Reaching the marginalized: EFA global monitoring report, 2010; 2010

010CHAPTER 22Education for All Global Monitoring ReportIn half thecountriesin Southand West Asia,and sub-SaharanAfrica, almostone child in threedrops out16. These figures areregional medians for thecountries that have therelevant data available.From enrolment to completionand beyond — a difficult journeythat is hard to measureUniversal primary education is an apparentlysimple goal that raises disarmingly complexquestions over measurement. Going back to firstprinciples, that goal is about all children enteringschool at an appropriate age, progressingsmoothly through the system and completinga full cycle.For millions of children entering primary school,the journey through the system is often delayed,hazardous and short-lived. In half the countriesin South and West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa,almost one child in three enrolling in school dropsout before completion. Even that figure, stark as itis, understates the problem: many children do notget past the first hurdle. In 2006, 13% of pupils inSouth and West Asia and 9% in sub-Saharan Africadropped out before completing the first grade(see annex, Statistical Table 7). 16 Malawi andUganda have relatively high net enrolment ratios,yet between one-quarter and one-third of pupilsdrop out during the first grade, in some casesFigure 2.21: Children’s precarious pathway from school entry to completionNet enrolment ratios and gross intake rates to last grade, selected countries, 2007never to return. Repetition of grades is alsocommon. In Burundi, nearly one-third of childrenin primary school in 2006 were repeating grades.Charting progress towards universal primaryeducation in school systems marked by highlevels of late entry, dropout and grade repetitionis a challenging exercise. The tool kits used bygovernments and the international communitycomprise a range of instruments for measuringintake, grade progression and completion. Eachinstrument provides important information. Yetthey provide only a partial and in some casesinconsistent insight to where countries are onthe road to universal primary education.Figure 2.21 illustrates the point. It looks at twoof the most widely used measures of progresstowards universal primary education. The first isthe gross intake rate into the last grade of primaryschool, which expresses the share of childrenentering the last grade as a proportion of theofficial age group for that grade. It includes overagechildren who started school late or repeatedgrades. The second measure is the net enrolmentratio, discussed earlier. It provides information on120Gross intake rate into last grade of primary is higherthan net enrolment ratio (indicates late entry, high levelsof repetition and/or re-entry following drop out)10080(%)604020Gross intake rate into last grade of primary is lower than net enrolment ratio(indicates high levels of drop out in the early grades)0LiberiaEritreaCongoTimor-LesteGambiaGhanaLesothoPalestinian A. T.Dominican Rep.TurkeyBoliviaColombiaEgyptIran, Isl. Rep.TunisiaThailandIndonesiaPeruEcuadorEl SalvadorZambiaCambodiaIndiaAnguillaMoroccoU. R. TanzaniaGuatemalaSouth AfricaNicaraguaNamibiaLao PDRSwazilandMadagascarNepalBeninBangladeshMalawiMauritaniaGuineaTogoPakistanSenegalBurundiMozambiqueEthiopiaMaliBurkina FasoC. A. R.NigerGross intake rate into last grade of primaryNet enrolment ratio in primary educationSource: Annex, Statistical Table 5 and UIS database.72