keeping the promise: the importance of investing in both primary and secondary education may rihani...
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Keeping the Promise: The Importance of Investing in both Primary and Secondary Education
May RihaniSenior Vice President and Director
Academy for Educational Development
March 2008
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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?
Main benefits of girls’ secondary educationI. 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
Main benefits of girls’ secondary educationI. 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
Secondary education is related to lower fertility rates and unwanted pregnancies
Girls’ secondary education and teen birthrates for selected countries, 1995
Gross secondary enrollment rates for girls Births per 1,000 girls, 15-19 years old
Source: Population Action International, 1998
Top seven countries in girls’ secondary education
Bottom seven countries in
girls’ secondary education
Girls’ Secondary education is associated with lower children’s stunting
Gross % of girls enrolled in secondary school
Gross % of children younger than 5 with severe stunting
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Burkino Faso
Burundi Chad Guinea Mozambique Niger Argentina Bahrain Barbados
Countries with fewer girls in secondary school Countries with more girls in secondary school
Marriage, sexual relations, and parenting
Married by age 20
61
72
87 8792
85
95
5358
65
81
5660
72
24
3238
2925
19
43
0
25
50
75
100
Per
cen
t o
f w
om
en Ever had sex by age 20
72
88 9085
91
56
8287
68
86
78
41
6862
5460
55
0
25
50
75
100
Per
cen
t o
f w
om
en
Gave birth by age 20
4548
7370
77
68
81
3942
59
69
47
57
70
1420
31 28
18 18
35
0
25
50
75
100
Per
cen
t o
f w
om
en
No education
Primary education only
Secondary education only
Main benefits of girls’ secondary educationII. 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)
Main benefits of girls’ secondary educationII. 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
Main benefits of girls’ secondary educationIII. 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
Main benefits of girls’ secondary educationIV. 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
Main benefits of girls’ secondary educationV. 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
Vicious Cycle
Very low % ofgirls’ participation
in secondaryeducation
Heavy economicopportunity cost to
women and families
High infantand child mortality
Mothers with lowfunctional and
analytical literacy
Large numberof pregnancies
High materialmortality
Virtuous Cycle
High low % ofgirls’ participation
in secondaryeducation
Heavy economicopportunity cost to
women and families
Low infantand child mortality
Educated motherswith functional andanalytical literacy
Fewerpregnancies
Lower materialmortality/higher
economicproductivity
Women areempowered to
access additionalopportunities and are more
highly engaged in theircommunitiesand countries
Higher levelof socio-eco-
nomic developmentbecause all members of
society are educatedand engaged
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:1. Should public expenditures on education be increased? and
2. Based on the gains that are reaped as a result of girls’ secondary education, should public expenditures on secondary education be increased?
THANK YOU