Government of Uganda
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1 Government of Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports & Education Development Partners FAST TRACK INITIATIVE APPRAISAL REPORT: UPDATED EDUCATION SECTOR STRATEGIC PLAN 2010‐2015 FINAL DRAFT September 2010
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ENDORSEMENT LETTER 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 1 INTRODUCTION 7 SECTOR OVERVIEW 7 2 THE EDUCATION SECTOR STRATEGIC PLAN 20102015: KEY ISSUES 9 Pressures to expand Secondary Education ....................................................................... 12 3 COSTS AND FINANCING OF EDUCATION 16 LongTerm Strategic Direction for Sector Development: Evaluation of Financial Needs and
Cost and Finance simulation model 17 Coverage and costs of PostSecondary Education, Vocational Education and NonFormal
Education........................................................................................................... 18 4 CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE OR DATA GAPS 19 5 CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS AND DEVELOPMENT 21 6 MONITORING SECTOR PERFORMANCE 25 7 HARMONISATION, AID EFFECTIVENESS AND FUNDING MODALITY 26 TABLES 29 TABLE 1. CATALOGUE OF MAIN DOCUMENTS USED FOR THE TECHNICAL APPRAISAL 29 TABLE 2A. POPULATION AND EDUCATION INDICATORS SELECTED FROM THE APPRAISAL 31 TABLE 2B. EDUCATION INDICATORS FOR DISADVANTAGED GROUPS 32 TABLE 3A: EDUCATION SECTOR OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES 35 TABLE 3B. SELECTED COST AND FINANCING SIMULATION FOR ASSESSING STRATEGIC
DIRECTIONS 38 TABLE 4A. SELECTED QUANTITATIVE TARGETS IN THE 5YEAR ACTION PLAN 39 TABLE 4B. PERFORMANCE AND DISBURSEMENT OF EXTERNALLY FUNDED PRIMARY
PROJECTS/PROGRAMMES 43 TABLE 4C. CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS AND PLANS TO OVERCOME THEM 44 TABLE 5. CONSULTATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS 49 TABLE 6. SUMMARY OF TECHNICAL APPRAISAL 51 ANNEX A: JOINT ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK – EDUCATION SECTION 53 ANNEX B: SUMMARY OF CRITICAL ISSUES AND PRIORITIES IDENTIFIED IN THE QSR 62 ANNEX C: PROGRESS ON MDG AND EFA TARGETS 68 ANNEX D: SUMMARY OF UGANDA’S ENGAGEMENT WITH FTI 76 ANNEX E: COST AND FINANCING SCENARIOS 77
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Endorsement of Uganda’s Education Sector Strategic Plan (20072015)
We, the undersigned, have positively appraised the Government of Uganda’s (GoU) Updated Education Sector Strategic Plan (20102015), presented in this Appraisal Report.
We therefore propose that the Updated Uganda Education Sector Strategic Plan (20102015) be endorsed by the FTI Secretariat.
Country: UGANDA
Belgium Embassy
European Union
Over the past decade the Education for All (EFA) Fast Track Initiative (FTI) has alongside development partners and national governments substantially increased the resources for countries that have developed sound policies and plans to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of completion of Universal Primary Education (UPE) by 2015. The FTI family – countries that have benefited from additional resources for education – is now 42 including Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Malawi.
Strengths
• Shows long term and evolving sector development process from 1998 to 2015 that now covers the entire education sector
• Reaffirms commitment to a system of growth and quality enhancement from primary to postprimary and beyond
• Is the result of processes of internal and external stakeholder consultations
• Articulates a clearer path from policy priorities to objectives to strategies
• Embodies regular review through a strong joint annual review mechanism
• Devotes strong attention to greater equity and improving service delivery in difficult areas
• Recognises and puts forward actions to drive up education quality
• Responds to the need to improve sector governance, identified as a binding constraint in NDP through a range of initiatives that set standards, improve accountability and performance monitoring.
Areas of concerns
A number of constraints to performance in the education sector are identified in the NDP and through a recent Institutional Capacity Assessment:
Weak institutional alignment, coordination and accountability practices
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Inappropriate teaching methods, and inadequate supply of instructional materials to schools resulting in low levels of literacy and numeracy
Social and cultural practices, attitudes and perceptions relating particular to gender and marginalised groups which restrict participation
Inadequate physical infrastructure, including sports facilities and equipment
Weak, though improving, school inspection, support and supervision and weak performance monitoring, particularly of absenteeism, at school level
Lack of community participation and involvement of the parents, partly due to political interference
Specifically the appraisal team draws attention to
• Cost and capacity concerns resulting from the new teacher allocation formula
• Competing priorities of universal secondary and universal primary education
• The need for more reliable data, building on existing support by donors
• Internal inefficiencies including high admission, repetition and drop out rates
• High teacher and pupil absenteeism
• The need to establish one common results framework that clearly tracks progress against sector objectives.
Conclusion
The Education Development Partners (EDP) in Uganda conclude that the Updated ESSP is feasible and realistic. There is a substantial need for additional resources to support primary education. Whilst there remain issues, identified in this appraisal that will influence the achievement of sector objectives, the EDP maintain that there is an improving commitment and appetite for change. The GoU is showing willingness to address some of the binding constraints that afflict the education sector through a series of governance reforms that will improve internal efficiency, and have in place appropriate strategies to improve both access and quality. The EDPs continue to commit financial and technical resources to primary education and welcome the additional support from the FTI.
Six priority areas that would be the focus for FTI financing and support are identified as:
• School Facilities Grants to improve basic facilities including classrooms and sanitation
• Ensuring timely and adequate supply of instructional materials to significantly reduce Pupil Textbook Ratios (PTR) , especially in lower primary school
• Further strengthening teacher training, induction, deployment, support and management building on existing structures and systems (TDMS, CCTs)
• Raising school performance through broader community participation and stronger School Management Committees (SMCs) better able to manage school grants
• Development and execution of a Capacity Development Strategy, to include central capacity for policy and planning and that also focuses at the district level through a system of District Education Improvement Plans, coupled with improved reliability and use of data (EMIS)
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1 INTRODUCTION
a. This appraisal report is prepared in accordance with the FTI Guidelines for Appraisal of the Primary Education component of the Updated ESSP, adapted where appropriate to reflect the Ugandan context.
b. The FTI Appraisal Report is based on the best current and indicative projections available from the GoU, approved for use in this report by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES), the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. It draws extensively on latest reports, in particular the 2008/09 Education Sector Annual Progress Report (ESAPR). It addresses issues raised by the FTI Quality Support Review (QSR) of 2008.
c. The Appraisal Report has been prepared with full collaboration and involvement of the MoES and the EDPs.
d. The FTI process has been ongoing in Uganda since 2002. (see brief history at Annex D).
e. The key documents used in this appraisal are given at Table 1 (see later Tables Section). Principally they are:
• The National Development Plan 2010/11 – 2014/15
• The Updated Education Sector Strategic Plan 20102015
• The Revised Education Sector Strategic Plan 20072015
SECTOR OVERVIEW
The history of Uganda following independence in 1962 was initially one of political violence and turbulence that reduced Uganda to the verge of a failed state. Since 1986 Uganda has transformed, over the past two decades it has recorded consistently high economic growth and overall poverty levels have declined from 56% in 1992 to 31% in 2005. In recent years the rule of law has been strengthened, and following the restoration of peace in the north the process of reconstruction, rehabilitation and development is underway. The period of peace and growing prosperity has been marred by the scourge of HIV/AIDs and though Uganda has made considerable efforts in reducing the spread and impact of the pandemic, with seroprevalence reducing from a high of 18% in 1992 to an estimated current level of 6.1%. Uganda ranks 157th (out of 182 countries) on the UNDP Human Development Index: life expectancy is 51.9 years and adult literacy 73.6%. Uganda has one of the world’s highest fertility rates with an estimated population (2008) of 31.6 million which is projected to increase to 37.9m by 2015. Despite increased growth and stability, Uganda remains one of the world’s poorest countries.
The Ugandan economy experienced average growth of 8% between 2004/05 to 2007/08. The NDP forecasts GDP growth between 2010/11 and 2014/15 to be at an average of 7.2%
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per annum. The share of education as total government expenditure has declined from a high of 20.6% in 2002/03 to fluctuate between 15% and 16% in the last four years to 2008/09. Budget allocations will continue to come under pressure from competition from other priority sectors, in particular infrastructure and energy, and are predicted to remain between 15% and 16% till 2013/14 with a rise to 17.4% in 2014/15. Financial allocations are assessed as being insufficient to meet the aspirations of ESSP and there is a real need to improve the efficiency of service delivery within the education sector.
Primary education is characterised by low levels of internal efficiency with high repetition and drop out rates, low completion, high levels of both teacher and pupil absenteeism, generally low levels of accountability, inadequate infrastructure, uneven distribution of teachers and a paucity of instructional materials in schools. The recent study on efficiency in the education sector1 estimated that a third of resources to primary education are mis allocated. Pedagogy is outdated and teacher competencies are reported as weak. Pupil teacher ratios are high, averaging 54:1 in primary with Pupil Classroom ratios at 80:1 in government primary schools. But efforts are being made to reduce these through a new teacher allocation formula and incentives to place teachers in hard to reach locations. Uganda’s progress against both EFA and MDG targets is given at Annex C,
Effective planning and resource allocation has been constrained by incomplete data returns and perverse incentives to over report enrolments in schools to increase capitation grants. EMIS is being strengthened with donor support. Reform initiatives, albeit well conceived and designed, are often constrained in their implementation through lack of resources: inspectors and education officers lack transport, the new curriculum is hampered by lack of textbooks to cite but two.
Despite the supply side issues, demand for education remains high. Over the past decade enrolments have increased significantly with gender parity now practically achieved at primary level. There are large geographical variations across all indicators, with hard to reach rural areas having lowest performance on access, gender parity and achievement.
