Education in Sierra Leone: Present Challenges, Future Opportunities (Africa Human Development Series)

Contents......Page 7
Foreword......Page 13
Acknowledgments......Page 17
Abbreviations......Page 19
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......Page 23
Progress in the Education Sector......Page 24
Major Challenges and Policy Development......Page 26
Policy Scenarios for Long-Term Development......Page 34
Conclusion......Page 36
CHAPTER 1. POST-CONFLICT CONTEXT......Page 37
Political and Administrative Structure......Page 39
Figure 1.1: Total Population, 1963–2004, and Projected Population, 2005–25......Page 40
Table 1.2: Incidence of Poverty by District and Locality, 2002/03......Page 43
Table 1.5: Literacy Rates, 2004......Page 46
Figure 1.5: Literacy Rates by Grade, 2003/04......Page 47
Table 1.6: Prewar Trends in Real GDP and GDP Growth Rates, 1963–88......Page 49
History of the Education System......Page 55
Figure 2.1: Structure of the Sierra Leone Education System......Page 57
Figure 2.2: Preprimary Enrollment, 2003/04 to 2005/06......Page 59
Figure 2.7: Tertiary Institutions Enrollment Trends by Institution Type, 1998/99 to 2004/05......Page 66
Table 2.7: Net Enrollment Rates, 2003–04......Page 72
Table 2.11: Index of Efficiency in Student Flow for JSS and SSS, 2004/05......Page 82
Preprimary, Primary, and Secondary Education......Page 86
Figure 3.13: WASSCE Pass Rates by Region, 2003–05......Page 107
Tertiary Education......Page 112
Policy Implications......Page 114
CHAPTER 4. EXPENDITURE AND FINANCING......Page 118
Figure 4.1: Government Expenditure on Education, 2000–08......Page 119
Analysis of Education Expenditure in 2004......Page 129
Policy Implications......Page 137
CHAPTER 5. DISPARITY......Page 139
Disparity in Schooling......Page 140
Disparity in Household Expenditure on Education......Page 147
Figure 5.6: Average per Student Spending on Education as a Percentage of Total Household Expenditure per Adult Equivalent, by Level and Household Expenditure Quintile, 2003/04......Page 149
Policy Implications......Page 154
CHAPTER 6. GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT......Page 156
The Changing Legal and Governance Environment......Page 157
Management of Education Service Delivery......Page 163
Policy Implications......Page 174
Context......Page 176
Table 7.4: Annual Cost Implications of Scenario 1: EFA Action Plan, 2004–15......Page 182
Table 7.7: Annual Cost Implications of Scenario 4: Efficient, 2004–15......Page 186
Appendix A. Smoothing the Data from the Sierra Leone Population and Housing Census 2004......Page 189
Appendix B. Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey Data......Page 191
Appendix C. Formula to Decompose the Unit Cost......Page 193
Figure D.1: Population Pyramids, 1963–2015......Page 194
Definitions of Indicators......Page 207
Notes......Page 211
References......Page 215
Index......Page 219
Box 1.1: Sierra Leone at a Glance......Page 38
Box 3.1: International Lessons on Enrollment Expansion without Quality Decline......Page 87
Figure 1.2: Population by Administrative District, 1963–2004......Page 41
Table 1.1: Population Distribution by Age, 1963–2025......Page 42
Table 1.4: Selected Health Indicators......Page 45
Figure 1.6: Average Years of Education Completed by Age Group, Location, and Gender, 2003/04......Page 48
Figure 1.7: War Impact on Real GDP Growth, 1991–2004......Page 50
Table 1.8: Selected Economic Indicators during the Postwar Years, 2000–04......Page 52
Figure 2.3: Primary School Enrollment Trends, 1987/88 to 2004/05......Page 60
Figure 2.4: Secondary School Enrollment Trends, 2000/01 to 2004/05......Page 62
