IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4 Education Sector Analysis

1. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Education Sector Analysis ADEA Working Group on Education Sector Analysis (ESA) Presented by: Richard SACK Education Sector Analysis

2. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Objectives • A brief, one-day overview of the purposes, uses and utility of ESA • Participants are expected to gain a general understanding of why ESA is useful and how it is done Education Sector Analysis

3. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Context & background • Sector analysis = policy analysis, which has been around for years • Underlying assumptions: • Effective policy needs empirical grounding & rational analyses • ESA can produce framework for assigning objectives, targets, criteria, priorities • This will promote stakeholder confidence, including that of external financing agencies • Ideally, ESA is a process that develops both knowledge & capacity, together (I.e., the process is part of the product)return Education Sector Analysis

4. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Ambitions & objectives • Promote dialogue on goals, objectives, needs, methods, resources & constraints • Provide thorough knowledge of status of the sector & the impact of government policies • Identify strengths & weaknesses, resources & constraints, demands & needs • Establish database & methodology for planning Education Sector Analysis

5. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Ambitions & objectives • Specify (i) areas for investments & (ii) reallocations of existing resources for improved cost-effectiveness & performance • Monitor system performance • Provide basis for long-term improvements in planning, implementation & monitoring of the system • Identify methods & means for improved management & implementation Education Sector Analysis

6. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Who promotes ESA • In Africa, mostly the development agencies • Models for ESA have, largely, come from the World Bank Education Sector Analysis

7. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Issues • Are assumptions realistic? • How & by whom is the ESA agenda determined? • Who benefits? • Capacity building: for doing ESA & for policy formulation Education Sector Analysis

8. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Tools and skills: data • First of all, identify, find & exploit the raw information—theDATA on • Numbers of: students (attendance, age) by grade; teachers; schools, classrooms • Costs: teacher salary & career structure; books & other materials; buildings; other • Financing: who pays what & how much; ‘who’ = parents, students, communities, local & national governments • Outcomes: learning results Education Sector Analysis

9. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Tools and skills: data • Where to find the data? • Is there an EMIS? • Is there an assessment system (e.g., SACMEQ)? • What do you know about the quality of the data? • Level of disaggregation? Education Sector Analysis

10. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Flows & quantities • Student flow analyses  projections, forecasting • This is the traditional tool of education planners (cohort analyses, etc.) • Financial (computer) simulation models  projections, forecasting • Same starting logic as flow analyses, but capable of simulating costs, depending of assumptions & data quality • It’s all quite mechanical—conceptually straightforward & mathematically complex Education Sector Analysis

11. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Demand for education • Assessing demand using household surveys • Identifying factors that influence demand • This will be very helpful for developing policies aimed at increasing demand • Policies for EFA, girls could benefit from this Education Sector Analysis

12. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Learning outcomes & improving quality • Learning assessment studies, such as SACMEQ • Quantitative approaches that assess achievement levels & contributing factors Education Sector Analysis

13. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Processes: Management & implementation • Ifpolicy is as implementation does • Andimplementation depends on ability (capacity, willingness) to get the work done • Then,attainment of policy goals will greatly depend on the existing institutional capacities Education Sector Analysis

14. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4and, Therefore • Institutional capacities are crucial for successful implementation of the complex tasks (processes) of the education system • Successful implementation requires capable institutions • Which requires understanding how they work, or don’t (their dysfunctionalities) Education Sector Analysis

15. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Operational Conclusion Careful analysis of institutional capacities is key to getting the policy right Education Sector Analysis

16. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Issues • Data reliability, quality • Accessibility of the tools • Building capacities, learning-by-doing • Who does the work • Replicability • Usability by policymakers Education Sector Analysis

17. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Finding the information • The usual places • Within the education system: Statistics on enrollments, teachers, examination results • Elsewhere: Ministry of Finance for salary information; Civil service commission for teacher career info. • Unusual places: Faculties of education & libraries for research Education Sector Analysis

18. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Issues • What is ‘valued’ knowledge, what information & knowledge have ‘currency’? • Locally developed research? Research done by external bodies & people, by powerful institutions? • Does some knowledge/information have greater legitimacy than other? • What/whose knowledge speaks to power? What/whose knowledge does power listen to? • Is there knowledge that is “overlooked and undervalued”? Education Sector Analysis

19. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Capacity building • Two major issues: • Capacity to do/perform ESA (the “supply side”). • Capacity to use it in policy formulation (the “demand side”). • Capacity is required on each side Education Sector Analysis

20. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4Skills for ESA: on the “supply side” • Quantitative skills • Statistics: understanding data collection, quality & analysis • Research design • Qualitative skills • Functional analysis of institutions Education Sector Analysis

21. IIEP/WGESA/2002/INF. 4“Skills” for ESA: on the “demand side” • Willingness to base policy on empirical analysis • Ability to absorb the logic and rationale of ESA analyses • Ability to reconcile technical analyses and political imperatives and pressures Education Sector Analysis

22. Skills for ESA: between the supply & demand sides Communication capabilities that include • Presentational skills (writing, graphics, avoiding presentations that nobody understands…) • Willingness & ability to make the analytical results known to, and understood by, all stakeholders Education Sector Analysis

23. Strategic options forCapacity building • From the beginning, ESA conceived as a capacity building exercise • External experts focus on capacity building & skills development • Extensive use of local expertise linked to education sector (I.e., avoid the ‘commando’ approach) • Learning-by-doing • Tools & methods that are not overly sophisticated Education Sector Analysis