Education Finance Report on the Pan-African Seminar on the Financing and Financial Management of Education in Africa
(Dakar, October 12-14, 1997)
Budgetary constraints and the increasing demand for education are urging educational planners and economists to develop new strategies and techniques for the financing of education. Ensuring that existing funds are managed as best one can and exploring previously untapped resources were among the many questions discussed in Dakar during the Pan-African Seminar on the Financing and Financial Management of Education.
Below is a summary of the seminar. This is followed by articles on a variety of topics: a review of the literature undertaken by the Working Group on Finance and Education takes stock of the existing research on the financial management of education in sub-Saharan Africa; a comprehensive assessment of the costs of education in Mali and Madagascar; an account of a novel experiment in community participation in Botswana; and, exploring cost-recovery for the provision of textbooks. Finally, the whole question of teacher compensation - a major factor in overall costs - is discussed in the interview section.
The ADEA Working Group on Finance and Education (WGFE) and the IIEP sponsored a Pan-African Seminar on the Financing and Financial Management of Education in Africa that took place October 12-14, 1997, in Dakar, just preceding the ADEA Biennial meetings. Rémy Noumon, coordinator of the WGFE and Serge Peano of IIEP worked hard to organize the first African-wide seminar on issues that have traditionally been neglected÷bringing together fifty African researchers, policy makers and experts in budget management and education finance from sixteen countries and five funding agencies.
The aim of the seminar was to allow policy makers to improve their understanding and knowledge about issues related to financing mechanisms and budget management. The participants were able to draw on work that has recently been completed by IIEP in collaboration with Ministries of Education in some six countries as well as research conducted in Botswana, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal. Just as important, the meeting provided a forum for participants to share information about each country's specific problems and knowledge about policy experience and initiatives in the area of education financing. Numerous papers were distributed at the seminar which can be obtained from the WGFE Secretariat and IIEP (see below: Reference Papers Presented at the Pan-African Seminar on the Financing and the Financial Management of Education).
Mechanisms of education financing
Discussion over the three days was organized around three themes. The first day concentrated on mechanisms of education financing and was chaired by Sibry Tapsoba of IDRC. Overview papers were presented by IIEP researchers, Dramane Oulai and Igor Kitaev. The particular case of Botswana was highlighted in a paper presented by Professor Moorad from the University of Botswana.
There was general consensus that the decentralization of financing requires clear rules on responsibilities and funding formulas so that equity and efficiency in the delivery of education services can be enhanced.
Education costs and cost analysis
Day two was devoted to a discussion of education costs at primary, secondary and post-secondary levels. This session was chaired by Linda English of the World Bank. A number of illustrative country studies providing good methodological guides for estimating costs were presented. The importance of comparing private and public systems in order to analyze cost efficiency in service delivery was highlighted. Sekou Traoré of the Ministry of Basic Education of Mali, Serge Peano of IIEP and Richard Rahaririaka of the Ministry of National Education in Madagascar presented the results of their studies on primary education in Mali and primary and secondary education in Madagascar. The presentation given by Professors Diagne and Daffé from the University Cheik Anta Diop (Senegal) on internal efficiency and higher education costs in Senegal, was a useful demonstration on how cost analysis can provide policy advice on reforming financing at the post-secondary levels.
There was general recognition that the systems to collect information needed for cost analysis are not in place. Presentations by Alice Kouadio from the Ministry of National Education in Côte d'Ivoire and Mr. Nguessan of the Centre Ivoirien de recherche economique et sociale (CIRES) examined the allocation of education expenditures in Côte d'Ivoire. They discussed management information systems needed in order to monitor the evolution of costs and expenditures over time.
Budget management
The final theme of the seminar was on budget management and was chaired by Jacques Hallak, Director of IIEP. Issues were introduced and summarized in an overview paper which was presented by Rémy Noumon, Coordinator of the WGFE. Reports prepared by country teams from Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zanzibar were presented. They provided a rich diagnosis of the problems encountered by Ministries of Education in managing resources.