1 The Efficiency of Public Education in Uganda, World Bank 2008. 2 Based on population estimates from UBOS
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2 THE EDUCATION SECTOR STRATEGIC PLAN 20102015: KEY ISSUES
Uganda’s Updated ESSP is well contextualised with broader national development plans, in particular the National Development Plan (NDP) 2010/11 – 2014/15 and the Poverty Eradication action Plan (PEAP). The legislative basis governing education provision in Uganda is set out in the Education (Primary and PostPrimary) Act, 2008) which states that “basic education shall be provided and enjoyed as a right by all persons”.
Uganda’s ESSP was originally conceived and approved in 2003 and, commendably, took a realistic and long term view of sector development till 2015. The ESSP was revised in 2007 to take account of six new policy initiatives, resulting in the Revised ESSP 20072015, dated September 2008. This appraisal took place during a period of further revision prompted by the approval of Uganda’s NDP and by a number of recent studies and assessments. At the time of this report the Updated ESSP had been finalised, approved by donors and is in the process of formal endorsement by MoES. The report makes an assessment of the Updated ESSP 20102015, reflecting on its quality against objective criteria, and evaluates progress to date in implementation of reforms.
The process of revision that has characterised Uganda’s ESSP since 2003 reflects the dynamic nature of sector plans recognising the need for flexibility if long term aspirations are to be achieved. As part of the process of updating the ESSP a number of supplementary studies have been undertaken to address information gaps including (i) revised finance model and a amendment to the indicators, targets and projections; (ii) an institutional capacity assessment focusing on examinations, teacher education, school inspections and curriculum development; and (iii) a country study of preprimary and primary teacher development
The Government of Uganda is fully committed to the achievement of UPE and USE3. Whilst this appraisal acknowledges the ESSP as embracing the entire education sector, and has taken into account the full range of policy initiatives, in particular their likely impact on sector financing, the main substance of the appraisal is on Uganda’s plans and prospects in primary education and the challenges of meeting the MDG and EFA goals.
The policy objectives of the Updated ESSP may be summarised as follows:
a) increase equitable access at all levels of education, ensuring universal participation at primary level (seven years) and (lower) secondary level (four years)
b) Improve the quality and relevance of education;
c) Improve effectiveness and efficiency in delivery of education services
The education sector objectives from the Updated ESSP are presented at Annex A.
MoES has identified a number of key priorities (Figure 1) within the Updated ESSP to secure achievement of objectives of equitable access, quality and efficiency in primary education. These align with priorities in the NDP and with the performance targets contained in the Joint Assessment Framework (JAF) which forms the basis of support from the donors who provide assistance through the budget. Many of these are ongoing reforms already initiated under the Revised ESSP 20072015.
3 USE definition for Uganda: transition from P7 to S1, and retention, progression and completion of Secondary 1 (S1) to Secondary 6 (S6)
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This section of the appraisal assesses the long term strategic direction of the ESSP and seeks to answer questions in the Appraisal Guidelines.
The focus of this appraisal is on primary education – in particular access and quality though this cannot be viewed in isolation given competing demands from the subsectors, principally postprimary. The enrolment projections and the costings of the Updated ESSP have been based on revised and updated data, using latest budget projections and enrolment data. They are driven by the policy goals of universal primary and secondary (to form 4) education
Figure 1: MoES Priority areas under ESSP
Priority Areas: Access to Primary Education
1. Continue with implementation of UPE by providing capitation grants to cover school costs
2. Provide hardship allowances to improve PTR in hard to reach areas
3. Deploying more female teachers to rural schools to increase girls’ participation
4. Improve facilities at schools through use the School Facilities Grants (SFG)
Priority Areas – Quality and Relevance of Primary Education
1. Improve provision of instructional materials to schools to raise learning achievement.
2. Implement the new Thematic Curriculum in P1 to P3, start reform of upper primary curriculum
3. Improve pupil assessment, including school based continuous assessment.
4. Ensure adequate recruitment, distribution an performance of qualified teachers
5. Strengthen Primary Teacher Colleges so they supply sufficient adequately prepared teachers
6. Expand coverage of preprimary education through public private partnership and licensing more ECD centres
7. Reduce under and overaged enrolment.
8. Promote community / Parents’ involvement
Priority Areas Effectiveness and Efficiency of Primary Education
1. Improve school management through the Teacher Development and Management Systems (TDMS), Implement the Customised Performance Targets (CPT) scheme for head teachers, and use of School Improvement Plans
2. Ensure all schools have effective SMCs.
3. Effectively monitor learning achievement in numeracy and literacy skills and publish results
4. Regularly publish results of assessments of pupils’ achievements in literacy and numeracy, as a basis for each school’s plan for improvement of pupil achievement levels (JAF)
5. Strengthen the capacity and role of District Education Officers (DEOs) and District Inspectors of Schools (DIS) in school supervision.
6. Strengthen EMIS to collect, analyse and report data in a timely manner for planning and decision making
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7. Increase career incentives and progression for primary teachers, head teachers and teacher educators through new Schemes of Service
8. Introduce a system of standards that is the basis for improved capacity to track use of resources.
Priority Areas – Cross Cutting
1. Implement the new sector policy on HIV/AIDS with its emphasis on prevention, and to improve, guidance and counselling skills, care and support
2. Promote physical education and sports in schools
3. Increase opportunities for disabled children through Inclusive Education policy and strategies
What tradeoffs are envisaged to reach the stated goals in a manner that is fiscally realistic and that accommodates other claims on public resources, including claims by other education subsectors?
The theme of Uganda’s NDP is “Growth, Employment and SocioEconomic Transformation for Prosperity”. Four priority sectors are identified as Human Resource Development, Infrastructure, agricultural and industrial production, and science technology and innovation. Education thus competes with other key sectors linked to NDP goals. Under the MTEF Education’s share remains at around 15%16% but within the education sector secondary education share has increased from 22% in 2009 and will stay within the range of 28.6% to 31.3% under the MTEF. By 2015, total allocation to secondary will have increased by some 66% over 2010, driving a doubling of enrolment. Post S4 BTEVT increases by 72% over 2010, whilst primary share decreases by 1.8%. The decreasing share of primary is mostly due to the assumption that admissions will be monitored and internal efficiency will
4 Uganda National Household Survey 2005/06
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substantially improve (which remains to be seen). This explains the increasing share of secondary nearly as much as the increase of secondary enrolments.
Currently (2009/10 FY) primary education receives 58.7% of the total government education budget. This share is projected to decline further to 48% by 2014/15. The allocation to development spending is projected to rise from a very low 2.2% (2008/09) and will fluctuate between 9.2% and 16.9% over the ESSP period. Reforms therefore have to be considered against these ceilings.
Competition between subsectors in a policy environment that seeks continued expansion, inevitably involves trade offs. ESSP strategies to improve efficiency, in particular to reduce repetition, will to some extent offset the impact of reduced financing. The ESSP is strong on systems reforms to reduce wastage through a number of performance and accountability enhancing strategies.
Where GoU chooses to invest resources is critical. The decision to adopt the new teacher allocation formula, which increases to the salary component of the recurrent budget, was taken following the failure of multigrade teaching used under the old allocation formula. The current experience of curriculum reforms is a further case in point, where there has been poor coordination over the three aspects of reform which has affected implementation and reduced impact. However, increased attention in the Updated EESP to redressing the problems of overcrowding, high repetition and drop out and poor learning at in the early years of primary schooling are recognised in the ESSP, offering the chance to reverse the trend of prioritising higher levels of the primary cycle.
Insufficient materials are available and only partial teacher orientation has taken place which impacts negatively on schools and learners. An approach whereby the new curriculum is developed, teacher guides and materials produced, teachers oriented before introduction in schools will ensure greater success.
Pressures to expand Secondary Education
Uganda has witnessed a steady increase in enrolment in secondary education since 2000, with numbers of students rising from 518,931 in 2000 to 1.2 million in 2009. NDP estimates there to be just over 3000 secondary schools in Uganda: the private sector accounts for 57%, government for 31% and community schools 12%. The Government of Uganda made a policy commitment to move to universal post primary education and training (UPPET) in 2007. Since then participation in secondary education has increased by 30%. Actual transition rates from P7 to S15 have fluctuated widely over the past decade between 48.2% (2005) to 64% (2009), while admission rates to PLE have also fluctuated, although to a much more limited extent, and slightly increased. A combination of policy, increased demand and investment (both public and private) is likely to sustain pressure on this subsector and the share of the total budget to secondary education will be in range of 28.6% to 31.3% of education total over the plan period. Allocations to BTVET will also rise marginally from 2.9% to 4.4% over the same period.
Problems of low efficiency and poor quality are largely a result of poor management, with poor deployment and distribution of teachers and an overloaded curriculum. Student Teacher Ratios have remained fairly static at 27:1 whilst the Student Classroom ratio has dropped from over 46:1 in 2000 to around 35:1 in 2009.
5 Computed as a ratio between newly admitted students in S1 and P7 enrolments
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What structural policies are being adopted to ensure that student learning continues to improve in a context of rapid expansion?
The case for investing in education is stronger if that education is of good quality and that learners master the agreed competencies. Raising learning achievement is a core objective of the Updated ESSP which fully recognises that recent expansion has not been matched with improving learning achievement. Pupil performance as measured through SACMEQ6 assessments in 2005 found 26% of P6 pupils illiterate and 39% innumerate. NAPE results (ref Annex 2 of the Updated ESSP) for 2009 show a worsened picture: inadequacy amongst P6 pupils is 49% for numeracy and 52% for literacy. Half of Ugandan pupils, who make it through to P6, are in effect failing.
Trends of achievement at P6 measured through NAPE however show some improvement since 2003 and this has taken place during a period of continued expansion: proficiency in numeracy has improved from 21% in 2003 to 53% in 2009 and in literacy from 20% to 48% in 2009 over the same period.
