; original source UWEZO (2010).
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Differences by wealth, location, gender, country
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Critical causes of poor quality
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Varied access to programmes for children under age 3
Countries in region
with at least one
formal programme
including children
under 3 in 2005 (%)
Source: UNESCO, EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007.
22
Pre-primary gross enrolment ratio (%) in 2008
Wide variation in pre-primary participation across regions
140
maximum
Rep. Korea
Mexico
Seychelles
120
Maldives
UAE
100
80
60
weighted
average
40
minimum
20
B. Faso
Côte d'Ivoire,
DRC, Niger
Djibouti
Myanmar
Bhutan
Guatemala
0
World
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Arab States
East Asia and
the Pacific
South and
West Asia
Latin America
and the
Caribbean
Source: UNESCO, EFA Global Monitoring Report 2011.
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Vulnerable children excluded from ECCE programmes
3-to 5-year olds
from urban areas
or with educated
mothers are more
likely to
participate in
early learning
programmes
Source: UNICEF, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS3).
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Early inequity leads to lifelong inequity in learning
outcomes and educational opportunities
In Ecuador, a
study of 3- to 5year-olds marks a
clear association
between a child’s
cognitive score and
the family’s
socioeconomic
status. The gap
begins early and
widens over time.
Source: UNESCO, Global Monitoring Report 2010, from Paxson and Schady (2005).
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Poorly qualified teacher force
Teacher shortage (GMR 2011)
Difficulties allocating teachers to marginalized areas (Monk
2007)
Limited teaching in local languages (Canagarajah 2004)
Female teachers are particularly needed (Lloyd and Young
2009)
Insufficient teacher training (Cheung 2008)
Increasingly poor and differential pay scales (Davidsson
2007)
High absenteeism and attrition (Chapman 2007)
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Trained teachers are rare in some countries
Countries with
large pupil/ teacher
ratios also have
small shares of
trained teachers
Source: UNESCO, Global Monitoring Report 2011.
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Inadequate learning environments (1)
What do inadequate learning environment look like?
 School and classroom shortages (Cambodia, occupied




Palestinian territory, United Republic of Tanzania)
Poor management of school facilities (Cambodia, India,
Uganda)
Insufficient teaching materials (Ecuador, Kenya,
Mozambique, Peru, Uganda, the United Republic of
Tanzania)
Lack of proper sanitation facilities (Cambodia)
Dangerous and long travelling routes to school (occupied
Palestinian territory, Uganda)
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Inadequate learning environments (2)
Inadequate learning environments contribute to:
 irregular attendance
 students dropping out
 teacher fatigue and the deterioration of work




patterns
disappointing learning achievements
annoyance and reduced attention span
negative attitudes towards school
decrease learners’ ability to engage in teaching and
learning process
(Source: The National Policy for an Equitable Provision of an Enabling School Physical Teaching and Learning
Environment, Department of Basic Education, South Africa, May 2010)
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Implications of poor and
inequitable quality
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Implications of poor and inequitable quality (1)
At an individual level:
Disengagement; loss of confidence; failure to acquire requisite
skills, competencies, affects and values
High repetition and drop-out rates
Reduced chances of meaningful employment / productive work
Reduced potential to earn
Increased chances of social deviance & associated
consequences
Reduced quality of life…
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Implications of poor and inequitable quality (2)
At a country level:
Low internal efficiency of education systems
High costs of poor or lack of education (e.g. poor health, spending on social
safety nets and remedial programmes)
Wasted human resource potential
Shortage of skilled labour, associated low productivity, low growth and low
competitiveness
Lost opportunity for redistributive effects of broad-based quality education
Social inequalities and the associated risk of social instability and fracture
At the global level:
Sustained global inequalities and associated costs on both rich and poor
countries
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Proposed interventions and
promising practices
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What contributes to improving quality? (1)
