Transitions: Critical Junctures

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Transitions Critical Junctures

• Caroline Arnold Kathy Bartlett
• Co-Directors, Education
• Aga Khan Foundation

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• Background

• UPE -- leading to increased enrolments
• Strains on education systems
• teachers- (In place? With needed skills?
• quality of learning
• students/families demand for more than primary
• High drop-out at key transition points
• Grade 1
• End of primary to early secondary
• End Secondary

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Progress towards EFA completion goal and
relevant MDGs

• Across many countries -- massive increases in
  initial enrolments, but little change in survival
  to last grade
• Uganda 25
• or Primary Completion
• Madagascar 27
• Benin 36
• Pakistan 48
• Source EFA GMR 2009
• Where are efforts breaking down?

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Crisis in Grade One The Need for Attention to
Early Transition

• Grade 1 DROP-OUT
• Uganda 32 Pakistan 15
• India 14 Madagascar 25
• Grade 1 REPETITION
• Burundi 37 Malawi 26
• Uganda 12 Nepal 37
• Source EFA GMR 2009

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03-074
Rates of Return to Human Development Investment
Across all Ages
8
6
Pre-school Programs
Return Per Invested
School
4
R
Job Training
2
Pre- School
School
Post School
0
6
18
Age
Pedro Carneiro, James Heckman, Human Capital
Policy, 2003
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World Bank Analysis ECD and Primary Completion
Rates highly correlated in FTI countriesECD
increases probability of school completion
M.E. Young, April, 2008
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Investment

• ECD tiny of aid allocated to Primary
• Highest is that of Canada and Netherlands (3)
• ECD critical for achieving EFA and MDGs (ECD
  goes through age 8)

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Lack of LearningIf not reading fluently by end
grade 3 probably never will

• Grade 1-2 teachers
• Low status
• Lack of skills and resources to teach young
  children

• Insufficient time for actual teaching and
  learning process
• Double shifts
• Absenteeism
• Over-crowded timetable
• Language of Instruction
• Need for inclusive curriculum and reading
  materials

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Addressing transition issues for marginalised
Non-state Contributions

• The Data
• One third of increase in primary enrolment since
  1991 in non-state provision (23 of 69 million)
• increase in enrolments
• Non-state 58
• Public 10
• Massive under-reporting on non-state provision
• UIS (136 majority world countries), 2007

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Non-state / State Partnerships

• Simple
• vouchers, grants, scholarships, contracting out
  for technical assistance
• Complex --
• longer-term, likely to evolve over time
• Recognises complimentary roles/joint ownership
  between Government and Non-state partner

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• Pakistan
• Private provider - especially filling gap for
  girls
• Primary
• Secondary coaching centres, schools
• Tertiary
• Capacity Building for gov.
• Teacher Training and mentoring (AKU-PDCs)
• EMIS and new strategy

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Transition Programme Research Study

• Random sampling used to select programme schools
  and matched non-programme schools (114 total
  sample)
• 
  Project Control
• Attendance Pre-primary 86
  34
• Class 1 64 36
• Promotion Similar positive trends
• Classroom Environment Dramatic differences in
  pre-school
• Learning Achievement data
• Effects stronger for marginalized children (girls
  and government schools)
• Importance of non-state schools in addressing
  quality issues

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Afghanistan

• Dramatic drop-outs (esp. girls in 1st 3 years)
• From standard school improvement to real
  attention to early primary
• Scaffolding approach - reading and maths
• Early grades materials kits
• Girls model high schools in selected districts
  with optional teacher training year built in at
  end

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When do Children Enter and Leave the System?
G R A D E Age 6 Age 6 Age 7 Age 7 Age 8 Age 8 Age 9 Age 9 Age 10 Age 10 Age 11 Age 11 Age 12 Age 12 Age 13 Age 13 Age 14 Age 14 Age 15 Age 15 Age 16 Age 16
G R A D E M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F
1 741 653 866 742 501 492 278 223 168 152 77 67 47 32 18 24 2 3        
2 10 26 381 324 544 609 393 358 343 245 197 141 119 96 78 51 30 30 10 12 9 3
3     6 13 109 86 357 264 428 373 260 228 183 168 148 134 104 70 65 41 25 17
4         7 2 66 50 143 113 291 232 279 231 182 138 144 116 99 65 44 25
5             4 2 27 21 116 97 192 128 192 160 238 155 165 103 108 40
2006 data
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Mozambique Push and pull factors

• Pre-schools to improve childrens readiness and
  timely enrolment
• Addressing later transitions
• Bridges to the Future
• Alternative offerings for upper prim.
• Analyzing data/ Conducting studies
• Positive deviance study
• Current Opportunities to Learn Study
• Building accountability addressing quality of
  learning

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Priorities for AKF

• More ECD and better links to primary
• Focus on early primary as critical piece of
  education reform
• Improve lower primary teachers knowledge, skills
  and status
• Specific attention to early reading
• Encouraging families to look at/read books with
  children (all ages)

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Priorities for AKF cont.

• Better information and data
• Grade disaggregated data
• Special studies including impact analysis
• State/Non-State/Community Partnerships
• Testing alternative strategies for post-primary
• Developing local language storybooks
• Involving parents and communities (ECD,
  monitoring absenteeism, etc)

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