The ESSP recognises the centrality of teachers to raising standards. The capacity to produce and sustain sufficient appropriately trained teachers, to deploy them equitably and manage them effectively so that good instructional time increases are challenges being addressed in ESSP.
The ESSP identifies numerous strategies that target improved performance, all of which are necessary and if effectively delivered are expected to bring about change. There is an on going programme of reform and development to systems of support and supervision of schools centred around the Directorate of Education Standards (DES) and the Teacher Instructor Education and Training Department (TIED) working with and through the Primary Teacher Colleges and the Coordinating Centre Tutors (CCTs). At the centre of the drive to improve standards are the newly revised Basic Requirements Minimum Standards which are expected to form the basis for school improvement plans and school supervision and support.
Capacity of training colleges is acknowledged as a weakness and increasing their ability to produce enough well trained teachers to service the increasing demand in schools is a challenge. Preservice Teacher Training is being strengthened through programmes including the development of a new Primary Teacher Education Certificate Curriculum and through the CTEP programme to enhance skills of Primary Teacher College tutors. Support to serving teachers is centred around the long established Teacher Development and Management Systems (TDMS). The success of the newly introduced Thematic Curriculum in primary schools will depend on good teaching (and problems are reported) and sufficient and adequate materials. The latter is a relatively silent area in ESSP.
6 The SACMEQ II Project in Uganda: Study of the Conditions of Schooling and Quality of Education. Byamagisha A, Ssenabulya, F (2005)
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Along with good teachers, the ready availability of good quality instructional materials is a prerequisite for raising pupil achievement. The situation regarding textbooks in Uganda’s schools is little short of a crisis. The Institutional Capacity Assessment (ICA)7 reports “a cumulative lack of funding for instructional materials for P2 and P3 and for textbook provision to the upper primary grades”. There are in place a number of donor supported programmes that target specific districts and areas, but elsewhere the situation is reported as extremely poor. There is clearly need for more detailed analysis of the situation.
Ground work for longer term system reform.
Many of the aspirations of access and quality will be heavily influenced by broader sector wide reforms to improved overall efficiency and effectiveness. Major overhauls of school support and supervision, including inspection, are underway, as is the roll out of an improved system of performance management based on targets and standards. In the context of constrained resources, reforms that are of relatively low cost but offer high impact are attractive. Much will depend on the progress to building the capacity in these areas to deliver on the priorities identified in the accompanying table. The challenges of capacity development are dealt with in a subsequent section. Key to success of such reforms will be the ability to change the institutional culture in relevant sections and units at all levels.
What policies are being adopted to meet the challenges to the system such as HIV/AIDS and conflicts?
HIV and AIDs has exerted and continues to exert significant pressure on the education sector. The study on Assessment of the Impact of the HIV/AIDS on the Education Sector8 In Uganda (2008) estimated that over 10 000 primary teachers and 5000 secondary teachers
7 Uganda Institutional Capacity Assessment 2010 8 Assessment of the Impact of HIV/AIDS on the Education Sector in Uganda. MoES 2008.
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were HIV positive. The study suggests that HIV and AIDS accounts for 50% of teacher absence and that is estimated to be between 1,000 and 1,200 teacher years per annum. The direct cost associated with this is Ush 3 bn p.a.
The impact of the pandemic on children is well documented, though estimates on the number of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) vary considerably, the Impact Study estimates the number of OVC at around 500,000 and likely to peak at around 600,000 in 2014. EMIS (2009) puts a much higher figure of 1.3 million. The impact study suggests that HIV and AIDS is estimated to account for half of school drop outs, thus 225,000 of the 450,00 who drop out of primary school each year are HIV/AIDS related. Further work is needed to substantiate these claims and to more accurately gauge the role of HIV/AIDS plays in school drop out. Available data (UNAIDS 2008) suggest that 81.9% of OVCs are enrolled in school.
What specific policies are being adopted to meet the challenges of gender inequality in relation to enrolment, retention, completion and learning outcomes in a context of expansion?
Despite the fact that GPIs show that girls recently reached near full admission and enrolment in primary, girls enrolment in certain areas lags behind that of boys, as does their completion of primary schooling as well as their candidature and achievement in the primary leaving examinations. MoES has developed and approved a new Gender in Education Sector Policy in 2009 and it enforces the Ministry’s agenda on gender equity under the ESSP. Girls’ enrolment is associated with female teachers, and ESSP includes a strategy to recruit more female teachers, particularly in areas where numbers of female teachers are low. The ESSP strategies to lower sociocultural barriers to girls’ participation need to include the training of all teachers – male and female – in gender sensitive instruction and promoting greater
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subject choice for girls at secondary level. The availability and use of the School Facilities Grant to provide and improve water and sanitation facilities is also aimed at improving girls’ participation. Specific actions through SMC are monitored through the self evaluation instrument developed and used by the DES.
3 COSTS AND FINANCING OF EDUCATION
Estimated Volume of Resources for the Plan period 2010/11 to 2014/15
This appraisal has used enrolment and budget projections based on the MTEF 2009/10 – 2014/15 recently published by MOFPED. Estimated donor contributions are included, so that the ESSP Financing Gap (FG) indicates the additional contributions which would be expected over and above donor contributions which are already included in the MTEF.
Table A: projected MTEF allocations
UShs billion FY 2008/09 FY 2009/10 FY 2010/11 FY 2011/12 FY 2012/13 FY 2013/14 FY 2014/15
Education budget (MTEF) 899.4 1079.6 1139.6 1213.8 1350.7 1541.1 1930.3
National budget (MTEF) 5858.7 7044.5 7204.5 7579.1 8546.1 9815 11111.5
% Education/National Budget 15.4% 15.3% 15.8% 16.0% 15.8% 15.7% 17.4%
Proj. donor project in educ. Budget (MTEF)9 112.9 149.6 139.0 199.2 191.9 199.4 208.1
% donors in education budget 12.6% 13.9% 12.2% 16.4% 14.2% 12.9% 10.8%
Three scenarios have been designed in order to assess the potential progress of the Ugandan education sector toward the achievement of UPE, USE and other key policy objectives. Those scenarios are based on a number of targets and assumptions which point to a slow, intermediate or fast implementation of the UPE and USE policies. They consider all items of expenditure related to the implementation of those policies. Full details of the scenarios are at Annex E.
Changes in four main areas may have a significant impact on enrolment growth, real resources needs (teachers, classrooms, teaching materials, etc) and funding requirements and the funding gap: (i) admissions in each subsector, especially primary, secondary O and A level, and BTVET post P7 and post S4; (ii) internal efficiency, especially in the primary sub sector, where repetition and dropout rates are high; (iii) the new formula for allocating teachers to schools; and (iv) trends affecting real salaries and other costs.
A number of interventions planned under ESSP and identified as key sector performance issues under the JAF are expected to exert considerable impact on efficiency and achievement with very limited consequences on expenditure, as for example: (i) fighting
9 This figure is updated every four months following regular forum of donors and MoFED.
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teacher and pupil absenteeism; (ii) ensuring that textbooks and other instructional materials actually reach classrooms and are used by teachers and pupils; (iii) assigning sufficient and experienced teachers to P1P3 classes; (iv) improving school support and supervision, including a more influential role of School Management Committees. Those changes have not been factored in the model since conditions for success and actual impact on outputs are not known, and they depend on the speed of which actions being undertaken to address these constraints bear fruit. It cannot be understated how success in these relatively low cost, high impact areas would make a real difference to the efficiency and effectiveness of the sector.
While scenarios differ according to the four above mentioned areas, the actual difference and the probability of moving from the low to the intermediate scenario, or from the intermediate to the high scenario mostly depends on MOES success in the areas not covered by the model. The specific targets and assumptions have a deep impact on enrolments, especially in primary, secondary and BTVET, teacher and classroom requirements, and hence on expenditure and the funding gap. According to the intermediate scenario, primary enrolments would only slightly increase to 8.3 million, while secondary and BTVET enrolments would increase more substantially.
Coverage and costs of PostSecondary Education, Vocational Education and NonFormal Education
Primary
7964.0
8297.8
8312.8
8323.1
PTC & TTC 22.3 22.3 23.0 23.7 24.4 25.1 25.9 26.6
PostP7 BTVET 38.1 32.6 35.8 41.0 46.9 53.2 55.2 54.7
PostS4 BTVET 84.9 109.6 129.7 148.0 154.4 160.3 182.2 218.1
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Other BTVET 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8
Tertiary 78.7 88.7 98.1 105.0 121.2 136.0 148.0 160.1
Total
9285.8
9754.5
9886.0
10051.3
Table C below shows the relative subsectoral shares: the share to primary education is projected to decrease from the current 52.8% to 48% in 2014/15, Shares of post primary (secondary and BTVET) and tertiary will be increased to meet targeted expansion.
Table C: Share of Projected Expenditure by Subsector
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15
Primary 57.1% 51.9% 53.1% 52.3% 50.1% 49.1% 48.3%
Secondary 22.0% 30.9% 28.9% 28.3% 29.4% 30.6% 30.9%
BTVET 3.9% 2.9% 3.4% 3.9% 4.4% 4.2% 4.5%
Tertiary 15.8% 13.4% 13.8% 14.6% 15.2% 15.3% 15.5%
Servicescentr. Admin 1.2% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.8% 0.8%
TOTAL 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
4 CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE OR DATA GAPS
The Mid Term Evaluation of the EFA Fast Track Initiative Country Desk Study for Uganda (June 2009) reported “Early World Bank analytical support to the FTI process in 2002 identified some data weaknesses in relation to enrolments. However, these related to population statistics rather than to the EMIS, and the problems have been rectified by the 2002 population census. The World Bank emphasised at the time “that the problems in data collection … are not unique to Uganda. .. the school system has been growing rapidly under new “rules of the game” brought about by the introduction of the UPE policy in 1997 which eliminated fees for primary schooling. The practice of switching schools has apparently intensified ….., since families are now no longer constrained by having already paid fees at the beginning of term, from moving their children to another school that is perceived to be providing better services. Tracking enrolments in such a setting is difficult at best, and the Ministry should be commended for its continuing efforts to improve data collection through various arrangements to verify the school census returns through spot checks.”
