2016年-世界发展银行全球_Uganda_Note___Levels_and_Efficiency_of_Spending_for_Education_11页_703kb

Uganda Education Spending and Efficiency Summary

Core Content

This document provides an analysis of education spending and efficiency in Uganda, highlighting the challenges the system faces due to population growth, increased enrollment, and low internal efficiency. It is part of a series of technical notes aimed at supporting the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports (MoE) in developing a new education strategy.

Key Messages

• Enrollment Growth: Due to population growth and higher education attainment, enrollment in primary and secondary education has increased significantly.
• Funding Gap: Public funding has not kept pace with enrollment growth, shifting the majority of education financing to households.
• Low Internal Efficiency: High repetition and drop-out rates reduce the system's internal efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Future Budget Needs: Substantial increases in education spending as a share of GDP may be required to achieve universal upper secondary completion.
• Equity and Affordability Concerns: The high proportion of household expenditure raises concerns about equity and the affordability of education.

Education System Overview

Uganda follows a 7-4-2 structure:

• 7 years of primary education (ages 6–12), compulsory and free under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) policy.
• 4 years of general secondary education or 3 years of vocational training.
• 2 years of upper secondary education or more training at a Technical Institute.

The Universal Secondary Education (USE) policy, introduced in 2007, aimed to provide universal access to post-primary education, but it faced significant funding challenges.

Enrollment Trends

• Primary Education: Enrollment increased from 7.2 million in 2007 to almost 8.0 million in 2013.
• Secondary Education: Enrollment rose from 0.95 million in 2007 to 1.36 million in 2013, with a sharp increase in 2007–2009 due to the introduction of the USE policy.
• Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER): Primary GER decreased slightly from 119.8% in 2007 to 109.8% in 2013, while secondary GER improved modestly.

Internal Efficiency

Internal efficiency is defined as the number of years of schooling actually used divided by the number of years needed to complete the cycle. Key findings include:

• Primary Education: Internal efficiency increased slightly from 50.0% in 2007 to 55.4% in 2013.
• Secondary Education: Internal efficiency remained flat at 44.0%.
• Main Factors: Drop-outs are the primary cause of inefficiency, followed by repetition. For every 100 students who enroll in primary school, 59 complete the cycle, and only 13 reach upper secondary.

Cost Effectiveness

• Primary Education: The cost of the education system in 2013 was 1.8 times what it should be.
• Secondary Education: The cost was 2.3 times what it should be.
• Impact of Efficiency: Improving internal efficiency can enhance cost-effectiveness, but may also increase budget needs depending on how efficiency gains are achieved.

Public vs. Private Spending

• Public Spending: Has not kept pace with enrollment growth and remains below the levels envisioned in the Education Sector Strategy Plan (ESSP).
• Private Spending: Accounts for two-thirds of total education expenditure in Uganda. In 2012/13, private spending was over 3,100 billion UGX, compared to 1,593 billion UGX for public spending.
• Private School Distribution: Almost two-thirds of private spending goes to private secular schools, which have a larger market share and higher unit costs than NGO/religious schools.

Budget Trends

• Overall Education Budget: Increased in real terms from 2009 to 2013, but still below GDP growth.
• Education as Share of GDP: Declined from 15.10% in 2009 to 14.60% in 2013.
• Sub-sector Funding:
  • Pre-primary and primary education saw increases in real terms.
  • Secondary education and TVET also increased.
  • Tertiary education experienced a decline in funding as a share of the overall budget.

Challenges and Recommendations

• Drop-out Rates: High drop-out rates, especially among girls due to child marriage and pregnancy, are a major concern.
• Quality Issues: Low internal efficiency is linked to poor quality and student disinterest.
• Interventions Needed: To improve efficiency, interventions should focus on reducing repetition and drop-out rates, improving access and retention, and targeting vulnerable groups.
• Equity Considerations: High household expenditure raises concerns about affordability and equity in education access.

Conclusion

Uganda's education system is expanding due to population growth and improved education attainment, but it is not cost-effective and faces significant budgetary pressures. Public funding has not kept up with the demand, leading to increased household burden and low internal efficiency. To achieve universal upper secondary completion and improve learning outcomes, substantial increases in funding and efficiency improvements are necessary.