Issue No. 7
March 2009

Education in the Arab World: Shift to Quality in Math, Science and Technology Faltering
Middle East & Northern Africa (MENA) has almost reached full primary education enrollment. The enrollment for secondary education increased almost threefold since 1970, and fivefold at the higher education level. Moreover, there has been tremendous progress in closing the gender gap. Despite these improvements, the educational achievements of MENA countries remain below other countries at similar levels of economic development.

Sri Lanka Public Lecture - Three Modern Mysteries of Incentives, Information and Education Outcomes
Dr. Harsha Aturupane (Senior Economist of the Human Development Unit, South Asia Region) spoke at the J.E. Jayasuriya Memorial Foundation, honoring Prof. J.E. Jayasuriya who laid the foundation of academic education profession in Sri Lanka.  The lecture focused on constraints to reforming Sri Lanka's education system.

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Recent Publications & Reports
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The Growing Accountability Agenda in Tertiary Education: Progress or Mixed Blessing?
By Jamil Salmi

In the past decade, accountability has become a major concern in most parts of the world. Governments, parliaments, and the public are increasingly asking universities to justify the use of public resources and account more thoroughly for their teaching and research results. This paper analyzes the main dimensions of the growing accountability agenda, examines some of the negative and positive consequences of its evolution, and proposes a few guiding principles for achieving a balanced approach to accountability in tertiary education.

No More Cutting Class? Reducing Teacher Absence and Providing Incentives for Performance
By F. Halsey Rogers and Emiliana Vegas

Expanding and improving basic education in developing countries requires, at a minimum, teachers who are present in the classroom and motivated to teach, but this essential input is often missing. This paper describes the findings of a series of recent World Bank and other studies on teacher absence and incentives for performance.

The Use and Misuse of Computers in Education: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Colombia
By Felipe Barrera-Osorio and Leigh L. Linden

This paper presents the evaluation of the program 'Computers for Education'. The program aims to integrate computers, donated by the private sector, into the teaching of language in public schools.

Vocational Schooling, Labor Market Outcomes, and College Entry
By Dandan Chen

This paper examines the differentiated outcomes of vocational and general secondary academic education, particularly in terms of employment opportunities, labor market earnings, and access to tertiary education in Indonesia.

Age at First Child: Does Education Delay Fertility Timing? The Case of Kenya
By Celine Ferre

This paper uses data from the Kenyan Demographic and Health Surveys to uncover the impact of staying one more year in school on teenage fertility The authors find that adding one more year of education decreases by at least 10 percentage points the probability of giving birth when still a teenager.

Investing in Indonesia's Education at the District Level: An Analysis of Regional Public Expenditure and Financial Management
By East Asia & Pacific Unit

Since the implementation of decentralization in 2001, district governments have been getting increased responsibilities to provide education services to the citizen. This review of district education expenditures is one of the outputs of a larger set of analytical and design activities that will prepare the ground for System Improvement through Sector Wide Approaches (SISWA) Program in basic education in Indonesia.


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Recent Events
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Kazakhstan-World Bank Joint Economic Research Program (JERP) Partnership Development Tour
Global
February 5-March 2, 2009

The Partnership Development Tour (PDT) is an opportunity for a high level delegation from the Kazakh Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) to meet with academics and administrators from higher education institutions in the United States, Singapore, Qatar, and the UK to better understand the challenges in launching a new public university in the capital city of Astana.  You may find agenda, presentation materials, and participant information from the event website.

Multiple Approaches of Education for Rural Areas: Lesson from Good Practices
Cebu, Philippines
February 9-12, 2009

Although much progress has been made in providing access to education for most children in the last decade in the East Asia and Pacific region, many children in rural and remote areas are still left behind. Estimates indicate that for the majority of countries in the region, still about the last 10% to 15% of children are not enrolled. Quality of education is another critical issue for the most disadvantaged children who live in rural, remote and difficult areas. Quality education is critical for child development and a means of self-empowerment, independence and social integration. All countries in our region have signed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights to the Child.

Secondary Education in Africa (SEIA) Follow-up: Technical Workshop on Science and Mathematics
Tunis, Tunisia
January 29-February 6, 2009

The Secondary Education in Africa (SEIA) Follow-up program is an initiative of the Africa Human Development Department of the World Bank, financed by the Norwegian Post-Primary Education Fund. The Program aims to translate the findings and outputs from the initial research driven phase of the program, into concrete actions and technical assistance for the development of sustainable strategies for secondary education in Africa.

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Recent Projects
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El Salvador: Public Finance and Social Sector Development Policy Loan (DPL)
Approval Date: January 22, 2009
IBRD Loan: US$450 million

The objectives of this project are to: (i) help El Salvador strengthen medium-tern fiscal sustainability; (ii) support good governance and transparency in the use of public resources; and (iii) maintain steady improvements in social protection and education.

Sao Tome and Principe - Education for All: Fast Track Initiative Program
Grant Approval Date: January 20,2009
FTI Catalytic Fund: US$3.6 million

The objective of this project is to contribute to improving delivery of basic education services, with a focus on greater and more equitable access, better quality, and improved local governance. The Grant will allow for the scaling up of ongoing education interventions under the SSSP. It will particularly contribute to: (i) improve access and equity of primary education, particularly in rural areas; (ii) improve quality and efficiency of basic education; and (iii) capacity building for quality sectoral management.


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Education Data
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EdStats Database: World Bank Public Expenditure Database
The World Bank has extracted data from public expenditure documents published between 2002 and 2007. Users may now search for public expenditure data on a specific country or on one of 677 expenditure indicators in the EdStats World Bank Public Expenditure Database.

Visit World Bank Public Expenditure Database to find more out about this new function.

The new issue of the Edstats Newsletter can also be accessed from the main EdStats website.
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Education - Did you know?
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The World Bank has a new Director of Education
Elizabeth M. King is the new Director of Education in the Human Development Network of the World Bank as of February, 2009. Dr. King joined the Bank in 1987 as an Economist, and has since held various positions, including that of Lead Economist for the Human Development Department in the East Asia and Pacific Region and was most recently the a Research Manager in the Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC). Link to full bio here.

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Education Advisory Service
Human Development Network / The World Bank