There remain a number of data gaps which need to be resolved for more effective planning, monitoring and resource allocation within the sector.
Enrolments Declared admissions and enrolments in Primary seem to be inflated, as may be found when computing two major indicators: the Gross Admission Rate (GAR, or AIR, if using the UIS terminology) and the Gross Enrolment Rate (GER).
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GER varies around 130%. Even the GER net of repeaters, which is the main cause of inflated GER, is around 110%, while it should reach 100% only if all children are at school and UPE is actually achieved. This may be due to underestimated population data (see below population), but also derives from the confusion between attendance and enrolments.
GAR has been higher than 100% for years, while this is impossible, even if children are admitted into P1 at varying ages10. Aside from the confusion between attendance and enrolments, only four possible explanations may be advanced:
The number of children aged 6 is underestimated (see population, below); A number of admissions are readmissions of pupils having dropped out during or at the end of P1 and returns from schools fail to record this accurately.
School may inflate admissions to prevent their number of teachers being cut, though this may be reduced with the implementation of the new teacher formula;
Admissions are systematically inflated by district declarations, based on the incentive built in the capitation grant formula11.
MoES recognises the need to develop better data verification within programmes to strengthen EMIS and school monitoring more generally.
Population The last population census was carried out in 2002 and a new one is programmed for 2012. Population data and projections for later years following the census inevitably become less reliable, especially fiveyear and single year estimates. In addition, the lower the geographical unit, the higher the risk of biased population estimates.
Up to now, MOES Bulletin of Statistics includes estimates of GAR, GER and NER which refer to age groups significantly higher than those provided by Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) during the last mission. GAR and GER do not look therefore as high as when UBOS data are used.
10 ‘Education Management Information Systems: Comments from a Field Researcher’, Claude Tibi, 2009 11 Schools have vested interests in overdeclaring and so does the district in order to get a bigger share of the total amount available for capitation grant.
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Repetition rates (%)
Revised ESSP 2008 14.2 12.9 14.4 13.7 15.0 17.6 5.1
Updated ESSP 2010 14.9 12.3 13.1 13.1 13.3 13.9 9.8
Drop out rates (%)
Revised ESSP 2008 10.1 5.2 7.0 6.2 6.5 11.1 4.2
Updated ESSP 2010 25.1 25.3 0.7 0.8 9.8 15.1 26.5
5 CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS AND DEVELOPMENT
Success in achieving the objectives of both access and quality depend to a large extent on the capacity of the system. Issues around corruption, lack of accountability, teacher absenteeism and failures in various points in the delivery chain persist in the system and the objectives and strategies enumerated in Chapters 3 and 4 of the Updated ESSP focus attention on improving overall system efficiency and effectiveness. A summary of capacity issues against the priorities identified for primary education are summarised at Table 4C. This section identifies key issues and concerns emerging from two recent analyses.
The Efficiency of Public Education in Uganda study (WB, 2008) identified weak internal efficiency with its cause being four main factors, namely
(i) the leakage of resources between central government and schools due to ghost teachers and misuse of UPE grants;
(ii) leakage of resources in schools, mainly due to the high rate of absenteeism of head teachers, teachers and pupils alike;
(iii) inequitable deployment of teachers across and within districts unrelated to need; and
In response, in 2008 the MOES launched the Quality Education Initiative, following which 9 of the 12 QEI districts improved their rankings in the 2009 PLE exams. Nevertheless considerable constraints remain at the District level where resources and capacity are both low, and the success of the QEI is heavily dependent on support from the centre.
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In response to the recommendations of the QSR a comprehensive Institutional Capacity Assessment (ICA) was undertaken in February 2010. The ICA made a specific recommendation that in the event of FTI endorsement, the Government should make an application to access FTI Catalytic Funds, for the purpose of strengthening the QEI to create a nationwide District Education Improvement Programme.
Readiness of action plans for implementation and capacity development to improve implementation for results
The ICA identified eight broad areas where capacity was constrained and makes recommendations that will improve capacity to deliver the ESSP.
Introduce service level agreements to improve coordination and service delivery at the central level. Instructional materials have not reached schools in the quantities required and especially so in the case of local languages; the revised preservice teacher education curriculum has not yet been finalised and introduced; inservice teacher education to prepare teachers to teach the thematic curriculum has only been partially rolled out.
Complete restructuring of MoES. The restructuring of the MOES that started in 2006 and was approved in 2009 remains work in progress with many staff are still working in an “acting” capacity. All posts should be filled substantively at the earliest possible opportunity and new staff should receive a formal induction into both the civil service and the Ministry of Education.
Align public service scheme of service with sector requirements. District Education Officers District/Municipal and SubCounty level education officials etc. require the core competencies related to their professional roles to be defined. The Ministry of Public Service, in collaboration with MOES, should develop the relevant competencies for each category of education professional and incorporate these into the relevant Schemes of Service and Staff Performance Appraisal process.
Assessment of capacity in the curriculum development process identified major problems in the development and introduction of the Thematic Curriculum as detailed below:
o IMU has not delivered sufficient instructional materials and textbooks to schools as detailed in a number of recent studies. The process for the procurement of instructional materials appears complex and unwieldy;
o The revision of the teacher education curriculum by Kyambogo University has suffered delays, but is being piloted this year. Thus teachers newly qualifying from the PTCs are not receiving training consistent with the Thematic Curriculum;
o Whilst NCDC worked with the PTCs/CCTs to undertake the initial orientation of teachers for the introduction of the new curriculum, those interviewed considered this to be not sufficient to help teachers develop the range of new skills required to successfully implement the curriculum. NCDC has, for example, observed that continuous assessment is not being fully implemented by teachers in the classroom. Assessment continues to be focused on school tests and other attributes of children’s learning achievement that should be reported through continuous assessment is not reported.
o Other challenges that lie beyond the remit of the NCDC and that impact upon the success of the new curriculum include the continuing challenge of class size and the difficulties of classroom organisation required for satisfactory implementation of the thematic curriculum.
A range of challenges are identified which impact on the capacity within Teacher Education to improve the quality of teaching, as detailed below:
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o In PTCs poor planning and record keeping is observed in many colleges; considerable financial constraints with release of grants behind schedule; staff shortages; inadequate physical facilities including limited classrooms, administrative blocks and accommodation, and poor quality construction.
o The thematic primary school curriculum was introduced into Primary 1 in 2007 but due to delays the introduction of the revised preservice curriculum was not aligned and is now planned to be introduced into PTCs in 2011.
o Challenges faced by CCTs to effectively fulfil the responsibilities assigned to them include: ratio of schools to CCTs the target ratio one CCT to 2040 primary schools
is achievable with the present number of 529 CCTs. However, accessibility of schools varies both within and between districts.
CCTs are provided with motorcycles to enable them to visit schools, however many consider these dangerous and women CCTs cannot ride them comfortably.
The budget for fuel is limited and has been subject to delays in disbursement by the Core PTCs. This makes it problematic for CCTs to provide adequate CPD support to all schools on a regular basis.
Inconsistencies between districts in the working arrangements of CCTs. In one district the DEO and DIS stated that they did not work directly with the CCTs. In another district, in contrast, the PTC administration indicated that they have regular planning meetings with the CCTs and the DIS, to the extent that the DIS involves CCTs in school inspection visits and schoolbased follow up actions with permission from the PTC.
In response to the challenges identified, the MOES has developed Customised Performance Targets (CPTs) for PreService and Coordinating Centre Tutors (2009) to address these challenges. TIETD has also worked with NCDC to revise the preservice teacher training course to align with the revised primary school curriculum including the Thematic Curriculum, multigrade teaching, HIV/AIDS, Guidance and Counselling, and Special Needs Education.
Capacity constraints in School Inspections are identified through analysis at both central DES and district DIS levels; this impacts their capacity to implement the BRMS. Areas of weakness identified include:
o lack of autonomy, whereby the Inspectorate is not independent at either central or district levels, and this lack of autonomy constraints its ability to give impartial analysis and advice.
o Staffing levels at all levels are insufficient to allow for a comprehensive regime of school inspection to take place, and many professional staff at central and regional levels are not employed in a substantive role.
o There are no defined competencies to guide the recruitment of school inspectors, nor a set of criteria to inform their professional development.
o There are insufficient vehicles and poor office facilities (at Regional and District level) to allow the inspectorate to function effectively.
o There is no overall inspection management information system, with storage and retrieval of inspection reports at all levels being weak and inadequate communications with education stakeholders and the broader public about the outcomes of school inspections.
o Weak linkages between the DIS and the local CCTs undermine the quality assurance cycle which should see the outcomes of school inspections shared
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with schools, communities and CCTs so that follow up actions to address weaknesses can be identified, undertaken and subsequently monitored by the inspectors.
Institutional assessment concluded that the capacity of UNEB is a strong component of the education sector, providing high quality assessment and examination services. Nevertheless, a number of capacity gaps were identified where capacity may need to be strengthened.
o The integration of continuous assessment in the Thematic Curriculum grades P13 is designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in those grades. In principle this is a progressive step that should help teachers to plan better and more effectively monitor the progress of individual pupils in their classes. However, with a notional, national Pupil:Teacher ratio of 1:53 and most Lower Primary classes being greatly in excess of this ratio, carrying o
Scope of Checking
This report has been discussed with the originator and checked in the light of the
requirements of the terms of reference. In addition the report has been checked to ensure
editorial consistencies.
