Education for Some More than Others ?
A Regional Study
on Education
in CEE/CIS
2007
Why the title
‘Education for Some More than Others?’
BACKGROUND
Follow-up to UNICEF IRC report (1998) - “Education for
All ?” - which found marked increase in disparities in
quantity & quality of education in CEE/CIS
How far has this trend towards ‘Education for Some
More than Others’ continued?
How far have the 12 steps towards ‘Education for All’
recommended in 1998 been taken, & what additional
steps are needed now?
A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
The report examines:
1. The regional context
2. Education reforms – where are we now ?
3. Access and equity issues
4. Learning and Labour Outcomes
5. Costs, financing and governance
FOCUS ON EQUITY
The report analyses equity and disparity issues in basic
education – from 3 different angles :
From a Human Rights point of view
From a Social Cohesion point of view
From a longer-term Economic point of view
Geographic Coverage
29 countries – 6 Sub-Regions
Caucasus
Central Asia
South and Eastern Europe
Western CIS
Central and Eastern Europe
Baltic States
CEE/CIS Region
Russian Federation
Belarus
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ukraine
Croatia Serbia
Kazakhstan
Romania
Bulgaria
Moldova
Georgia
Montenegro
Albania
TFYR of
Macedonia
Uzbekistan
Kyrgyzstan
Turkmenistan
Turkey
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Tajikistan
THE CEE/CIS CONTEXT
CONTEXT
Economic recovery throughout the region but … fiscal
difficulties in weaker economies
Increased average standard of living but … increased
income inequality and rising unemployment rates
Decline in absolute poverty but persisting pockets of
poverty – particularly child poverty
Prevalence of child labour (Moldova, Central Asia, SEE)
– to the detriment of schooling
Steep downward trend in the population aged 0-17
KEY FINDINGS
KEY FINDINGS (1)
Almost two decades after the onset of transition …
Reversal and Deterioration of Education in CEE/CIS
Provision and quality of education in CEE/CIS has not
improved; instead, it has deteriorated in many ways
Trends observed in 1998 towards increased disparities in
education have continued.
KEY FINDINGS (2)
2.4 million children of primary-school age (9%) out of
school in the region in 2004
12 million children of secondary-school age (22%) out
of school in the region in 2004
More than 14 million children entering adult life without
either any kind of formal education or a school diploma
KEY FINDINGS (3)
3 countries – Georgia, Moldova and Tajikistan - unlikely to
achieve MDG 2 (universal primary education completion
by 2015)
2 countries – Turkey and Tajikistan - not on track to
achieve MDG 3 (elimination of gender disparities at all
levels of education by 2015)
KEY FINDINGS (4)
Children out of school :
Family background (family income, parental education)
is increasingly a determinant of inequality in enrolment
and attendance – mainly at pre-school level
Ethnic groups – particularly Roma - are at great
educational disadvantage with enrolment and completion
rates well below those of the majority-group children (see
graphs on next slides)
Children with Special Needs : number of children in
institutions or receiving benefits tripled between 1990
and 2000 – from 500,000 to 1.5 million
Roma children
Net Enrolment Primary Education (%)
100
80
60
40
20
Roma
Source : OSI & TRANSMONEEE
Majority
ia
om
an
R
ni
a
M
ac
ed
o
ro
at
ia
C
ul
ga
ri
a
B
A
lb
an
ia
0
Figure 3.17: Educational attainment by ethnicity, Bulgaria,
Hungary & Romania, 2000
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Higher education (complete &
incomplete)
Some secondary
Primary or below
NonRoma
Roma
Bulgaria
NonRoma
Roma
Hungary
NonRoma
Roma
Romania
Budget Deprivation in Tajikistan
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Between-country disparities:
More public expenditure on education produces better
results up to a certain level – CEE and Baltic States (see
graph on next slide)
Within-country disparities :
Socio-economic background is one of the most important
factors influencing learning outcomes
Relevance of Education:
Countries in the region do better in TIMSS and PIRLS
than in PISA → source of concern
1
EST
average rank on mean achievement in 2 to 6 tests
NLD
3
SWE
CZE
HUN
5
NZL
POL
LTU
7
USA
LVA
SVK
9
RUS
SVN
ITA
11
NOR
BGR
13
ARM
ROU
MDA
15
TUR
MKD
17
ALB
0
250
500
750
1000
1250
1500
1750
public expenditure on education per capita (in US$ at PPPs)
2000
2250
2500
LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES
High youth unemployment rates : 35.6% in SEE (2001) and
30.4% in CEE (2005)
Statistics show that young workers of both sexes do benefit
from staying in education system as long as possible
But focus-group discussions show that people in poorer
countries are skeptical about reaping benefits of education particularly in case of girls in Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Turkey
COSTS, FINANCING & GOVERNANCE (1)
Public expenditure on education increased but remains
insufficient in most countries and tends to benefit the
richest families
Reforms have been initiated but have not penetrated the
classrooms – particularly in poorer and rural areas
Out-dated teaching methods, lack of relevance of
curricula, poorly paid and demotivated teachers, low
transition to upper-secondary education → decreasing
quality + falling demand for education
COSTS, FINANCING & GOVERNANCE (2)
Decentralization: funding burden passed to local
communities and families to the detriment of equity
Student/ teacher ratios: Demographic dividend  scope
for efficiency gains
Private tutoring becoming more widespread (69% of
secondary school students in some countries) → Danger
of unethical practices, low-income families lose out
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS (1)
Need to re-define the basic package of educational
services that a state should provide free to its citizens
Need to improve governance of education systems –
decentralization, community participation
Need to increase efficiency – take better advantage of
demographic dividend - make greater use of Medium
Term Expenditure Frameworks
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS (2)
Other measures : promote early childhood approaches,
child-friendly school principles, child-centered teaching
methods, school fee abolition, cash transfers …etc
Make use of existing frameworks – Fast Track Initiative,
EU accession and affiliation processes (Stability Pact,
European Neighborhood Policy) to push reforms forward
IMPLICATIONS FOR UNICEF
IMPLICATIONS FOR UNICEF
Need to make better use of field presence/experience to
contribute to education reforms through evidence-based
advocacy and policy dialogue
Need to expand/refine sector analysis to explore further
such areas as governance, costing, financing, political
economy, accountability, efficiency … using a human
rights lens
Need to build capacity within UNICEF Offices and among
partners to play such a new role
UNICEF’s WORK IN CEE/CIS
UNICEF’s WORK IN CEE/CIS
Less project work – Greater involvement at policy level
Lead donor agency for FTI in 4 countries
Lead role in ECCE reform and expansion – 12 countries
initiated the development of Early Learning and
Development Standards (ELDS)
Girls Education Campaign in Turkey
Child-Friendly School approach gaining momentum –
6/15 countries involved in the development of Child
Friendly School Indicators or Standards for Quality
Education
Thank You