Figure 2.5: Distribution of Trainees by TVET Institution Type and Ownership, 2003/04......Page 64
Figure 2.6: Tertiary Institutions Enrollment Trends, 1998/99 to 2004/05......Page 65
Figure 2.8: Primary and Secondary Gross Enrollment Ratios in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2004/05......Page 68
Table 2.5: Age-Specific Enrollment Rates and Out-of-School Children by Age Group, 2003–04......Page 70
Figure 2.10: Percentage of Students At, Over, and Under the Official Age by Grade, 2003/04......Page 74
Figure 2.11: Percentage of Children Who Have Ever Been to School, by Age, 2003/04......Page 76
Figure 2.12: Estimated Survival Rates by Grade, 2004/05......Page 77
Figure 2.13: Gross Completion Ratios by Level of Education, 2001/02 to 2004/05......Page 78
Figure 2.14: Primary Gross Completion Ratios in Sub-Saharan Countries, 2004/05......Page 79
Figure 2.15: Repetition Rates in Primary and Secondary Schools, 2003/04......Page 80
Figure 2.16: Sierra Leone Student Flow Pyramid, 2004/05......Page 83
Table 3.1: Percentage of Recognized Primary and Secondary Schools by Ownership, 2004/05......Page 89
Figure 3.2: Distribution of Primary School Damage Index, 2004......Page 91
Figure 3.3: Number of Unqualified Teachers in Primary Schools by Education District, 2004/05......Page 94
Figure 3.4: Number of Candidates Taking the NPSE by Gender, 1995–2005......Page 100
Figure 3.5: NPSE Actual and Hypothetical Pass Rates if Pass Mark Retained at 2001 Level, 1995–2005......Page 101
Figure 3.6: NPSE Pass Rates by Region, 2003–05......Page 102
Figure 3.7: Number of Candidates Taking the BECE by Gender, 2000–05......Page 103
Figure 3.8: BECE Pass Rates, 2000–05......Page 104
Figure 3.10: BECE Score Distribution in Core Subjects, 2005......Page 105
Figure 3.12: WASSCE Pass Rates by Gender, 2003–05......Page 106
Figure 3.14: TVET Institutions by Ownership, 2004......Page 108
Figure 3.15: Staff Profile in TVET Institutions, 2002......Page 110
Figure 4.3: Share of Current Expenditure by Level of Education, 2000–04......Page 122
Figure 4.4: Share of Current Expenditure by Level of Education in Sub-Saharan Africa, circa 2003......Page 123
Figure 4.5: Donor Funding for Education, 2000–04......Page 126
Figure 5.2: Enrollment Rates by Age and Urban/Rural Locality, 2003/04......Page 141
Figure 5.3: Gross Enrollment Ratios by District, 2003/04......Page 143
Figure 5.5: Cohort Access Rates for 9- to 13-Year-Olds by Household Expenditure Quintile and Urban/Rural Locality, 2003/04......Page 145
Table 5.5: International Comparisons of the Inequality of Distribution of Public Education Expenditures, circa 2002/03......Page 152
Figure 6.1: Teacher Deployment in JSS, 2003/04......Page 165
Figure 6.2: Teacher Absenteeism by Local Council, 2005......Page 166
Figure 6.3: Teacher Activities during Surprise Visit to Classrooms, by Local Council, 2005......Page 167
Figure 6.4: Flow of Resources in the Education Sector......Page 170
Figure 6.5: Current Mode of Procurement and Distribution of Primary School Textbooks, Procurement Reform Unit......Page 171
Table 1.3: Poverty Incidence by Formal Educational Attainment, 2003/04......Page 44
Table 1.7: Selected Economic Indicators during the War Years, 1990–99......Page 51
Table 1.9: Government Current Expenditure by Sector, 1996–2003......Page 53
Table 2.1: Sierra Leone TVET Programs......Page 58
Table 2.2: Enrollments in the CREPS and RREP Programs, 2000/01 to 2004/05......Page 61
Table 2.3: TVET Trainee Enrollments by District, 2004/05......Page 63
Table 2.4: Percent GER, 2001/02 to 2004/05......Page 67
Table 2.6: Community Perceptions on Why Children Do Not Attend School, 2003/04......Page 71
Table 2.8: Age Distribution of Currently Enrolled Students by Grade, 2003/04......Page 73
