Education financing
At the crossroads: choices for secondary education and training in sub-Saharan Africa
The transition towards junior secondary education in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors:
A. Verspoor; J. Bregman
Publisher:
Africa Region Human Development Department, World Bank, 2007
The Secondary Education in Africa (SEIA) initiative has conducted a participatory process of analysis, dialogue and reflection in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) since 2002. It aims to:
- help collect and summarise best practices for sustainable expansion and improvement of secondary general, vocational and technical education
- identify policy options for sustainable reforms
- provide a forum for discussion and partnerships among stakeholders in SSA
- contribute to better donor coordination in support of secondary education reforms.
This report summarises the findings to date and discusses policy options that countries may wish to consider and ways for the donor community to provide support.
The transition towards widespread completion of junior secondary education and gradual expansion of senior secondary education has only recently begun in SSA. In much of SSA, countries need to address the triple challenge of expanding access, improving quality and ensuring equity. A strategy that fits the particular conditions of the current development context in SSA will have to be one that:
- is conservative in resource use
- recognises the bottom-up sequential nature of education development
- is closely aligned with national development priorities
- anticipates labour market demand
- strengthens school autonomy
- ensures effective central direction and support
- builds public-private partnership reflecting relative competence for action
It will prioritise the expansion of lower secondary education and the development of opportunities for further education and training in response to the demands of economic growth. It also implies an evolving role of the government towards policy formation, setting of standards and monitoring of progress towards national goals as well as the provision of funding to support a broad base equitable expansion of secondary education with incentives for private provision and subsidies to disadvantaged students to ensure equality of opportunity.
Implementing change along these lines will require:
- capacity development throughout the system
- effective management information system
- long-lasting political commitment and leadership
