A Global Compact on Learning - Brookings Institution

West Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Only 36 percent
of girls enroll in lower secondary school in Sub-
Saharan Africa, and the gender gap in secondary
enrollment has actually grown wider since 2000. 163
Even more than gender, poverty and rural residence
are strongly associated with low enrollment
in secondary school. 164 Issues of equity play a particularly
important role when it comes to secondary
education because it is increasingly the key determinant
of subsequent life chances. Participation in
secondary education, however, tends to be regressive
with income thereby reinforcing disparities. 165
In Sub-Saharan Africa, children from the richest 20
percent of households have on average more than
eleven times the chance of reaching grade 9 than
those from the poorest 40 percent. 166
Although access helps children get through the
door, it does not guarantee good learning outcomes.
Therefore, any approach to improving learning
must address barriers that prevent girls and boys
from continuing their education as well as targeted
measures to improve the quality of the teaching and
learning process. Many of the approaches discussed
below are not new but either have not been prioritized,
appropriately implemented and resourced,
or taken to scale. Although individual barriers are
discussed separately below, a holistic approach of
addressing multiple barriers has been found to be
most effective in increasing enrollment, attendance,
and achievement in secondary school. 167
Generating the financial resources required to expand
secondary and post-primary educational opportunities
is a major challenge facing most developing
countries. In low-enrollment countries, the
per-student unit cost of post-primary learning is significantly
more expensive than at the primary level. 168
Expanding post-primary education also requires
achieving cost-efficiencies in deploying and utilizing
existing resources, such as through prioritizing measures
discussed here. In some cases, student/teacher
ratios and teaching time can be increased where they
are low. 169 Additionally, expanding post-primary education
requires mobilizing increased resources and
working with nongovernmental partners, including
the private sector, nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs), and civil society groups. This approach includes
various forms of public–private partnerships,
which are particularly helpful to mobilize additional
resources, provide professional support services, and
stimulate creative and innovative thinking. 170 The
state, while maintaining ultimate responsibility for
the provision of basic education for all young people,
frequently needs to partner with nongovernmental
actors to deliver high-quality post-primary learning
opportunities.
Five main actions need to be taken to achieve Strategy
3A:
• Provide well-targeted, appropriately structured
subsidies for educationally marginalized
groups.
• Provide a safe environment and girl-friendly
school policies.
• Cultivate community support and encouragement
for ongoing learning for both girls
and boys.
• Offer second-chance learning opportunities.
• Provide flexible post-primary models utilizing
innovative modes of delivery, including
technology innovations, where appropriate.
The first needed action is to provide well-targeted,
appropriately structured subsidies for educationally
marginalized groups. High direct and indirect costs
are the principal reason that children who complete
primary school do not make the transition to secondary
school. Therefore, lowering or eliminating
financial barriers through well-targeted and structured
scholarships, stipends, or other forms of subsidies
has been shown to improve young people’s
school enrollment and retention rates. Even in countries
that include lower or junior secondary school
as part of basic education (generally eight to ten
years), households often have to pay school fees or
other costs associated with going to school (see box
4.2). In Sub-Saharan Africa, this household contribution
amounts to 30 to 60 percent of the cost of
secondary schooling. 171 As children grow older, the
opportunity cost of attending school is even larger
because there are increased pressures (and abilities)
for young people to earn an income.
A <strong>Global</strong> Compa c t on Learning: Taking Action on Educat i o n in Developing Countries
C e n t e r for Universal Educat i o n at Brookings
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