Regional Education Study

Education for Some More than Others ?

A Regional Study

on Education

in CEE/CIS

2007

ArmeniaAzerbaijan

Georgia

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

TurkmenistanTurkey

Uzbekistan

Albania

Bulgaria

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Belarus

Croatia

Moldova

TFYR of Macedonia

Romania

SerbiaUkraine

Montenegro

Russian Federation

CEE/CIS Region

Why the title

‘Education for Some More than Others?’

BACKGROUNDFollow-up to UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre report (1998) - “Education for All ?” - which found marked increase in disparities in quantity & quality of education in CEE/CIS

How far has this trend continued?

How far have the 12 steps towards ‘Education for All’ recommended in 1998 been taken, & what additional steps are needed now?

A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

1. The regional context

2. Education reforms – where are we now ?

3. Access and equity issues

4. Learning and Labour Outcomes

5. Costs, financing and governance

The report examines:

FOCUS ON EQUITY

The report analyses equity and disparity issues in basic education – from 3 different angles :

From a Human Rights point of view

From a Social Cohesion point of view

From a longer-term Economic point of view

Geographic Coverage

29 countries – 6 Sub-Regions

Baltic States

Caucasus

Central Asia

Central and Eastern Europe

South and Eastern Europe

Western CIS

THE CEE/CIS CONTEXT

CONTEXT

Economic recovery throughout the region but … fiscal difficulties in weaker economies

Increased average standard of living but … increased income inequality and rising unemployment rates

Decline in absolute poverty but persisting pockets of poverty – particularly child poverty

Prevalence of child labour (Moldova, Central Asia, SEE) – to the detriment of schooling

Steep downward trend in the population aged 0-17

KEY FINDINGS

KEY FINDINGS

Reversal and Deterioration of Education in CEE/CIS

Almost two decades after the onset of transition …

Provision and quality of education in CEE/CIS has not improved; instead, it has deteriorated in many ways

Trends observed in 1998 towards increased disparities in education have continued.

KEY FINDINGS

2.4 million children of primary-school age (9%) out of school in the region in 2004

12 million children of secondary-school age (22%) out of school in the region in 2004

More than 14 million children entering adult life without either any kind of formal education or a school diploma

KEY FINDINGS

3 countries – Georgia, Moldova and Tajikistan - unlikely to achieve MDG 2 (universal primary education completion by 2015)

2 countries – Turkey and Tajikistan - not on track to achieve MDG 3 (elimination of gender disparities at all levels of education by 2015)

KEY FINDINGS

Family background (family income, parental education) is increasingly a determinant of inequality in enrolment and attendance – mainly at pre-school level

Ethnic groups – particularly Roma - are at great educational disadvantage with enrolment and completion rates well below those of the majority-group children (see graphs on next slides)

Children with Special Needs : number of children in institutions or receiving benefits tripled between 1990 and 2000 – from 500,000 to 1.5 million

Children out of school :

Roma children Net Enrolment Primary Education (%)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Roma Majority

Source : OSI & TRANSMONEEE

Figure 3.17: Educational attainment by ethnicity, Bulgaria, Hungary & Romania, 2000

0%10%20%

30%40%50%60%70%

80%90%

100%

Non-Roma

Roma Non-Roma

Roma Non-Roma

Roma

Bulgaria Hungary Romania

Higher education (complete &incomplete)

Some secondary

Primary or below

Budget Deprivation in Tajikistan

LEARNING OUTCOMES

More public expenditure on education produces better results up to a certain level – CEE and Baltic States (see graph on next slide)

Socio-economic background is one of the most important factors influencing learning outcomes

Between-country disparities:

Within-country disparities :

Relevance of Education:

Countries in the region do better in TIMSS and PIRLS than in PISA → source of concern

ARM

MDA

ALBMKD

TUR

ROU

BGR

RUS

LVA

POL

SVK

LTU

CZE

EST

HUN

NOR

USA

SWE

NLD

NZL

ITASVN

1

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

17

0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 2250 2500

public expenditure on education per capita (in US$ at PPPs)

aver

age

rank

on

mea

n ac

hiev

emen

t in

2 to

6 te

sts

LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES

LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES

Statistics show that young workers of both sexes do benefit from staying in education system as long as possible

But focus-group discussions show that people in poorer countries are skeptical about reaping benefits of education - particularly in case of girls in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkey

High youth unemployment rates : 35.6% in SEE (2001) and 30.4% in CEE (2005)

COSTS, FINANCING & GOVERNANCE

Public expenditure on education increased but remains insufficient in most countries and tends to benefit the richest families

Reforms have been initiated but have not penetrated the classrooms – particularly in poorer and rural areas

Out-dated teaching methods, lack of relevance of curricula, poorly paid and demotivated teachers, low transition to upper-secondary education → decreasing quality + falling demand for education

COSTS, FINANCING & GOVERNANCE

Decentralization: funding burden passed to local communities and families to the detriment of equity

Student/ teacher ratios: Demographic dividend scope for efficiency gains

Private tutoring becoming more widespread (69% of secondary school students in some countries) → Danger of unethical practices, low-income families lose out

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Need to re-define the basic package of educational services that a state should provide free to its citizens

Need to increase efficiency – take better advantage of demographic dividend - make greater use of Medium Term Expenditure Frameworks

Need to improve governance of education systems – decentralization, community participation

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Make use of existing frameworks – Fast Track Initiative, EU accession and affiliation processes (Stability Pact, European Neighborhood Policy) to push reforms forward

Other measures : promote early childhood approaches, child-friendly school principles, child-centered teaching methods, school fee abolition, cash transfers …etc

UNICEF’s WORK IN CEE/CIS

UNICEF’s WORK IN CEE/CIS

Lead donor agency for FTI in 4 countries

Lead role in ECCE reform and expansion – 12 countries initiated the development of Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS)

Child-Friendly School approach gaining momentum – 6/15 countries involved in the development of Child Friendly School Indicators or Standards for Quality Education

Less project work – Greater involvement at policy level

Girls Education Campaign in Turkey