Table 2.9: Primary GIR, NIR, and CAR, 2001/02 to 2004/05......Page 75
Table 2.10: Efficiency of Student Flow in Primary Education, 2004/05......Page 81
Table 3.3: Intended Instruction Time, 2005......Page 92
Table 3.4: Distribution of Teachers by Gender and Qualification, 2004/05......Page 93
Table 3.5: Pupil-Teacher Ratios in Primary Schools, 2004/05......Page 95
Table 3.6: Teacher Education Programs......Page 96
Table 3.7: Conditions of TVET Infrastructure by District, 2001......Page 109
Table 3.9: Student-Teacher Ratios in Tertiary Institutions, 2004/05......Page 113
Table 4.1: Government Expenditure on Education, 2000–08......Page 120
Table 4.2: Household Spending on Primary and Secondary Education, 2003/04......Page 124
Table 4.3: Distribution of Household Spending per Primary Education Pupil by Category, 2003/04......Page 125
Table 4.4: Resource Mobilization for Education, 2003......Page 128
Table 4.5: Distribution of Personnel and Current Expenditure by Education Level and Type of Expenditure, 2004......Page 130
Table 4.6: Unit Cost Estimates for Education by Level, 2004......Page 131
Table 4.7: Unit Cost as a Percentage of GDP Per Capita in Sub-Saharan Countries by Level, circa 2000–04......Page 132
Table 4.8: Teacher Salary and Pupil-Personnel Ratio by Level, 2004......Page 133
Table 4.9: Ratio of Average Teacher Salary to GDP Per Capita in Sub-Saharan Africa, circa 2000–04......Page 134
Table 4.10: Pupil-Teacher Ratio in Sub-Saharan Africa, circa 2000–04......Page 135
Table 4.11: Decomposition of Unit Costs by Level, 2004......Page 136
Table 5.1: GER by Gender, Locality, Region, and Household Expenditure Quintile, 2003/04......Page 142
Table 5.2: Student Flow Rates by Gender, Locality, Region, and Household Expenditure Quintile, 2003/04......Page 146
Table 5.3: Average Household Spending on Primary Education by Household Expenditure Quintile and Expense Type, 2003/04......Page 148
Table 5.4: Distribution of Public Education Expenditures in a Cohort of 100 Children, 2003/04......Page 150
Table 5.6: Disparity in the Consumption of Public Education Resources, 2003/04......Page 153
Table 6.1: Summary of Key Education Acts, 2001–04......Page 158
Table 6.2: Schedule for the Devolution of Functions of MEST to Local Councils......Page 159
Table 6.3: Baseline Snapshot of Local Councils: School Availability, Quality, and Management, 2005......Page 162
Table 6.4: Share of Primary Schools Visited, by Stakeholder and Local Council, 2004/05......Page 173
Table 7.1: The Scenarios: Key Parameters......Page 180
Table 7.3: Cumulative Cost Implications of the Scenarios, 2007–15......Page 181
Table 7.5: Annual Cost Implications of Scenario 2: Achievable, 2004–15......Page 184
Table 7.6: Annual Cost Implications of Scenario 3: Optimistic, 2004–15......Page 185
Table D.2: Regions, Administrative Districts, Local Councils, and Educational Districts of Sierra Leone......Page 195
Table D.3: Government Revenues and Expenditure, 1996–2006......Page 196
Table D.6: Secondary School Enrollment Trends, 2000/01 to 2004/05......Page 198
Table D.8: Tertiary Institution Enrollment Trends by Institution Type, 1998/99 to 2004/05......Page 199
Table D.9: Number of Staff in Tertiary Institutions, 2004/05......Page 200
Table D.10: Current Expenditure by Level of Education, 2000–07......Page 202
Table D.11: Commitments for Education and General Budget Support to Sierra Leone, 2000–04......Page 203
Table D.13: Number of Personnel and Actual Salary Bill by Educational Level and Rank, 2004......Page 204
Table D.14: School Attendance by Age Group and Gender, 2004......Page 205
Table D.15: Percent Out-of-School by Gender, Locality, Region, and Family Wealth, 2003/04......Page 206