51790 February 2009 . Number 2 EDUCATIO I THE ARAB WORLD: SHIFT TO QUALITY I MATH, SCIE CE & TECH OLOGY FALTERI G Mourad Ezzine1 participating MENA countries reaching the average scale. The scores were almost the MENA's Investment in Education and Its same as 4 years ago. It is remarkable that most Outcomes: Impressive results still leave MNA countries do not have national MENA with an education gap as compared to standards for achievement in learning, and the rest of the world. With some exceptions, those that do, do not use the tests to promote MENA countries have almost reached full accountability. primary education enrollment and increased enrollment in secondary schools almost threefold since 1970, and fivefold at the higher education level. The crowning achievement Grade 8 TIMSS scores (math and science) for the MENA region has been the closing of 2007 the education gender gap. Illiteracy rates have Top country also been halved in the past 20 years and the Scale average absolute difference between male and female Dubai adult literacy rates is declining rapidly. These Jordan impressive quantitative achievements have Bahrain contributed to improving the quality of life for Iran citizens through longer life expectancy, lower Syria fertility and infant mortality rates, and a more Tunisia cohesive national identity. Oman Kuwait Despite these improvements, the educational Lebanon achievements of MENA countries remain Algeria below other countries at similar levels of Egypt economic development. In particular: Palestine Saudi Arabia · The average number of years of schooling Morocco in MENA is below fast growing Qatar developing countries by more than one 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 year2. Science M aths · Results on international tests indicate that outcomes remain significantly below that of the OECD3 countries. The 2007 TIMSS · Rote learning still dominates teaching, test on 8th grade Math and Science and little emphasis is put on problem capabilities resulted in none of the 12 solving and interactive teaching methods that would demand initiative from 1 Mourad Ezzine, Sector Manager, MNSHD. students. Foreign language and science do 2 not make up a sufficient share of the We use China, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Philippines and Thailand as comparators. curricula. While pedagogical methods 3 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. adopted worldwide incorporate inquiry- Report suggest that achieving better quality based learning, most MENA countries will require additional incentive mechanisms continue to use a more traditional model as well as additional public accountability of pedagogy (for example, copying from measures. While over time, MENA reform the blackboard, and little interaction programs have exhibited a modest shift in between teachers and students). focus from engineering toward incentives, this shift has not concerned all countries and · In more than half of the MENA countries, has been insufficient to produce a change of approximately two-thirds of secondary paradigm, or to make a substantial impact on students major in the fields of social the quality of teaching and learning. science and humanities rather than in science and mathematics. This enrollment The emphasis on engineering may have been pattern is the opposite of that observed in justified during the post independence period, East Asia and, to a lesser extent, in Latin because establishing a mass educational America. Given that technological system required the "engineering" of innovation and adaptation is increasingly everything; and furthermore, a command- playing a prominent role in the economy, and-control system may have also been the MENA schools are producing the wrong best way to manage the entire process. mix of competencies. However, the world and MENA have changed, with educational systems facing new · In higher education, none of the MENA and complex challenges, and requiring that institutions has featured prominently in the approach to educational reform in MENA international university rankings or is quickly evolve. producing significant research. Only 22.6% of MENA students pursue science, The Road Ahead: MENA educational systems technical and engineering degrees, much need different types of incentive structures, less than in other fast growing developing and public accountability mechanisms. In countries. Finally, MENA countries do order to improve science and technology not have sound quality assurance and performance, a number of policies are certification mechanisms for higher required to upgrade public education at all education. levels, and not solely in a few elite schools and universities. Key recommendations for future While the above generalizations clearly do not reforms are as follows: apply to all countries in the MENA region, nevertheless, the region's countries on the 1- Set clear qualitative objectives and measure whole do exhibit a number of similarities. outcomes - Every MENA country needs to adopt national performance standards and The World Bank Report "The Road Not continuously monitor learning achievement. Traveled, Education Reforms in The Middle In higher education, quality assurance and East and North Africa": The report, which certification mechanisms need to be was launched one year ago, showed that developed at the national and regional level. countries in the MENA region have broadly followed similar paths of educational 2- Disseminate information about school outcomes development, and concluded that future - An accurate, credible, regularly updated, and reforms need to focus on changing the detailed information system is required to incentive structure and