Quality in Development Assistance to Education

1
Quality in Development Assistance to Education

• Poul Erik Rasmussen
• U-landsnetværket
• Tirsdag d. 6. Marts, 2007

2
Dakar Framework for Action on Quality

• the characteristics of learners (healthy
  motivated students)
• processes, (competent teachers using active
  pedagogies),
• content (relevant curricula) and
• systems (good governance and equitable resource
  allocation

3
UNICEF, on Defining Quality I

• Learners who are healthy, well nourished and
  ready to participate and learn and supported in
  learning by their families and communities.
• Environments that are healthy, safe, protective
  and gender-sensitive, and provide adequate
  resources and facilities.

4
UNICEF, on Defining Quality II

• Content that is reflected in relevant curricula
  and materials for the acquisition of basic
  skills, especially in the areas of literacy,
  numeracy and skills for life, and knowledge in
  such areas as gender, health, nutrition, HIV/AIDS
  prevention and peace.

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UNICEF, on Defining Quality III

• Processes through which trained teachers use
  child-centred teaching approaches in well-managed
  classrooms and schools and skilful assessment to
  facilitate learning and reduce disparities.
• Outcomes that encompass knowledge, skills and
  attitudes, and are linked to national goals for
  education and positive participation in society

6
The MDGs

• Eradicate poverty and hunger
• 2.Achieve universal primary education
• 3.Promote gender equality and empower women
• 4.Reduce child mortality
•    Improve maternal health
• 6.Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• 7.Ensure environmental sustainability
• 8.Develop a global partnership for development

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The Education for All Goals

• 1.      expanding and improving comprehensive
  early childhood care and education, especially
  for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged
  children
• 2.      ensuring that by 2015 all children,
  particularly girls, children in difficult
  circumstances and those belonging to ethnic
  minorities, have access to and complete, free and
  compulsory primary education of good quality
• 3.      ensuring that the learning needs of all
  young people and adults are met through equitable
  access to appropriate learning and life skills
  programmes

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The Education for All Goals (2)

• 4.      achieving a 50 per cent improvement in
  levels of adult literacy by 2015, especially for
  women, and equitable access to basic and
  continuing education for all adults
• 5.      eliminating gender disparities in primary
  and secondary education by 2005, and achieving
  gender equality in education by 2015, with a
  focus on ensuring girls full and equal access to
  and achievement in basic education of good quality

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The Education for All Goals (3)

• 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.

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Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness

1. Ownership
2. Alignment
3. Harmonisation
4. Managing for Results, and
5. Mutual Accountability

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Monitoring the Paris Declaration (1)

• Progress on Ownership will be measured against
  the number of countries having national
  development strategies with clear priorities
  linked to MTEF and reflected in annual budgets.
• The principle of broad based consultations in the
  development and implementation of national plans
  is mentioned in the declaration but is not an
  explicit indicator of progress.
• Some evidence of national education sector plans
  showing a clear urban, middle class, regional and
  male bias both in their development and actual
  implementation. Ownership if not being
  challenged may turn into the prerogative of
  urban, bureaucratic elites.

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Monitoring the Paris Declaration (2)

• Managing for Results will be measured against the
  number of countries having transparent and
  monitorable performance assessment frameworks to
  assess progress against a) the national
  development strategies and b) sector programmes.
  
• This indicator poses a particular challenge, as
  there is likely to be a preference for easily
  quantifiable data, which may obscure the
  identification of more subtle aspects related to
  quality, rights and equity.

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Monitoring the Paris Declaration (3)

• The principle of Mutual Accountability will be
  measured against the number of countries that
  undertake mutual assessments of progress in
  implementing agreed commitments on aid
  effectiveness. The two most important dimensions
  of partner countries commitment to this
  principle run the risk of not being assessed at
  all.

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Accountability most important dimensions

• Partner countries commit to
• Strengthen as appropriate the parliamentary role
  in national development strategies and/or budgets
• Reinforce participatory approaches by
  systematically involving a broad range of
  development partners when formulating and
  assessing progress in implementing national
  development strategies.

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Accountability How strengthen?

• demand side
• strong political accountability
• participatory mechanisms
• civil society should be strengthened
• local, community and school based democracy
• role of media
• academia has an important role to play in
  critical reflection

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Budget Support

• Gained prominence in the late 1990s in reaction
  to the inadequacy of other aid instruments
• A natural continuation of the initiatives to help
  the highly indebted poor countries (HIPC)

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Budget Support the expectations 1

• Better coordination and harmonisation amongst
  donors
• Better alignment to partner country systems and
  policy
• National capacity building (due to national
  system agents)
• Increased national ownership and responsibility

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Budget Support the expectations 2

• More effective assistance and, consequently,
  increased goal fulfilment because of reduced
  transaction costs
• Greater predictability of external aid
• A comprehensive national prioritisation of
  resources and more effective utilisation of
  public expenditure

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Evaluation of Budget Support

• 1994-2004 Seven Countries (Burkina Faso,
  Mozambique, Nicaragua, Uganda, Vietnam, Malawi,
  Rwanda)
• Started from HIPC debt relief
• WB, IMF, EU central actors
• Experience generally positive (except Malawi,
  Nicaragua too early?)

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Evaluation of Budget Support

• Integrated in the national budget
• Better alignment to national systems and
  political priorities
• More donor harmonisation
• More national policy space through increased
  resource envelope and decreased earmarking gt
  better national response capacity

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Evaluation of Budget Support

• No evidence of decreased revenue collection
• Most direct form of support to national PRSP
• Poverty orientation contingent on quality of PRSP
• GBS works best in countries with a good PRSP,
  macroeconomic stability and tight budget
  discipline.

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Evaluation of Budget Support

• Weakened direct donor control over expenditure,
  but strengthened national auditing and accounting
  systems
• Too much public sector orientation in GBS a
  function of first generation PRSP focus on public
  sector
• Dilemma less direct attribution of single donor
  support