Disclaimer
This document is issued for the party which commissioned it and for specific purposes
connected with the captioned project only. It should not be relied upon by any other party
or used for any other purpose.
We accept no responsibility for the consequences of this document being relied upon by any
other party, or being used for any other purpose, or containing any error or omission which
is due to an error or omission in data supplied to us by other parties
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ENDORSEMENT LETTER 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 1 INTRODUCTION 7 SECTOR OVERVIEW 7 2 THE EDUCATION SECTOR STRATEGIC PLAN 20102015: KEY ISSUES 9 Pressures to expand Secondary Education ....................................................................... 12 3 COSTS AND FINANCING OF EDUCATION 16 LongTerm Strategic Direction for Sector Development: Evaluation of Financial Needs and
Cost and Finance simulation model 17 Coverage and costs of PostSecondary Education, Vocational Education and NonFormal
Education........................................................................................................... 18 4 CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE OR DATA GAPS 19 5 CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS AND DEVELOPMENT 21 6 MONITORING SECTOR PERFORMANCE 25 7 HARMONISATION, AID EFFECTIVENESS AND FUNDING MODALITY 26 TABLES 29 TABLE 1. CATALOGUE OF MAIN DOCUMENTS USED FOR THE TECHNICAL APPRAISAL 29 TABLE 2A. POPULATION AND EDUCATION INDICATORS SELECTED FROM THE APPRAISAL 31 TABLE 2B. EDUCATION INDICATORS FOR DISADVANTAGED GROUPS 32 TABLE 3A: EDUCATION SECTOR OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES 35 TABLE 3B. SELECTED COST AND FINANCING SIMULATION FOR ASSESSING STRATEGIC
DIRECTIONS 38 TABLE 4A. SELECTED QUANTITATIVE TARGETS IN THE 5YEAR ACTION PLAN 39 TABLE 4B. PERFORMANCE AND DISBURSEMENT OF EXTERNALLY FUNDED PRIMARY
PROJECTS/PROGRAMMES 43 TABLE 4C. CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS AND PLANS TO OVERCOME THEM 44 TABLE 5. CONSULTATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS 49 TABLE 6. SUMMARY OF TECHNICAL APPRAISAL 51 ANNEX A: JOINT ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK – EDUCATION SECTION 53 ANNEX B: SUMMARY OF CRITICAL ISSUES AND PRIORITIES IDENTIFIED IN THE QSR 62 ANNEX C: PROGRESS ON MDG AND EFA TARGETS 68 ANNEX D: SUMMARY OF UGANDA’S ENGAGEMENT WITH FTI 76 ANNEX E: COST AND FINANCING SCENARIOS 77
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Endorsement of Uganda’s Education Sector Strategic Plan (20072015)
We, the undersigned, have positively appraised the Government of Uganda’s (GoU) Updated Education Sector Strategic Plan (20102015), presented in this Appraisal Report.
We therefore propose that the Updated Uganda Education Sector Strategic Plan (20102015) be endorsed by the FTI Secretariat.
Country: UGANDA
Belgium Embassy
European Union
Over the past decade the Education for All (EFA) Fast Track Initiative (FTI) has alongside development partners and national governments substantially increased the resources for countries that have developed sound policies and plans to reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of completion of Universal Primary Education (UPE) by 2015. The FTI family – countries that have benefited from additional resources for education – is now 42 including Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Malawi.
Strengths
• Shows long term and evolving sector development process from 1998 to 2015 that now covers the entire education sector
• Reaffirms commitment to a system of growth and quality enhancement from primary to postprimary and beyond
• Is the result of processes of internal and external stakeholder consultations
• Articulates a clearer path from policy priorities to objectives to strategies
• Embodies regular review through a strong joint annual review mechanism
• Devotes strong attention to greater equity and improving service delivery in difficult areas
• Recognises and puts forward actions to drive up education quality
• Responds to the need to improve sector governance, identified as a binding constraint in NDP through a range of initiatives that set standards, improve accountability and performance monitoring.
Areas of concerns
A number of constraints to performance in the education sector are identified in the NDP and through a recent Institutional Capacity Assessment:
Weak institutional alignment, coordination and accountability practices
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Inappropriate teaching methods, and inadequate supply of instructional materials to schools resulting in low levels of literacy and numeracy
Social and cultural practices, attitudes and perceptions relating particular to gender and marginalised groups which restrict participation
Inadequate physical infrastructure, including sports facilities and equipment
Weak, though improving, school inspection, support and supervision and weak performance monitoring, particularly of absenteeism, at school level
Lack of community participation and involvement of the parents, partly due to political interference
Specifically the appraisal team draws attention to
• Cost and capacity concerns resulting from the new teacher allocation formula
• Competing priorities of universal secondary and universal primary education
• The need for more reliable data, building on existing support by donors
• Internal inefficiencies including high admission, repetition and drop out rates
• High teacher and pupil absenteeism
• The need to establish one common results framework that clearly tracks progress against sector objectives.
Conclusion
The Education Development Partners (EDP) in Uganda conclude that the Updated ESSP is feasible and realistic. There is a substantial need for additional resources to support primary education. Whilst there remain issues, identified in this appraisal that will influence the achievement of sector objectives, the EDP maintain that there is an improving commitment and appetite for change. The GoU is showing willingness to address some of the binding constraints that afflict the education sector through a series of governance reforms that will improve internal efficiency, and have in place appropriate strategies to improve both access and quality. The EDPs continue to commit financial and technical resources to primary education and welcome the additional support from the FTI.
Six priority areas that would be the focus for FTI financing and support are identified as:
• School Facilities Grants to improve basic facilities including classrooms and sanitation
• Ensuring timely and adequate supply of instructional materials to significantly reduce Pupil Textbook Ratios (PTR) , especially in lower primary school
• Further strengthening teacher training, induction, deployment, support and management building on existing structures and systems (TDMS, CCTs)
• Raising school performance through broader community participation and stronger School Management Committees (SMCs) better able to manage school grants
• Development and execution of a Capacity Development Strategy, to include central capacity for policy and planning and that also focuses at the district level through a system of District Education Improvement Plans, coupled with improved reliability and use of data (EMIS)
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1 INTRODUCTION
a. This appraisal report is prepared in accordance with the FTI Guidelines for Appraisal of the Primary Education component of the Updated ESSP, adapted where appropriate to reflect the Ugandan context.
b. The FTI Appraisal Report is based on the best current and indicative projections available from the GoU, approved for use in this report by the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES), the Ugandan Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development. It draws extensively on latest reports, in particular the 2008/09 Education Sector Annual Progress Report (ESAPR). It addresses issues raised by the FTI Quality Support Review (QSR) of 2008.
c. The Appraisal Report has been prepared with full collaboration and involvement of the MoES and the EDPs.
d. The FTI process has been ongoing in Uganda since 2002. (see brief history at Annex D).
e. The key documents used in this appraisal are given at Table 1 (see later Tables Section). Principally they are:
• The National Development Plan 2010/11 – 2014/15
• The Updated Education Sector Strategic Plan 20102015
• The Revised Education Sector Strategic Plan 20072015
SECTOR OVERVIEW
The history of Uganda following independence in 1962 was initially one of political violence and turbulence that reduced Uganda to the verge of a failed state. Since 1986 Uganda has transformed, over the past two decades it has recorded consistently high economic growth and overall poverty levels have declined from 56% in 1992 to 31% in 2005. In recent years the rule of law has been strengthened, and following the restoration of peace in the north the process of reconstruction, rehabilitation and development is underway. The period of peace and growing prosperity has been marred by the scourge of HIV/AIDs and though Uganda has made considerable efforts in reducing the spread and impact of the pandemic, with seroprevalence reducing from a high of 18% in 1992 to an estimated current level of 6.1%. Uganda ranks 157th (out of 182 countries) on the UNDP Human Development Index: life expectancy is 51.9 years and adult literacy 73.6%. Uganda has one of the world’s highest fertility rates with an estimated population (2008) of 31.6 million which is projected to increase to 37.9m by 2015. Despite increased growth and stability, Uganda remains one of the world’s poorest countries.
The Ugandan economy experienced average growth of 8% between 2004/05 to 2007/08. The NDP forecasts GDP growth between 2010/11 and 2014/15 to be at an average of 7.2%
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per annum. The share of education as total government expenditure has declined from a high of 20.6% in 2002/03 to fluctuate between 15% and 16% in the last four years to 2008/09. Budget allocations will continue to come under pressure from competition from other priority sectors, in particular infrastructure and energy, and are predicted to remain between 15% and 16% till 2013/14 with a rise to 17.4% in 2014/15. Financial allocations are assessed as being insufficient to meet the aspirations of ESSP and there is a real need to improve the efficiency of service delivery within the education sector.
Primary education is characterised by low levels of internal efficiency with high repetition and drop out rates, low completion, high levels of both teacher and pupil absenteeism, generally low levels of accountability, inadequate infrastructure, uneven distribution of teachers and a paucity of instructional materials in schools. The recent study on efficiency in the education sector1 estimated that a third of resources to primary education are mis allocated. Pedagogy is outdated and teacher competencies are reported as weak. Pupil teacher ratios are high, averaging 54:1 in primary with Pupil Classroom ratios at 80:1 in government primary schools. But efforts are being made to reduce these through a new teacher allocation formula and incentives to place teachers in hard to reach locations. Uganda’s progress against both EFA and MDG targets is given at Annex C,
Effective planning and resource allocation has been constrained by incomplete data returns and perverse incentives to over report enrolments in schools to increase capitation grants. EMIS is being strengthened with donor support. Reform initiatives, albeit well conceived and designed, are often constrained in their implementation through lack of resources: inspectors and education officers lack transport, the new curriculum is hampered by lack of textbooks to cite but two.