reinforcing improve educational outcomes, as well as to accountability measures. ensure that all vehicles of public accountability function on the basis of a firm Reforms in the MENA region have been foundation. Educational information systems dominated by the engineering perspective, i.e. tend to be weak in the MENA region, as putting in place buildings, teachers, and demonstrated by the many gaps in basic pedagogical materials based on a simple educational data available to the public: even prediction of demand. The findings of the basic information on student outcomes, February 2009 Number 2 2 attendance, dropout, teacher absenteeism, and school-wide, sometimes specific departments) teacher training and qualification needs is not to work together to improve learning readily available to school, district, and outcomes. Moreover, teacher licenses and national education managers on a timely promotion could require teachers to basis. This weakness is rather the result of a continuously upgrade their skills and lack of political will to disseminate competencies, rather than having them information about school performance to depend on seniority alone. parents and other stakeholders than a technical incapacity to measure outcomes. It 5- Replace Accountability to the State with is a major obstacle to successful reforms. Accountability to the Public - For educational systems to perform better, they must cater to 3- Move from Engineering Inputs to Engineering the increasingly complex demands of a for Results: Education must produce diverse clientele (parents, students, workers, appropriate skills for global competition and employers). Ensuring better accountability to meet a growing demand for post compulsory this public is of paramount importance. education. This increased complexity requires Institutional mechanisms must be put in place a new kind of engineering based on to promote a more level playing field for partnership rather than hierarchical stakeholders to influence educational policy, command. Regional governments need to resource allocation, and service delivery. In abandon the idea that they need to control the MENA, accountability has usually been allocation of all educational inputs and organized by governments in the form of resources. Rather, they should set clear consultative events, parliamentary oversight objectives and coordinate the contributions of committees, advisory committees, or non- an assortment of actors (public, private, local, governmental representation on oversight non-governmental) to meet the expected agencies. In many other regions, civil society objectives. Some of the tools for this type of has also created such mechanisms through engineering include quality control and advocacy and "watchdog" organizations, public-private partnerships. specialized journals, independent research institutes, and professional associations. Such 4- Move From Hierarchical Control to Incentive- instances are just starting to appear in MENA Compatible Contracts - To promote the countries and need to be recognized and flexibility and performance of educational encouraged. actors there are three areas in which MENA countries can further improve incentive Is There a Role for Regional Cooperation? structures. First, non-public provision of Despite the increased evidence pointing to the instruction and education should be further need to improve education, MENA countries promoted, particularly in areas where it has still lack the critical capacity and human an evident comparative advantage to meet resources needed to conduct education diversified demand for educational services research, to disseminate results and to inform (for example, non-formal education, policy-making. In this domain, national vocational training, and post-secondary efforts can be effectively supplemented by education). Second, more decision-making regional approaches that promote the sharing responsibilities could be shifted to the school of good practices and facilitate the emergence or university level to increase flexibility. of regional networks of experts. In parallel, (additional) public financing could The region also needs cooperation to develop be tied to outcomes and innovation, thus coherent qualification frameworks and quality ensuring accountability for performance. assurance mechanisms at the higher education Finally, new teacher incentive structures are level, which will be essential to labor mobility needed. Although linking teacher pay or in the future. While specialized regional promotion to class outcomes is controversial, institutions, such as ALECSO, have existed for many countries are experimenting with a long time, they have not been focusing on incentives to teaching teams (sometimes building regional programs, and so far have February 2009 Number 2 3 played a timid role. For the past year, the Contact MNA K&L: World Bank, within the framework of its Arab Nadir Mohammed, Director, MNA Operational World Initiative, has been attempting to find Core Services Unit David Steel, Manager, MNA Development ways to cooperate with dedicated regional Effectiveness Unit institutions to launch a number of initiatives covering several areas, including the use of Regional Quick Notes Team: empirical evidence in the formulation, Omer Karasapan, Dina El-Naggar, Roby Fields, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Najat Yamouri, and Aliya Jalloh education policies aimed at educational Tel #: (202) 473 8177 improvement. The MNA Quick Notes are intended to summarize lessons learned from MNA and other Bank Knowledge and Learning activities. The Notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, its board or its member countries. February 2009 Number 2 4