Early Childhood Care and Education providing for
holistic attention that include health, nutrition, early
stimulation and protection, resulting in:
 Better school readiness, attendance, learning, internal







efficiency
Improved early brain development
Improved cognitive development and primary school
achievement
Higher school enrolment
Reduced drop out rates
Improved delivery of nutrition and health services
Reduced risks of social delinquency
Gender parity
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What contributes to improving quality? (2)
Studies point to significant relationships between cognitive
achievement and school expenditure, teachers’ and
practitioners’ educational training and adequate play
and learning facilities
School performance (as measured by test scores) is
significantly improved by textbook provision, smaller
class sizes, adequate instructional time and sound
teaching practices, including an age appropriate
curricula
Policy development should target disadvantaged and
vulnerable groups and aim towards gender equality and
inclusive education
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Human Brain Development – Synapse Formation
Early childhood is an optimal moment to support sensory, cognitive, social &
language development
Language
Sensing
Pathways
Higher
Cognitive Function
(vision, hearing)
-6
-3
0
3
6
9
Months
1
4
8
12
16
Years
AGE
C. Nelson, in From Neurons to Neighborhoods, 2000
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Heckman’s curve - rates of return to human capital
investments across all ages
Heckman, 2008: Schools, Skills, and Synapses
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Examples of successful quality interventions (1)
- in ECCE Health sector-based intervention
 e.g. Posyandu (“health service post”) in Indonesia combining basic health
services with parenting education
Welfare sector-based intervention
 e.g. Conditional cash transfer in Mexico, Nicaragua
Education sector-based intervention
 e.g. Community-based ECD centres in disadvantaged areas in Nepal;
Madrasa Preschool Programme in East African countries
 e.g. Non-formal education programme for parents to promote better
parenting in rural Tanzania
Multi-sectoral intervention
 e.g. Parenting education for parents with children 0-6: Educate Your Child
of Cuba and Better Early Childhood of Brazil
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Examples of successful quality interventions (2)
- in primary education Focusing resources on early primary grades (Mali)
Providing adequate and relevant textbooks (Kenya)
Bilingual education (Mali, Viet Nam)
Building schools closer to marginalized communities
(India)
Temporary schools in the face of armed conflict (DRC)
Successful teacher training (Kenya)
The introduction of teacher benefits (Mozambique)
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Providing enabling learning environments
Good lightning
 Improves students ability to perceive visual stimuli and their
ability to concentrate and take instructions
A colorful environment
 Improves learners’ attitudes and behavior, attention span and
feelings about school and reduces absenteeism
Good acoustics
 Improves learner hearing and concentration (15 percent of
learners in an average classroom supper from some hearing
impairment)
Outdoor facilities
 Improves learner formal and informal learning systems, social
development, team work, and school-community relationship
(Source: The National Policy for an Equitable Provision of an Enabling School Physical Teaching and Learning Environment, Department of
Basic Education, South Africa, May 2010)
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Access does not have to be at the
expense of quality!
Swaziland on the other hand increased test scores by 5 percent
with a 12 percentage point growth in NER from 71 to 83 percent
Namibia had a phenomenal 9 percent increase in test scores—the
highest in 7 years and among the 14 countries—while holding its
NER sturdy with only a 1 percentage point increase in NER from
90 to 91 percent
Botswana increased its test scores almost held sturdy, with only a
2 percent increase while the NER modestly increased by 5
percentage points from 84 to 90 percent
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Increasing access AND quality
The case of U. R. Tanzania
Participation in primary school increased by 43% between 2000 and
2007
 Many students from low-income households
Student mathematics scores increased by 6% during the same period
Percentage of students reaching numeracy competency increased by
13%
Total education spending increased by 22%
 Growth of education spending outpaced economic growth
Long-term development planning with the National Vision 2025
Source: UNESCO, Global Monitoring Report 2011; The Tanzania Development Vision 2025.
