From Schooling Access to Learning Outcomes: An Unfinished Agenda: An Evaluation of World Bank Support to Primary Education

152 Pages·2006·1.35 MB·English

by  World Bank Independent Evaluation Group

THE WORLD BANK
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THE WORLD BANK GROUP
WORKINGFORAWORLDFREEOFPOVERTY
The World Bank Group consists of five institutions—the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Development Association (IDA), the
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment
Disputes (ICSID). Its mission is to fight poverty for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their envi-
ronment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity, and forging partnerships in the public and
private sectors.
THE INDEPENDENT EVALUATION GROUP
ENHANCING DEVELOPMENT EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH EXCELLENCE AND INDEPENDENCE IN EVALUATION
The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is an independent, three-part unit within the World Bank Group.
IEG-World Bank is charged with evaluating the activities of the IBRD (The World Bank) and IDA, IEG-IFC focuses on
assessment of IFC’s work toward private sector development, and IEG-MIGA evaluates the contributions of MIGA
guarantee projects and services. IEG reports directly to the Bank’s Board of Directors through the Director-General,
Evaluation.
The goals of evaluation are to learn from experience, to provide an objective basis for assessing the results of the
Bank Group’s work, and to provide accountability in the achievement of its objectives. It also improves Bank Group
work by identifying and disseminating the lessons learned from experience and by framing recommendations drawn
from evaluation findings.
W O R L D B A N K I N D E P E N D E N T E V A L U AT I O N G R O U P
From Schooling Access to
Learning Outcomes:
An Unfinished Agenda
An Evaluation of World Bank Support to
Primary Education
2006
The World Bank
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©2006 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank
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Photo credit: Classroom in town of Kampala, Uganda, by Jon Jones/Sygma/Corbis.
ISBN-10: 0-8213-6792-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-8213-6792-6
eISBN: 0-8213-6793-5
DOI: 10.1596/978-0-8213-6792-6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.
Ainsworth, Martha, 1955–
Committing to results : improving the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS assistance: an OED evaluation of the World Bank’s
assistance for HIV/AIDS control / Martha Ainsworth, Denise A. Vaillancourt, Judith Hahn Gaubatz.
p. cm. — (Operations evaluation studies)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8213-6388-1
ISBN-10: 0-8213-6388-3
1. Economic assistance—Developing countries—Evaluation. 2. AIDS (Disease)—Economic aspects—Developing
countries. 3. HIV infections—Economic aspects—Developing countries. 4. AIDS(Diseasse)—Developing
countries—Prevention. 5. HIV infections—Developing countries—Prevention. 6. World Bank. I. Vaillancourt, Denise.
II. Hahn Gaubatz, Judith. III. Title. IV. World Bank operations evaluation study.
HC60.A4575
World Bank InfoShop 2005 Independent Evaluation Group
E-mail: [email protected] Knowledge Programs and Evaluation Capacity
Telephone: [phone] Development (IEGKE)
Facsimile: 202-522-1500 E-mail: [email protected]
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Printed on Recycled Paper
Contents
vii Acknowledgments
ix Foreword
xiii Executive Summary
xix Acronyms and Abbreviations
3 1 Introduction
3 Advancing Primary Education: A Worldwide Goal
4 The Evolution of World Bank Policy on Primary Education
7 Evaluation Objectives and Design
11 2 Trends in World Bank Support to Primary Education
11 Evolution in Lending for Primary Education
16 Evolution of Objectives, from Expansion to Learning Outcomes
18 Bank-Supported Analytic Work
19 Performance Ratings of Primary Education Projects
23 3 Improving Access and Learning Outcomes for the Disadvantaged
23 Primary School Access
32 Improved Student Learning Outcomes
41 4 Better Management for Better Outcomes
41 Improving Management Performance
43 Decentralization
44 Community Control and Accountability
45 Teacher Incentives
46 Monitoring, Evaluation, and Research
49 5 Conclusions and Recommendations
49 Conclusions
52 Recommendations
55 Appendixes
57 A: World Bank Policy Objectives and Strategies for Primary Education
59 B: Study Methods
FROM SCHOOLING ACCESS TO LEARNING OUTCOMES: AN UNFINISHED AGENDA
63 C: Projects in the Portfolio Review Sample
67 D: Education Projects and Lending Amounts,1963–2005, by Country
71 E: What Are Fast-Track Initiative Countries Targeting?
73 F: Primary Education Evaluation Terms of Reference
for Country-Level Analysis
77 G: Case Study Summaries
99 H: External Advisory Panel Comments
105 I: Management Response
111 J: Chairman’s Summary: Committee on Development Effectiveness
(CODE)
115 Endnotes
123 Bibliography
Boxes
4 1.1 How Much Has the World Bank Committed to Primary Education?
6 1.2 Primary, Basic, and General Education
8 1.3 Evaluation Building Blocks
15 2.1 Sectorwide Lending Support in Uganda
19 2.2 Analytic Work in Case Study Countries: Where Are the Learning
Outcomes?
24 3.1 Measuring Primary School Access
28 3.2 Conditional Cash Transfers: A Panacea for Reaching the Poor?
33 3.3 Measuring Learning Outcomes
34 3.4 Improved Student Learning Outcomes in Three Countries
35 3.5 Low Priority for Early Reading Skills: Mali and Peru
38 3.6 Trade-Off between Improved Access and Student Learning Gains:
Is It Inevitable?
43 4.1 Toward More Coherent Capacity Building in Africa
Figures
5 1.1 Trends in Gross Primary Enrollment Ratios by Region, 1970–2000
12 2.1 Increase in World Bank Commitments to Primary Education,
1963–2004
13 2.2 Increase in New Commitments for Primary Education, by Region
14 2.3 New Commitments to Primary Education by Managing Sector
15 2.4 Education Commitments by Subsector and Time Period
25 3.1 Increases in Gross Primary Enrollment Ratios in Countries Receiving
Bank Support
29 3.2 Reducing Enrollment Gaps in Vietnam
30 3.3 Yemen: Trends in Primary Enrollments (grades 1–6) by Gender
35 3.4 Percent of Sixth Graders Performing Sufficiently on Language
Examinations in Uruguay, by Income Level
Tables
13 2.1 Cumulative Projects and Commitments for Primary Education,
1963–2005, by Region
17 2.2 Objectives of Education Investment Projects that Allocate at Least
50 Percent of Expenditure to Primary Education
18 2.3 Analytic Work on Primary Education Managed by the Education
Sector, Fiscal 2000–05
iv
CONTENTS
20 2.4 IEG Ratings of Completed Primary Education Projects, by Year
of Approval
24 3.1 Outcomes by Enrollment Objective for Completed Primary
Education Projects
32 3.2 Outcomes by Objective for Completed Primary Education Projects
42 4.1 Performance on Education Sector Management Activities
for Completed Primary Education Projects
v