Despite the supply side issues, demand for education remains high. Over the past decade enrolments have increased significantly with gender parity now practically achieved at primary level. There are large geographical variations across all indicators, with hard to reach rural areas having lowest performance on access, gender parity and achievement.
1 The Efficiency of Public Education in Uganda, World Bank 2008. 2 Based on population estimates from UBOS
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2 THE EDUCATION SECTOR STRATEGIC PLAN 20102015: KEY ISSUES
Uganda’s Updated ESSP is well contextualised with broader national development plans, in particular the National Development Plan (NDP) 2010/11 – 2014/15 and the Poverty Eradication action Plan (PEAP). The legislative basis governing education provision in Uganda is set out in the Education (Primary and PostPrimary) Act, 2008) which states that “basic education shall be provided and enjoyed as a right by all persons”.
Uganda’s ESSP was originally conceived and approved in 2003 and, commendably, took a realistic and long term view of sector development till 2015. The ESSP was revised in 2007 to take account of six new policy initiatives, resulting in the Revised ESSP 20072015, dated September 2008. This appraisal took place during a period of further revision prompted by the approval of Uganda’s NDP and by a number of recent studies and assessments. At the time of this report the Updated ESSP had been finalised, approved by donors and is in the process of formal endorsement by MoES. The report makes an assessment of the Updated ESSP 20102015, reflecting on its quality against objective criteria, and evaluates progress to date in implementation of reforms.
The process of revision that has characterised Uganda’s ESSP since 2003 reflects the dynamic nature of sector plans recognising the need for flexibility if long term aspirations are to be achieved. As part of the process of updating the ESSP a number of supplementary studies have been undertaken to address information gaps including (i) revised finance model and a amendment to the indicators, targets and projections; (ii) an institutional capacity assessment focusing on examinations, teacher education, school inspections and curriculum development; and (iii) a country study of preprimary and primary teacher development
The Government of Uganda is fully committed to the achievement of UPE and USE3. Whilst this appraisal acknowledges the ESSP as embracing the entire education sector, and has taken into account the full range of policy initiatives, in particular their likely impact on sector financing, the main substance of the appraisal is on Uganda’s plans and prospects in primary education and the challenges of meeting the MDG and EFA goals.
The policy objectives of the Updated ESSP may be summarised as follows:
a) increase equitable access at all levels of education, ensuring universal participation at primary level (seven years) and (lower) secondary level (four years)
b) Improve the quality and relevance of education;
c) Improve effectiveness and efficiency in delivery of education services
The education sector objectives from the Updated ESSP are presented at Annex A.
MoES has identified a number of key priorities (Figure 1) within the Updated ESSP to secure achievement of objectives of equitable access, quality and efficiency in primary education. These align with priorities in the NDP and with the performance targets contained in the Joint Assessment Framework (JAF) which forms the basis of support from the donors who provide assistance through the budget. Many of these are ongoing reforms already initiated under the Revised ESSP 20072015.
3 USE definition for Uganda: transition from P7 to S1, and retention, progression and completion of Secondary 1 (S1) to Secondary 6 (S6)
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This section of the appraisal assesses the long term strategic direction of the ESSP and seeks to answer questions in the Appraisal Guidelines.
The focus of this appraisal is on primary education – in particular access and quality though this cannot be viewed in isolation given competing demands from the subsectors, principally postprimary. The enrolment projections and the costings of the Updated ESSP have been based on revised and updated data, using latest budget projections and enrolment data. They are driven by the policy goals of universal primary and secondary (to form 4) education
Figure 1: MoES Priority areas under ESSP
Priority Areas: Access to Primary Education
1. Continue with implementation of UPE by providing capitation grants to cover school costs
2. Provide hardship allowances to improve PTR in hard to reach areas
3. Deploying more female teachers to rural schools to increase girls’ participation
4. Improve facilities at schools through use the School Facilities Grants (SFG)
Priority Areas – Quality and Relevance of Primary Education
1. Improve provision of instructional materials to schools to raise learning achievement.
2. Implement the new Thematic Curriculum in P1 to P3, start reform of upper primary curriculum
3. Improve pupil assessment, including school based continuous assessment.
4. Ensure adequate recruitment, distribution an performance of qualified teachers
5. Strengthen Primary Teacher Colleges so they supply sufficient adequately prepared teachers
6. Expand coverage of preprimary education through public private partnership and licensing more ECD centres
7. Reduce under and overaged enrolment.
8. Promote community / Parents’ involvement
Priority Areas Effectiveness and Efficiency of Primary Education
1. Improve school management through the Teacher Development and Management Systems (TDMS), Implement the Customised Performance Targets (CPT) scheme for head teachers, and use of School Improvement Plans
2. Ensure all schools have effective SMCs.
3. Effectively monitor learning achievement in numeracy and literacy skills and publish results
4. Regularly publish results of assessments of pupils’ achievements in literacy and numeracy, as a basis for each school’s plan for improvement of pupil achievement levels (JAF)
5. Strengthen the capacity and role of District Education Officers (DEOs) and District Inspectors of Schools (DIS) in school supervision.
6. Strengthen EMIS to collect, analyse and report data in a timely manner for planning and decision making
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7. Increase career incentives and progression for primary teachers, head teachers and teacher educators through new Schemes of Service
8. Introduce a system of standards that is the basis for improved capacity to track use of resources.
Priority Areas – Cross Cutting
1. Implement the new sector policy on HIV/AIDS with its emphasis on prevention, and to improve, guidance and counselling skills, care and support
2. Promote physical education and sports in schools
3. Increase opportunities for disabled children through Inclusive Education policy and strategies
What tradeoffs are envisaged to reach the stated goals in a manner that is fiscally realistic and that accommodates other claims on public resources, including claims by other education subsectors?
The theme of Uganda’s NDP is “Growth, Employment and SocioEconomic Transformation for Prosperity”. Four priority sectors are identified as Human Resource Development, Infrastructure, agricultural and industrial production, and science technology and innovation. Education thus competes with other key sectors linked to NDP goals. Under the MTEF Education’s share remains at around 15%16% but within the education sector secondary education share has increased from 22% in 2009 and will stay within the range of 28.6% to 31.3% under the MTEF. By 2015, total allocation to secondary will have increased by some 66% over 2010, driving a doubling of enrolment. Post S4 BTEVT increases by 72% over 2010, whilst primary share decreases by 1.8%. The decreasing share of primary is mostly due to the assumption that admissions will be monitored and internal efficiency will
4 Uganda National Household Survey 2005/06
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substantially improve (which remains to be seen). This explains the increasing share of secondary nearly as much as the increase of secondary enrolments.
Currently (2009/10 FY) primary education receives 58.7% of the total government education budget. This share is projected to decline further to 48% by 2014/15. The allocation to development spending is projected to rise from a very low 2.2% (2008/09) and will fluctuate between 9.2% and 16.9% over the ESSP period. Reforms therefore have to be considered against these ceilings.
Competition between subsectors in a policy environment that seeks continued expansion, inevitably involves trade offs. ESSP strategies to improve efficiency, in particular to reduce repetition, will to some extent offset the impact of reduced financing. The ESSP is strong on systems reforms to reduce wastage through a number of performance and accountability enhancing strategies.
Where GoU chooses to invest resources is critical. The decision to adopt the new teacher allocation formula, which increases to the salary component of the recurrent budget, was taken following the failure of multigrade teaching used under the old allocation formula. The current experience of curriculum reforms is a further case in point, where there has been poor coordination over the three aspects of reform which has affected implementation and reduced impact. However, increased attention in the Updated EESP to redressing the problems of overcrowding, high repetition and drop out and poor learning at in the early years of primary schooling are recognised in the ESSP, offering the chance to reverse the trend of prioritising higher levels of the primary cycle.
Insufficient materials are available and only partial teacher orientation has taken place which impacts negatively on schools and learners. An approach whereby the new curriculum is developed, teacher guides and materials produced, teachers oriented before introduction in schools will ensure greater success.
Pressures to expand Secondary Education
Uganda has witnessed a steady increase in enrolment in secondary education since 2000, with numbers of students rising from 518,931 in 2000 to 1.2 million in 2009. NDP estimates there to be just over 3000 secondary schools in Uganda: the private sector accounts for 57%, government for 31% and community schools 12%. The Government of Uganda made a policy commitment to move to universal post primary education and training (UPPET) in 2007. Since then participation in secondary education has increased by 30%. Actual transition rates from P7 to S15 have fluctuated widely over the past decade between 48.2% (2005) to 64% (2009), while admission rates to PLE have also fluctuated, although to a much more limited extent, and slightly increased. A combination of policy, increased demand and investment (both public and private) is likely to sustain pressure on this subsector and the share of the total budget to secondary education will be in range of 28.6% to 31.3% of education total over the plan period. Allocations to BTVET will also rise marginally from 2.9% to 4.4% over the same period.
Problems of low efficiency and poor quality are largely a result of poor management, with poor deployment and distribution of teachers and an overloaded curriculum. Student Teacher Ratios have remained fairly static at 27:1 whilst the Student Classroom ratio has dropped from over 46:1 in 2000 to around 35:1 in 2009.
5 Computed as a ratio between newly admitted students in S1 and P7 enrolments
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What structural policies are being adopted to ensure that student learning continues to improve in a context of rapid expansion?
The case for investing in education is stronger if that education is of good quality and that learners master the agreed competencies. Raising learning achievement is a core objective of the Updated ESSP which fully recognises that recent expansion has not been matched with improving learning achievement. Pupil performance as measured through SACMEQ6 assessments in 2005 found 26% of P6 pupils illiterate and 39% innumerate. NAPE results (ref Annex 2 of the Updated ESSP) for 2009 show a worsened picture: inadequacy amongst P6 pupils is 49% for numeracy and 52% for literacy. Half of Ugandan pupils, who make it through to P6, are in effect failing.
