Publication: Ghana Engaging the Private Sector in Education: SABER Pilot Country Report 2015
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2017-06
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2017-06
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Systems approach for better education results (SABER) - engaging the private sector (EPS) research in Ghana has found that enrollment rates for primary and secondary education have increased significantly. At both the primary and secondary levels, quality, and equity remain challenges. The private sector plays an increasingly significant role in education at both levels. Based on a review of existing policies, SABER-EPS offers the following recommendations for Ghana to enhance private sector engagement in education and meet the challenges of access, quality, and equity: (1) strengthen policies to ensure independent private schools are more accountable for learning outcomes; (2) provide greater incentives to support a diverse number of private school providers while ensuring equitable access; and (3) encourage innovation in schools by ensuring greater flexibility in managing schools, services, and staff. This report presents an analysis of how effectively policies in Ghana engage the private sector in basic (primary and secondary) education. The report provides an overview of the SABER-EPS tool, followed by a description of the basic education system in Ghana that focuses on the private sector and government policies related to the private provision of education. The report then benchmarks Ghana’s policy environment utilizing the SABER-EPS framework and offers policy options to enhance access and learning for all children in primary and secondary school.
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“Baum, Donald Rey; Abdul-Hamid, Husein; De Brular, Laura Lewis; Lusk-Stover, Oni; Tettey, Leslie Ofosu. 2017. Ghana Engaging the Private Sector in Education: SABER Pilot Country Report 2015. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28258 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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Publication The Role of the Private Sector in Providing Basic Education Services in Kasoa, Ghana(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015)Despite significant government investments in the public education system, population growth and migration have led to an undersupply of school places, especially in urban centers, leading to an increase in private education enrollments in Ghana. Ghana has nearly doubled enrollment at the primary and junior high school levels since the introduction of free and compulsory universal basic education. Ghana’s primary net enrollment rate of 86.8 percent in 2013 is still slightly below the average for lower-middle-income countries, which was 87.3 percent. Its net rate of secondary enrollment (including junior and senior high school), 51 percent, is also lower than the 58 percent average for lower-middle-income countries (EdStats). Ghana’s public spending on education is comparable to that of other middle-income countries and the government is currently focusing its attention on upper secondary education (senior high school), with plans to build more schools to increase access. Rising enrollment rates have not been accompanied by gains in student learning; some parents are choosing private schools due to their perceived higher quality. The education system in Ghana is currently facing fiscal pressures due to low levels of accountability, inefficient allocation of resources, and plans to expand upper secondary provision. Although the Ghanaian government has made progress in improving equitable access to education through new programs and policies, government resources are currently unevenly distributed across regions in terms of spending per pupil as well as the allocation of teachers. Ghana currently has a budget deficit, with teacher salaries forming a large part of recurrent costs in education. The country also plans to expand education at the senior secondary level to meet the needs of the economy. The construction of 200 schools will put further pressure on government budgets.Publication The Role of the Private Sector in Lagos, Nigeria(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-06-30)Private schools are currently educating the majority of primary and secondary education students in Lagos State, Nigeria. As such, Lagos is one of the largest private school markets in the world. Notwithstanding the influence of this sector, not enough is known about the operations of private schools in Lagos State, their impact on student learning opportunities, and their overall implications for the economic and social development of Nigeria. This report presents results from analyses of: (i) the regulatory environment governing private education provision; (ii) implementation of existing regulations; and (iii) the provision of private school services in Lagos. The results of this research can be used to inform the government on how to effectively regulate and engage with the private education sector.Publication What Matters Most for Engaging the Private Sector in Education(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-07)This paper provides an overview of what matters most for engaging the private sector in basic education. In many countries, private schools educate a substantial and growing share of the student population. The goal of this paper is not to advocate for private schooling, but to outline the most effective evidence based policies that governments can use to orient these non-state providers toward promoting learning for all children and youth. Systems approach for better education results (SABER) engaging the private sector (EPS) builds upon the framework for effective service delivery outlined in the World Bank's World Development Report 2004, making services work for the poor, as well as in the World Bank's education sector strategy 2020, learning for all. To assist countries in improving their policy frameworks for private education, SABER EPS analyzes and benchmarks four policy goals that, according to the global evidence, can strengthen provider accountability and promote learning for all. These policy goals are: (1) encouraging innovation by providers; (2) holding schools accountable; (3) empowering all parents, students, and communities; and (4) promoting diversity of supply. Each of these policy goals is benchmarked across four common models of private service delivery: (a) independent private schools, (b) government funded private schools, (c) privately managed schools, and (d) voucher schools. In its country level application of the framework and tools, SABER EPS assesses only the modes of private delivery that already exist in each country.Publication Zambia Engaging the Private Sector in Education(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-06)This report presents an analysis of how effectively the current policies of Zambia engage the private sector in basic (primary and secondary) education. The analysis draws on the engaging the private sector (EPS) framework, a product of the World Bank’s systems approach for better education results (SABER). SABER-EPS research in Zambia has found that despite impressive gains in enrollment, education quality remains a serious concern, as does equity - especially beyond the primary level. School providers in Zambia include private schools, community schools, and grant-aided schools. Non-government schools account for a sizable share of education service provision in the country. Based on a review of existing policies, SABER-EPS offers the following recommendations for Zambia to enhance its engagement with the non-state sector in education and to meet the challenges of access, quality, and equity: strengthen system accountability measures; consider a needs-based inspection system where underperforming schools receive greater scrutiny and support; and increase the information available to parents on school quality, including via school report cards. The report provides an overview of SABER-EPS, followed by a description of the basic education system in Zambia, with a focus on the non-state sector and government policies related to the private provision of education. The report then benchmarks Zambia’s policy environment utilizing the SABER-EPS framework and finally offers policy options to enhance learning for all children in primary and secondary school.Publication Malawi Engaging the Private Sector in Education(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2017-06)This report presents an analysis of how effectively current policies in Malawi engage the private sector in primary and secondary education. The analysis draws on the engaging the private sector (EPS) framework, a product of the World Bank’s systems approach for better education results (SABER). SABER-EPS research in Malawi found that the net enrollment rate for primary education has increased significantly, to 89 percent, while secondary net enrollment rate remains low, at only 11 percent as of 2013 (the latest available data). At both the primary and secondary levels, quality, and equity are challenges. The private sector plays an increasingly significant role in education at both levels. Based on a review of existing policies, SABER-EPS offers the following recommendations for enhancing private sector engagement in the education sector in the country in order to meet the challenges of access, quality, and equity: (1) concentrate on improving the quality of learning outcomes by encouraging continuous improvement at the school level by means of school improvement planning and incentives; (2) empower parents by ensuring that they are given information on school quality that enables them to make informed choices and are not hindered by restrictive school selection criteria; and (3) create a regulatory environment that encourages greater supply of school places to help overcome constraints, particularly at the secondary level. The report provides an overview of SABER-EPS, followed by a description of the primary and secondary education system in Malawi with a focus on the private sector and government policies related to the private provision of education. The report then benchmarks Malawi’s policy environment utilizing the SABER-EPS Framework and offers policy options to enhance access and learning for all children in primary and secondary school.
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