Acknowledgments
This evaluation was conducted by the Indepen- White was task manager of the impact evaluation
dent Evaluation Group (IEG)–World Bank at the of the Bank’s primary education support in
request of the Bank’s Board of Executive Ghana. The four case study teams were as
Directors. The report was written by H. Dean follows: Mali: Penelope Bender (leader), Abou
Nielsen (task manager), with inputs from Martha Diarra, Koffi Edoh, and Marc Ziegler; Pakistan:
Ainsworth, William Hurlbut (editor), and Maurice Boissiere (leader), Safiullah Baig,
Manisha Modi. Maria Pilar Barquero provided Manisha Modi, and Fareeha Zafar; Peru: Martin
administrative support. Heather Dittbrenner Carnoy (leader), Martin Benevides, Santiago
edited the document for publication. The Cueto, and Amber Gove; Romania: Sue Ellen
evaluation report is based on inputs from many Berryman (leader), Amber Gove, Dana Sapatoru,
IEG staff and consultants who contributed and Anca Tirca. IEG would like to express
background papers, desk reviews, and field- appreciation to Livia Benavides, Ana Marie Sandi,
based studies. Tahseen Sayed, and Atou Seck for facilitating the
Maurice Boissiere authored background work of the case study teams in the field.
studies on the rationale for public investment in The evaluation also greatly benefited from
primary education and the determinants of the constructive advice and perspectives of a
primary education outcomes. The World Bank distinguished External Advisory Panel, consist-
portfolio of lending and nonlending activities was ing of David Archer (ActionAid International),
reviewed by a team consisting of William Merilee Grindle (Harvard University), Beatrice
Cummings (analysis report and drafting); Manisha Okyere (University of Cape Coast, Ghana), and
Modi (database construction and analysis); Gillian Paulo Renata Souza (former Minister of
Perkins and Howard White (analysis design and Education, Brazil). The evaluation team is
methods); and Akiko Sawamoto and Maki enormously grateful for the panel’s feedback on
Tsumagari (coding and tabulating). the intermediate outputs and final report. The
Fieldwork conducted for the evaluation responsibility for the interpretation of the
included seven Project Performance Assessment evidence and the report’s conclusions rests with
Reports (PPARs), one impact evaluation, and four the evaluation team, however.
country case studies. The PPARs on Honduras, The evaluation team also extends its appreci-
Niger, Uruguay, and the Republic of Yemen were ation to the following individuals for their
led and prepared by Helen Abadzi; on Vietnam comments and insights on various drafts and
by Martha Ainsworth; on Uganda by Gillian intermediate products: Soniya Carvalho,
Perkins; and on India by Dean Nielsen. Howard Victoria Elliot, Nils Fostvedt, Patrick Grasso,
vii
FROM SCHOOLING ACCESS TO LEARNING OUTCOMES: AN UNFINISHED AGENDA
Amina Ibrahim, Nalini Kumar, Keith Lewin, Maria up the evaluation Web site and electronic
Cristina Mejia, Jennifer Nielsen, Kyle Peters, bulletin board.
Ernesto Schiefelbein, Klaus Tilmes, and Howard Finally, we wish to acknowledge financial
White. The team also thanks Julius Gwyer, Maria support from the government of Japan through
Mar, and Alex McKenzie for their help in setting a Consultant Trust Fund grant.
Director-General, Evaluation:Vinod Thomas
Director, Independent Evaluation Group–World Bank:Ajay Chhibber
Manager, Sector, Thematic, and Global Evaluation:Alain Barbu
Task Manager: H. Dean Nielsen
viii