2016年-世界发展银行全球_Education_Public_Expenditure_Review_in_Zambia_119页_4mb

Education Public Expenditure Review in Zambia Summary

Core Content

This report provides an overview of the education public expenditure trends and challenges in Zambia from 2006 to 2015. It evaluates the effectiveness of education financing across different subsectors, including general education (grades 1-12), Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET), and higher education.

Main Views

• Government Commitment: The Zambian government has shown a strong commitment to education, with public education expenditure increasing from 15.3% of total government expenditure in 2006 to around 20% in 2014 and 2015.
• Economic Context: Zambia has transitioned to a lower-middle-income country with a GNI per capita of US$1,350 in 2012. Despite economic growth, poverty remains high, especially in rural areas.
• Education Expansion: The education system has expanded significantly, particularly in primary and secondary levels, with a 48% increase in enrollment at higher education and high school levels between 2009 and 2013.
• Financing Shifts: Public education financing has gradually shifted from primary to secondary and higher education, with a focus on infrastructure development.
• Challenges: The system faces issues such as inefficiency in resource use, high teacher absenteeism, low education quality, and insufficient teaching materials. The TEVET subsector remains underdeveloped despite its potential for employment creation.
• Policy Reforms: The Ministry of General Education underwent administrative restructuring in 2011, merging two ministries into one. The Output-Based Budgeting (OBB) system was introduced in 2015 as a pilot.

Key Information

Overall Trends of Education Financing

• Public education expenditure grew from ZMW1.5 billion in 2006 to ZMW5.2 billion in 2013, representing a steady increase in both nominal and real terms.
• The share of education expenditure in total government expenditure ranged between 15.3% and 20.5%.
• The ratio of education expenditure to GDP ranged between 3.7% and 4.4%.
• Budgets for 2014 and 2015 indicate that public education expenditure is expected to exceed 5% of GDP and 20% of total government expenditure.

General Education (Grades 1-12)

• Universal Primary Education (UPE): A top priority, but the system still faces high repetition and dropout rates.
• Supply-Side Issues: Insufficient number of teachers, low time-on-task rates, and lack of textbooks and learning materials.
• Demand-Side Issues: Despite the abolition of tuition fees, schools continue to collect various fees from students, which hinders access for poor students.
• School Grants: Only 70% of schools receive the intended grants, with a significant portion not receiving any. Grant disbursement is not transparent or well-targeted.
• Recommendations: Transparent guidelines for grant distribution should be disseminated to schools and DEBS officers. School grant formulas and disbursement schedules should be publicly available at the start and end of the academic year. The government should expedite financial decentralization to allow direct distribution of school grants to school accounts.

Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET)

• Government Expenditure: TEVET has been relatively underdeveloped compared to other subsectors.
• Institutional Funding: The TEVET Fund was established to support institutions, but there are issues with the implementation and effectiveness of funding.
• Bursary Scheme: The bursary scheme is a loan scheme, but none of the beneficiaries have repaid the loans due to lack of collection mechanisms.
• Key Challenges: Inefficiency in implementation, lack of transparency, and misalignment with labor market needs.
• Recommendations: Improve the alignment of TEVET with labor market demands, enhance the efficiency of the TEVET Fund, and strengthen the bursary scheme.

Higher Education

• Government Expenditure: The government has increased expenditure on higher education, but the share remains low compared to other subsectors.
• Financing Models: The report highlights the need for better financing models that support both public and private institutions.
• Bursary Scheme: The scheme is a key tool for supporting students, but its effectiveness is limited due to lack of repayment mechanisms.
• Key Challenges: High costs, low funding, and inefficiencies in resource allocation.
• Recommendations: Enhance the bursary scheme with effective repayment mechanisms, increase funding for higher education, and improve the efficiency of resource use.

Overall Conclusions and Policy Implications

• The Zambian education system has made progress in expanding access, but challenges in efficiency and effectiveness remain.
• Public expenditure on education is still skewed towards the wealthy, and there is a need for more pro-poor allocation.
• The TEVET subsector has significant potential for employment creation but requires more investment and alignment with labor market needs.
• The introduction of Output-Based Budgeting (OBB) is a positive step towards improving efficiency, but implementation challenges persist.
• There is a need for better transparency, accountability, and targeted allocation of educational resources to ensure effective outcomes.

Key Findings

• The education system has expanded significantly, especially in primary and secondary levels.
• Public education expenditure has increased, but the allocation is not always pro-poor.
• The TEVET subsector remains underdeveloped and needs more attention.
• Inefficiencies in implementation and resource use are major challenges.
• The bursary scheme needs improvement in terms of repayment mechanisms and targeting.
• The OBB system is a promising approach to improve efficiency in education financing.

Appendices

• Appendix A: Details the National Qualification Framework (NQF) levels.
• Appendix B: Lists the registered private universities in Zambia in 2014.

References

• The report draws on data from various sources, including the Education Statistical Bulletin (ESB), Living Conditions Monitoring Survey (LCMS), and the Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS).

Figures and Tables

• The report includes several figures and tables that provide data on education expenditure, enrollment, and funding trends across different subsectors and provinces.
• Figures such as 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 illustrate the number of schools, enrollment rates, and gender parity in education.
• Tables such as 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 provide a breakdown of education system changes, government revenue, and enrollment trends.

Notes

• The report emphasizes the need for improved data collection and transparency in the education financing system.
• It highlights the importance of aligning education policies with labor market needs.
• The findings and recommendations aim to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education financing and resource allocation.