£1bn African education aid ‘failing to teach the basics’

18 May 12
UK aid programmes aimed at improving access to education in three east African countries are failing to provide children with basic literacy and numeracy skills, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact said today.

By Nick Mann | 18 May 2012

UK aid programmes aimed at improving access to education in three east African countries are failing to provide children with basic literacy and numeracy skills, the Independent Commission for Aid Impact said today.

‘Considerable improvements’ are needed to improve learning outcomes from the £1bn aid being spent on education in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania between 2005 and 2015, the watchdog added.

While the Department for international Development’s focus on expanding access to basic education had succeeded in boosting enrolment substantially, there had been a ‘lack of attention’ to the quality of education on offer.

In particular, it said the DFID’s programmes had, until recently, given inadequate attention to key determinants of learning outcomes and value for money such as the quality of pupil attendance and teacher effectiveness.

‘As a result, the quality of education being provided to most children is so low that a large majority is failing to achieve basic literacy and numeracy,’ its report said.

It rated the programmes ‘amber-red’, which means that while they meet some of the criteria for effectiveness and value for money, ‘significant improvements’ should be made. The department was urged to strengthen its capacity-building in the countries’ ministries of education to improve value for money by tracking funds and applying international good practice.

It should also expand its support for local communities so they can monitor and promote education. Doing so would encourage accountability, the widest possible participation and public debate, the ICAI said.

And the department should work with the education ministries to introduce a focus on results into national funding for districts and schools.

Responding to the report, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell acknowledged there had been a past emphasis on increasing numbers of children in education and not enough attention paid to quality.

‘The coalition government is addressing this with our pilots on “payment for results” for education in Ethiopia, Rwanda and Tanzania,’ he said.

‘We are clear that it is not enough to simply have children sitting in a classroom – the quality of learning is what provides value for the British taxpayer, developing country economies and the children themselves.’

In a separate report also published today, the ICAI gave a more positive assessment of the DFID’s support for health and education in Bihar State in India, awarding it a ‘green-amber’ rating. The department’s spending was found to have made a positive contribution, with objectives that were ‘clearly aligned’ with India’s national and local government.

But the ICAI did sound a note of caution over the department’s lack of clarity on work in India after 2014/15, which could hamper future success and sustainability,.

The DFID also received a ‘green-amber’ rating for its use of budget support – aid given directly to a recipient government. In 2010/11, this accounted for £643m – 15% of the UK’s total bilateral aid budget.

In the right conditions, the ICAI found budget support was an effective way of providing development assistance, but it noted that its usefulness varied from country to country.

The department was urged to explore new ways of combining the funding method with other aid instruments, including taking a more ‘hands-on’ approach to aid spending.

ICAI chief commissioner Graham Ward said: ‘These reports show that some of the DFID’s work is having a real impact on the lives of the poorest people, particularly in India, which has seen considerable improvements in health and education.

‘They also show, however, that there is more to do to get the most out of budget support and to make sure that education programmes in East Africa build on progress in enrolment to focus on ensuring a good education.’

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