Trends of achievement at P6 measured through NAPE however show some improvement since 2003 and this has taken place during a period of continued expansion: proficiency in numeracy has improved from 21% in 2003 to 53% in 2009 and in literacy from 20% to 48% in 2009 over the same period.
The ESSP recognises the centrality of teachers to raising standards. The capacity to produce and sustain sufficient appropriately trained teachers, to deploy them equitably and manage them effectively so that good instructional time increases are challenges being addressed in ESSP.
The ESSP identifies numerous strategies that target improved performance, all of which are necessary and if effectively delivered are expected to bring about change. There is an on going programme of reform and development to systems of support and supervision of schools centred around the Directorate of Education Standards (DES) and the Teacher Instructor Education and Training Department (TIED) working with and through the Primary Teacher Colleges and the Coordinating Centre Tutors (CCTs). At the centre of the drive to improve standards are the newly revised Basic Requirements Minimum Standards which are expected to form the basis for school improvement plans and school supervision and support.
Capacity of training colleges is acknowledged as a weakness and increasing their ability to produce enough well trained teachers to service the increasing demand in schools is a challenge. Preservice Teacher Training is being strengthened through programmes including the development of a new Primary Teacher Education Certificate Curriculum and through the CTEP programme to enhance skills of Primary Teacher College tutors. Support to serving teachers is centred around the long established Teacher Development and Management Systems (TDMS). The success of the newly introduced Thematic Curriculum in primary schools will depend on good teaching (and problems are reported) and sufficient and adequate materials. The latter is a relatively silent area in ESSP.
6 The SACMEQ II Project in Uganda: Study of the Conditions of Schooling and Quality of Education. Byamagisha A, Ssenabulya, F (2005)
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Along with good teachers, the ready availability of good quality instructional materials is a prerequisite for raising pupil achievement. The situation regarding textbooks in Uganda’s schools is little short of a crisis. The Institutional Capacity Assessment (ICA)7 reports “a cumulative lack of funding for instructional materials for P2 and P3 and for textbook provision to the upper primary grades”. There are in place a number of donor supported programmes that target specific districts and areas, but elsewhere the situation is reported as extremely poor. There is clearly need for more detailed analysis of the situation.
Ground work for longer term system reform.
Many of the aspirations of access and quality will be heavily influenced by broader sector wide reforms to improved overall efficiency and effectiveness. Major overhauls of school support and supervision, including inspection, are underway, as is the roll out of an improved system of performance management based on targets and standards. In the context of constrained resources, reforms that are of relatively low cost but offer high impact are attractive. Much will depend on the progress to building the capacity in these areas to deliver on the priorities identified in the accompanying table. The challenges of capacity development are dealt with in a subsequent section. Key to success of such reforms will be the ability to change the institutional culture in relevant sections and units at all levels.
What policies are being adopted to meet the challenges to the system such as HIV/AIDS and conflicts?
HIV and AIDs has exerted and continues to exert significant pressure on the education sector. The study on Assessment of the Impact of the HIV/AIDS on the Education Sector8 In Uganda (2008) estimated that over 10 000 primary teachers and 5000 secondary teachers
7 Uganda Institutional Capacity Assessment 2010 8 Assessment of the Impact of HIV/AIDS on the Education Sector in Uganda. MoES 2008.
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were HIV positive. The study suggests that HIV and AIDS accounts for 50% of teacher absence and that is estimated to be between 1,000 and 1,200 teacher years per annum. The direct cost associated with this is Ush 3 bn p.a.
The impact of the pandemic on children is well documented, though estimates on the number of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) vary considerably, the Impact Study estimates the number of OVC at around 500,000 and likely to peak at around 600,000 in 2014. EMIS (2009) puts a much higher figure of 1.3 million. The impact study suggests that HIV and AIDS is estimated to account for half of school drop outs, thus 225,000 of the 450,00 who drop out of primary school each year are HIV/AIDS related. Further work is needed to substantiate these claims and to more accurately gauge the role of HIV/AIDS plays in school drop out. Available data (UNAIDS 2008) suggest that 81.9% of OVCs are enrolled in school.
What specific policies are being adopted to meet the challenges of gender inequality in relation to enrolment, retention, completion and learning outcomes in a context of expansion?
Despite the fact that GPIs show that girls recently reached near full admission and enrolment in primary, girls enrolment in certain areas lags behind that of boys, as does their completion of primary schooling as well as their candidature and achievement in the primary leaving examinations. MoES has developed and approved a new Gender in Education Sector Policy in 2009 and it enforces the Ministry’s agenda on gender equity under the ESSP. Girls’ enrolment is associated with female teachers, and ESSP includes a strategy to recruit more female teachers, particularly in areas where numbers of female teachers are low. The ESSP strategies to lower sociocultural barriers to girls’ participation need to include the training of all teachers – male and female – in gender sensitive instruction and promoting greater
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subject choice for girls at secondary level. The availability and use of the School Facilities Grant to provide and improve water and sanitation facilities is also aimed at improving girls’ participation. Specific actions through SMC are monitored through the self evaluation instrument developed and used by the DES.
3 COSTS AND FINANCING OF EDUCATION
Estimated Volume of Resources for the Plan period 2010/11 to 2014/15
This appraisal has used enrolment and budget projections based on the MTEF 2009/10 – 2014/15 recently published by MOFPED. Estimated donor contributions are included, so that the ESSP Financing Gap (FG) indicates the additional contributions which would be expected over and above donor contributions which are already included in the MTEF.
Table A: projected MTEF allocations
UShs billion FY 2008/09 FY 2009/10 FY 2010/11 FY 2011/12 FY 2012/13 FY 2013/14 FY 2014/15
Education budget (MTEF) 899.4 1079.6 1139.6 1213.8 1350.7 1541.1 1930.3
National budget (MTEF) 5858.7 7044.5 7204.5 7579.1 8546.1 9815 11111.5
% Education/National Budget 15.4% 15.3% 15.8% 16.0% 15.8% 15.7% 17.4%
Proj. donor project in educ. Budget (MTEF)9 112.9 149.6 139.0 199.2 191.9 199.4 208.1
% donors in education budget 12.6% 13.9% 12.2% 16.4% 14.2% 12.9% 10.8%
Three scenarios have been designed in order to assess the potential progress of the Ugandan education sector toward the achievement of UPE, USE and other key policy objectives. Those scenarios are based on a number of targets and assumptions which point to a slow, intermediate or fast implementation of the UPE and USE policies. They consider all items of expenditure related to the implementation of those policies. Full details of the scenarios are at Annex E.
Changes in four main areas may have a significant impact on enrolment growth, real resources needs (teachers, classrooms, teaching materials, etc) and funding requirements and the funding gap: (i) admissions in each subsector, especially primary, secondary O and A level, and BTVET post P7 and post S4; (ii) internal efficiency, especially in the primary sub sector, where repetition and dropout rates are high; (iii) the new formula for allocating teachers to schools; and (iv) trends affecting real salaries and other costs.
A number of interventions planned under ESSP and identified as key sector performance issues under the JAF are expected to exert considerable impact on efficiency and achievement with very limited consequences on expenditure, as for example: (i) fighting
9 This figure is updated every four months following regular forum of donors and MoFED.
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teacher and pupil absenteeism; (ii) ensuring that textbooks and other instructional materials actually reach classrooms and are used by teachers and pupils; (iii) assigning sufficient and experienced teachers to P1P3 classes; (iv) improving school support and supervision, including a more influential role of School Management Committees. Those changes have not been factored in the model since conditions for success and actual impact on outputs are not known, and they depend on the speed of which actions being undertaken to address these constraints bear fruit. It cannot be understated how success in these relatively low cost, high impact areas would make a real difference to the efficiency and effectiveness of the sector.
While scenarios differ according to the four above mentioned areas, the actual difference and the probability of moving from the low to the intermediate scenario, or from the intermediate to the high scenario mostly depends on MOES success in the areas not covered by the model. The specific targets and assumptions have a deep impact on enrolments, especially in primary, secondary and BTVET, teacher and classroom requirements, and hence on expenditure and the funding gap. According to the intermediate scenario, primary enrolments would only slightly increase to 8.3 million, while secondary and BTVET enrolments would increase more substantially.
Coverage and costs of PostSecondary Education, Vocational Education and NonFormal Education
Primary
7964.0
8297.8
8312.8
8323.1
PTC & TTC 22.3 22.3 23.0 23.7 24.4 25.1 25.9 26.6
PostP7 BTVET 38.1 32.6 35.8 41.0 46.9 53.2 55.2 54.7
PostS4 BTVET 84.9 109.6 129.7 148.0 154.4 160.3 182.2 218.1
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Other BTVET 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8
Tertiary 78.7 88.7 98.1 105.0 121.2 136.0 148.0 160.1
Total
9285.8
9754.5
9886.0
10051.3
Table C below shows the relative subsectoral shares: the share to primary education is projected to decrease from the current 52.8% to 48% in 2014/15, Shares of post primary (secondary and BTVET) and tertiary will be increased to meet targeted expansion.
Table C: Share of Projected Expenditure by Subsector
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15
Primary 57.1% 51.9% 53.1% 52.3% 50.1% 49.1% 48.3%
Secondary 22.0% 30.9% 28.9% 28.3% 29.4% 30.6% 30.9%
BTVET 3.9% 2.9% 3.4% 3.9% 4.4% 4.2% 4.5%
Tertiary 15.8% 13.4% 13.8% 14.6% 15.2% 15.3% 15.5%
Servicescentr. Admin 1.2% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 0.8% 0.8%
TOTAL 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
4 CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE OR DATA GAPS
The Mid Term Evaluation of the EFA Fast Track Initiative Country Desk Study for Uganda (June 2009) reported “Early World Bank analytical support to the FTI process in 2002 identified some data weaknesses in relation to enrolments. However, these related to population statistics rather than to the EMIS, and the problems have been rectified by the 2002 population census. The World Bank emphasised at the time “that the problems in data collection … are not unique to Uganda. .. the school system has been growing rapidly under new “rules of the game” brought about by the introduction of the UPE policy in 1997 which eliminated fees for primary schooling. The practice of switching schools has apparently intensified ….., since families are now no longer constrained by having already paid fees at the beginning of term, from moving their children to another school that is perceived to be providing better services. Tracking enrolments in such a setting is difficult at best, and the Ministry should be commended for its continuing efforts to improve data collection through various arrangements to verify the school census returns through spot checks.”