There was a very lively discussion on the issues raised. Systems of government are changing faster than budget management can keep up. The trends point to increased decentralization, local government autonomy, outsourcing for services, and alternative teacher financing arrangements. However, the requisite reforms of management systems to monitor performance have not followed.
Education Ministries alone cannot reform the budget process. This will require coordination with Ministries of Finance and demand for more transparency and efficiency from all stakeholders. While there was no clear consensus on what steps need to be taken, participants recognized the need for major budget reforms in order for education priorities to materialize. Indeed, the very poor management of education systems in Africa was considered by many to be the number one constraint towards making progress in attaining education goals in Africa.
Small group discussions
In addition to the plenary discussions described above, participants broke into eight working groups on the following topics: Family and community contributions; Development and financing of private education, Education financing in a decentralized context; Priority to basic education: implementation difficulties; Cost reduction; Teachers' Wages; Knowledge of education costs; and Management and control of expenditures. The lively discussions were an excellent opportunity for participants to share country experiences. Examples included very informed exchanges on: (i) experiences with private sector delivery in Gabon, Senegal, Benin and Côte d'Ivoire; (ii) alternative teacher financing schemes such as hiring lower-cost contractual teachers in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Gabon; and, (iii) recent developments and past experience with decentralization in Anglophone and Francophone countries.
While each group produced lengthy reports and numerous recommendations, there were some common priorities and lessons. The major lesson was that teacher recruitment and financing was one of the key areas where reform is needed in order to improve education quality and to contain costs. Almost all groups discussed this subject in some aspect.
The group on teachers' wages made a useful presentation, showing that one needs to decompartmentalize the problem into numerous sub-problems, define the multidimensional aspects of issues and list the possible policy responses. For example, in order to better manage teacher costs, policy makers should focus on more than just salaries and examine (i) all costs related to teachers; (ii) how teachers' salaries are determined; (iii) what the salary structure is and how this can be modified; (iv) how to improve the utilization of teachers and thereby reduce unit costs; and (v) devise/revise the incentive structure to improve performance.
Conclusions drawn
Common issues and priorities highlighted in a number of working groups were the following:
- there is a need for further documentation of African experience;
- greater accountability on how resources are used will force change on how systems are managed;
- better information on costs is needed in order to improve the management of education resources÷this is true for all levels of involvement;
- more cost-effective strategies are needed, especially for teacher financing and textbooks;
- meeting goals for basic education requires clearer policy frameworks and realistic strategies÷this requires effective management information systems;
- the private sector has a lot to offer and needs to be encouraged÷this calls for government to play a different role;
- decentralization needs to be planned and requires participation at the local level. Rules and responsibilities need to be clarified if change is to bring positive results.
Linda English
The World Bank
Reference Papers Presented at the Pan-African Seminar on
the Financing and the Financial Management of Education
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Community Financing of Education in Botswana, by Fazlur MooradThe Information System on Education Costs Project, by Ko Chih TungRendement interne et coûts dâun diplômé de lâenseignement supérieur au Sénégal, by Abdoulaye Diagne and Gaye DafféLe système dâinformation sur le financement de lâéducation en Côte dâIvoire, by Alice Kouadio Odounfa and Nguessan Coffi Francis JoséLa simulation pour le développement du système éducatif malien,1996-2008, by Youba BaLâallocation des ressources de lâéducation en Afrique subsaharienne : Rétrospectives et perspectives, by Medjomo Coulibaly and Beedeeanun ConhyeDécentralisation et financement de lâéducation, by Dramane OulaiQuel développement pour le secteur privé, by Igor KitaevLe coût de lâenseignement primaire et secondaire à Madagascar, by Richard Rahaririaka and Serge PéanoLes processus budgétaires au Burkina Faso, en Côte dâIvoire et au Mali, by Julien Daboué and Dramane OulaiLes processus budgétaires au Swaziland, en Zambie et au Zimbabwe, by M. Mageza and Igor Kitaev
For copies of the papers, please contact:
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