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UNESCO’s general education quality
improvement actions
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UNESCO’s actions (1)
I. Support equitable access to quality ECCE
Heightening advocacy and support for ECCE
 First World Conference on ECCE (Moscow, 2010) and the implementation of the
Moscow Framework for Action and Cooperation
Strengthening the analytical and knowledge base for ECCE policy development
 Handbook on ECCE
Strengthening national capacities to deliver ECCE
 ECCE subsector analysis (e.g. Mongolia)
 Thematic policy review on ECCE integration in Rep. of Korea
Strengthening global and national capacity for monitoring Goal 1
 Holistic Child Development Index
Intensifying resource mobilisation
 Establishment of UNESCO ECCE Fund
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UNESCO’s actions (2)
II. Develop and implement a General Education Quality
Diagnostic/Analysis and Monitoring Framework
(diagram in next slide)
To develop a comprehensive and systematic instrument - in the form of
toolkits - for diagnosing/analyzing, monitoring and sustaining the quality
of general education systems - from ECCE to secondary
To provide technical support to Member States for applying the
instrument and for undertaking improvement efforts
To strengthen Member States’ capacity in diagnosing/analyzing,
monitoring and sustaining the quality of general education systems
III. Articulate with the post-secondary quality improvement
efforts
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Expected benefits of
quality primary education
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Expected benefits of quality primary education
Individual
 Confident and competent individuals with better educational and social outcomes
 Increased chance of obtaining meaningful employment opportunity and higher
earnings
Family
 Healthy and well-functioning family, esp. through better educated mothers
Country
 Improved internal efficiency of the system through reduced repetition and drop-out
Enhanced social equity through redistributive effects, and resultant effect on reduced
incidence of violence and costs of inequities
 Greater social inclusion and cohesion
 Efficient use of resources through minimizing wastage
 More optimal human & earning potential through nurturing a productive labour force
required to lead knowledge- and technology-driven growth and global competitiveness
World
 More equal, peaceful and productive world
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Potential role of the Belgian
development cooperation
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Recommendation 1: Preconditioning on quality
Precondition the Belgian Development Cooperation on
quality measures:
 ECCE related quality measures
 Primaryeducation related quality measures
Enhance the role of the Belgian Development
Cooperation - e.g. within FIT - as ‘quality watchdog’
Strengthen cooperation between the Belgian
Development Cooperation and UNESCO
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Recommendation 2: Leveraging resources (i)
• Mobilize national
resources for primary
education and ECCE
- public and private and use them more
effectively
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Recommendation 2: Leveraging resources (ii)
• Increase the levels of donor resources for primary education and
ECCE - and use them more effectively
Disbursements of
aid to basic
education stopped
increasing in 2008
Source: UNESCO, EFA Global Monitoring Report 2011.
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Recommendation 2: Leveraging resources (iii)
At best, ECCE
investment by
donors is negligible
Effective investment means:
Source: UNESCO presentation, OECD Network for ECCE (2010).
 Pooled funds
 Fast Track Initiative
 National budget support (general or sector-based)
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Recommendation 3: Partnering with UNESCO
UN specialized agency for education, with the mandate to lead EFA
5 functions - laboratory of ideas, standard-setting, clearing house,
capacity builder, catalyst for international cooperation
A strong network of units, offices and specialized institutes that
enable effective delivery in the field
Existing partnership mechanisms with external partners and
networks (e.g. ADEA WGECD, ARNEC) for greater impact
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Good development practice: Rwanda case study
Long-term commitments for general budget support
 Increased from 4% to 26% between 2000 and 2004
 Increased aid predictability for education sector plans
Education sector budget support from pooled funds
Ongoing technical support by UNESCO coordinating with other agencies
RESULTS:
Since 2002-2003: Total aid to education has increased, and aid to basic
education has nearly tripled
In 2007-2008: financing gap is closing up faster than in other conflictaffected countries
Access in primary school is high, gender parity in primary education has
been reached
But ECCE and quality still a concern
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Thank you!
www.unesco.org
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