2004年-世界发展银行全球_Papua_New_Guinea_Public_Expenditure_and_Service_Delivery_136页_935kb

Summary of PESD Study in Papua New Guinea

Core Content

The Public Expenditure and Service Delivery (PESD) study in Papua New Guinea (PNG), conducted in 2002, aimed to assess the effectiveness of public spending and service delivery in the education sector. The findings have broader implications for other sectors and highlight systemic challenges in financial management, accountability, and service delivery in PNG.

Main Findings

Education Context

• The education sector has seen significant growth since PNG's independence in 1975, with a 175% increase in schools, double the enrolment, and a 70% increase in teachers between 1992 and 2002.
• Government expenditure on education has been around 5% of GDP and 15% of the national budget, which is relatively high compared to international standards.
• Despite growth, key challenges such as access, retention, and quality of education persist, with a sharp decline in student numbers from grade 1 to grade 12.
• Female students are more likely to drop out than male students, indicating gender disparities in education retention.

School Facilities and Environment

• School infrastructure is generally poor, with issues in classrooms, administrative blocks, sports equipment, and school vehicles.
• Many schools lack basic utilities such as electricity, water, and sanitation.
• Access to essential amenities like stores, post offices, and paved roads is limited, especially in remote areas.
• School closure and security concerns are prevalent, affecting the learning environment.
• Teaching resources, including textbooks and libraries, are often insufficient, contributing to poor educational outcomes.

School Finances

• School finances are characterized by significant gaps in data and transparency.
• Subsidies, fees, and grants are the primary sources of revenue for schools.
• Subsidies are paid quarterly and are supposed to support operational expenses, but they are subject to leakage and delays.
• In 2001, subsidy leakage was estimated at 16–29%, depending on assumptions about provincial allocations.
• Delays in subsidy receipt averaged nearly 3 months, undermining operational planning and management.
• Grants are highly unreliable and unevenly distributed, with a third of schools receiving none, while the top third accounted for 94% of all grants.

School Fees

• There is considerable tolerance for non-payment of school fees, with many schools allowing students to pay according to their ability.
• School fees are not a consistent policy, as illustrated by the short-lived "free" education experiment in 2002.
• This experiment led to a substantial increase in enrolments and reduced subsidy leakage and delays, but it exposed systemic issues in financial sustainability and accountability.

Teacher Issues

• The presence of "ghost" teachers, who are on payroll but not on the school roster, is a significant problem, with about 15% of teachers being unaccounted for.
• Teacher absence rates are around 15%, with a quarter of absent teachers missing for more than a week.
• Teacher motivation is affected by salary delays and availability of teaching resources.
• Parent and community participation significantly reduces teacher absence, with a 50% reduction in absence probability when participation increases by one standard deviation.
• Teacher turnover is high, especially in remote areas, and is linked to poor career management and lack of incentives.

Student Performance

• Parent and community involvement positively influences student attendance, which is around 85% on average.
• Better school facilities are associated with higher student attendance and improved test scores.
• School fees also have a positive effect on student performance, possibly reflecting both parental income and a market-based accountability mechanism.

Education Administration

• Provincial and district-level education administration is ineffective, with Provincial Education Advisors (PEAs) and District Education Administrators (DEAs) failing to maintain accurate records or engage with schools.
• The inspection system is inadequate, with only a minority of schools receiving visits, and even fewer involving meetings with Boards of Management (BOM) or Parents and Community (PNC) representatives.
• Classroom observation is rarely included in inspection visits, despite its importance in assessing teaching quality.

Key Policy Implications

• Strengthening financial accountability and transparency at the school level is essential to ensure effective service delivery.
• There is a need for a consistent and clear policy on school fees to avoid confusion and ensure equitable access.
• Enhancing parent and community participation can improve teacher accountability and student performance.
• Improving the role and effectiveness of provincial and district-level education administrators is crucial for better service delivery.
• A robust inspection system that includes classroom observation and engages all stakeholders is necessary for quality assurance in education.

Conclusion

The PESD study highlights the complex challenges in public service delivery in PNG, particularly in the education sector. Despite significant investments, issues such as financial leakage, delayed subsidies, poor teacher attendance, and inadequate administrative support continue to hinder effective service delivery. Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach that includes improving financial management, enhancing accountability mechanisms, and fostering stronger community involvement in education.