There remain a number of data gaps which need to be resolved for more effective planning, monitoring and resource allocation within the sector.
Enrolments Declared admissions and enrolments in Primary seem to be inflated, as may be found when computing two major indicators: the Gross Admission Rate (GAR, or AIR, if using the UIS terminology) and the Gross Enrolment Rate (GER).
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GER varies around 130%. Even the GER net of repeaters, which is the main cause of inflated GER, is around 110%, while it should reach 100% only if all children are at school and UPE is actually achieved. This may be due to underestimated population data (see below population), but also derives from the confusion between attendance and enrolments.
GAR has been higher than 100% for years, while this is impossible, even if children are admitted into P1 at varying ages10. Aside from the confusion between attendance and enrolments, only four possible explanations may be advanced:
The number of children aged 6 is underestimated (see population, below); A number of admissions are readmissions of pupils having dropped out during or at the end of P1 and returns from schools fail to record this accurately.
School may inflate admissions to prevent their number of teachers being cut, though this may be reduced with the implementation of the new teacher formula;
Admissions are systematically inflated by district declarations, based on the incentive built in the capitation grant formula11.
MoES recognises the need to develop better data verification within programmes to strengthen EMIS and school monitoring more generally.
Population The last population census was carried out in 2002 and a new one is programmed for 2012. Population data and projections for later years following the census inevitably become less reliable, especially fiveyear and single year estimates. In addition, the lower the geographical unit, the higher the risk of biased population estimates.
Up to now, MOES Bulletin of Statistics includes estimates of GAR, GER and NER which refer to age groups significantly higher than those provided by Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) during the last mission. GAR and GER do not look therefore as high as when UBOS data are used.
10 ‘Education Management Information Systems: Comments from a Field Researcher’, Claude Tibi, 2009 11 Schools have vested interests in overdeclaring and so does the district in order to get a bigger share of the total amount available for capitation grant.
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Repetition rates (%)
Revised ESSP 2008 14.2 12.9 14.4 13.7 15.0 17.6 5.1
Updated ESSP 2010 14.9 12.3 13.1 13.1 13.3 13.9 9.8
Drop out rates (%)
Revised ESSP 2008 10.1 5.2 7.0 6.2 6.5 11.1 4.2
Updated ESSP 2010 25.1 25.3 0.7 0.8 9.8 15.1 26.5
5 CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS AND DEVELOPMENT
Success in achieving the objectives of both access and quality depend to a large extent on the capacity of the system. Issues around corruption, lack of accountability, teacher absenteeism and failures in various points in the delivery chain persist in the system and the objectives and strategies enumerated in Chapters 3 and 4 of the Updated ESSP focus attention on improving overall system efficiency and effectiveness. A summary of capacity issues against the priorities identified for primary education are summarised at Table 4C. This section identifies key issues and concerns emerging from two recent analyses.
The Efficiency of Public Education in Uganda study (WB, 2008) identified weak internal efficiency with its cause being four main factors, namely
(i) the leakage of resources between central government and schools due to ghost teachers and misuse of UPE grants;
(ii) leakage of resources in schools, mainly due to the high rate of absenteeism of head teachers, teachers and pupils alike;
(iii) inequitable deployment of teachers across and within districts unrelated to need; and
In response, in 2008 the MOES launched the Quality Education Initiative, following which 9 of the 12 QEI districts improved their rankings in the 2009 PLE exams. Nevertheless considerable constraints remain at the District level where resources and capacity are both low, and the success of the QEI is heavily dependent on support from the centre.
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In response to the recommendations of the QSR a comprehensive Institutional Capacity Assessment (ICA) was undertaken in February 2010. The ICA made a specific recommendation that in the event of FTI endorsement, the Government should make an application to access FTI Catalytic Funds, for the purpose of strengthening the QEI to create a nationwide District Education Improvement Programme.
Readiness of action plans for implementation and capacity development to improve implementation for results
The ICA identified eight broad areas where capacity was constrained and makes recommendations that will improve capacity to deliver the ESSP.
Introduce service level agreements to improve coordination and service delivery at the central level. Instructional materials have not reached schools in the quantities required and especially so in the case of local languages; the revised preservice teacher education curriculum has not yet been finalised and introduced; inservice teacher education to prepare teachers to teach the thematic curriculum has only been partially rolled out.
Complete restructuring of MoES. The restructuring of the MOES that started in 2006 and was approved in 2009 remains work in progress with many staff are still working in an “acting” capacity. All posts should be filled substantively at the earliest possible opportunity and new staff should receive a formal induction into both the civil service and the Ministry of Education.
Align public service scheme of service with sector requirements. District Education Officers District/Municipal and SubCounty level education officials etc. require the core competencies related to their professional roles to be defined. The Ministry of Public Service, in collaboration with MOES, should develop the relevant competencies for each category of education professional and incorporate these into the relevant Schemes of Service and Staff Performance Appraisal process.
Assessment of capacity in the curriculum development process identified major problems in the development and introduction of the Thematic Curriculum as detailed below:
o IMU has not delivered sufficient instructional materials and textbooks to schools as detailed in a number of recent studies. The process for the procurement of instructional materials appears complex and unwieldy;
o The revision of the teacher education curriculum by Kyambogo University has suffered delays, but is being piloted this year. Thus teachers newly qualifying from the PTCs are not receiving training consistent with the Thematic Curriculum;
o Whilst NCDC worked with the PTCs/CCTs to undertake the initial orientation of teachers for the introduction of the new curriculum, those interviewed considered this to be not sufficient to help teachers develop the range of new skills required to successfully implement the curriculum. NCDC has, for example, observed that continuous assessment is not being fully implemented by teachers in the classroom. Assessment continues to be focused on school tests and other attributes of children’s learning achievement that should be reported through continuous assessment is not reported.
o Other challenges that lie beyond the remit of the NCDC and that impact upon the success of the new curriculum include the continuing challenge of class size and the difficulties of classroom organisation required for satisfactory implementation of the thematic curriculum.
A range of challenges are identified which impact on the capacity within Teacher Education to improve the quality of teaching, as detailed below:
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o In PTCs poor planning and record keeping is observed in many colleges; considerable financial constraints with release of grants behind schedule; staff shortages; inadequate physical facilities including limited classrooms, administrative blocks and accommodation, and poor quality construction.
o The thematic primary school curriculum was introduced into Primary 1 in 2007 but due to delays the introduction of the revised preservice curriculum was not aligned and is now planned to be introduced into PTCs in 2011.
o Challenges faced by CCTs to effectively fulfil the responsibilities assigned to them include: ratio of schools to CCTs the target ratio one CCT to 2040 primary schools
is achievable with the present number of 529 CCTs. However, accessibility of schools varies both within and between districts.
CCTs are provided with motorcycles to enable them to visit schools, however many consider these dangerous and women CCTs cannot ride them comfortably.
The budget for fuel is limited and has been subject to delays in disbursement by the Core PTCs. This makes it problematic for CCTs to provide adequate CPD support to all schools on a regular basis.
Inconsistencies between districts in the working arrangements of CCTs. In one district the DEO and DIS stated that they did not work directly with the CCTs. In another district, in contrast, the PTC administration indicated that they have regular planning meetings with the CCTs and the DIS, to the extent that the DIS involves CCTs in school inspection visits and schoolbased follow up actions with permission from the PTC.
In response to the challenges identified, the MOES has developed Customised Performance Targets (CPTs) for PreService and Coordinating Centre Tutors (2009) to address these challenges. TIETD has also worked with NCDC to revise the preservice teacher training course to align with the revised primary school curriculum including the Thematic Curriculum, multigrade teaching, HIV/AIDS, Guidance and Counselling, and Special Needs Education.
Capacity constraints in School Inspections are identified through analysis at both central DES and district DIS levels; this impacts their capacity to implement the BRMS. Areas of weakness identified include:
o lack of autonomy, whereby the Inspectorate is not independent at either central or district levels, and this lack of autonomy constraints its ability to give impartial analysis and advice.
o Staffing levels at all levels are insufficient to allow for a comprehensive regime of school inspection to take place, and many professional staff at central and regional levels are not employed in a substantive role.
o There are no defined competencies to guide the recruitment of school inspectors, nor a set of criteria to inform their professional development.
o There are insufficient vehicles and poor office facilities (at Regional and District level) to allow the inspectorate to function effectively.
o There is no overall inspection management information system, with storage and retrieval of inspection reports at all levels being weak and inadequate communications with education stakeholders and the broader public about the outcomes of school inspections.
o Weak linkages between the DIS and the local CCTs undermine the quality assurance cycle which should see the outcomes of school inspections shared
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with schools, communities and CCTs so that follow up actions to address weaknesses can be identified, undertaken and subsequently monitored by the inspectors.
Institutional assessment concluded that the capacity of UNEB is a strong component of the education sector, providing high quality assessment and examination services. Nevertheless, a number of capacity gaps were identified where capacity may need to be strengthened.
o The integration of continuous assessment in the Thematic Curriculum grades P13 is designed to improve the quality of teaching and learning in those grades. In principle this is a progressive step that should help teachers to plan better and more effectively monitor the progress of individual pupils in their classes. However, with a notional, national Pupil:Teacher ratio of 1:53 and most Lower Primary classes being greatly in excess of this ratio, carrying o