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PID THE WORLD BANK GROUP AWorld Freo ol Povorty tInfoShop Public Disclosure Authorized Tb. Wot11 lNuk Report No AB43 Updated Project Information Document (PID) Project Name ERITREA-Education Sector Improvement Project Region Africa Regional Office Sector Primary education (70%); Secondary education (3 0%) Project ID P070272 Supplemental Project Borrower(s) GOVERNMENT OF ERITREA Implementing Agency GOE Public Disclosure Authorized Address Ministry of Education Address Research and Human Resources Department, P.O Box 5610, Asmara, Eritrea Contact Person Petros Hailemariam Tel 291-1-125428 Fax 291-1-121913 Email Petros Hailemariam@erimoe gov.er Environment Category B Date PID Prepared April 17, 2003 Auth Appr/Negs Date April 21, 2003 Bank Approval Date June 19, 2003 1. Country and Sector Background Public Disclosure Authorized Sector issues: The sector is characterized by very low access at all levels; low physical access; unequal access especially for disadvantaged groups-girls, children of nomadic groups and other minorities-low learning outcomes; inadequate time-on-task; poor teacher quality; poor physical learning environment; high repetition rates encouraged by stringent selection examinations; high dropout rates especially for girls; and poor delivery and planning capacity in both numeric.and qualitative terms. At least in part, these challenges are a consequence of inadequate education resource inputs and inadequately developed delivery systems Access to education: Public Disclosure Authorized 2 PID Low enrolments at all levels: The first decade of independence registered notable expansion of access to education. Elementary school-grade I to 5-enrolments almost doubled from 151,000 to 299,000; while middle-grade 6 and 7 -school and secondary-grade 8 to 11-enrollment more than doubled from 28,000 to 77,000; and from 19,000 to 64,000 respectively. To cope with this expansion, teacher supply increased from 5,188 to 9,240. Concerted effort also went toward the training of elementary teachers to teach in Eritrean languages as medium of instruction. This effort notwithstanding, nearly 60% of children of eligible age do not have access to elementary education (first five years). For middle and high school levels the proportion are 88% and 86% respectively. Current access rates are clearly inadequate to provide Eritrea with the number of educated people required to increase productivity, support private investments and facilitate growth: more than 70% of the population is illiterate. A variety of factors including the limited physical capacity of existing schools; distance from school; lack of fiscal resources required to bring schools closer to the learners; and overall poverty; combine to limit access to education. Physical inaccessibility of schools: While there are variations across zobas, the average distance of elementary schools from learners prohibits effective participation in schooling. Zobas that have the highest concentration of schools have about one school within a 11.5 kilometer radius. For the least served zobas, the radius ranges from 435 to 1123 kilometers. The current 16 boarding facilities in the low lands and for marginalized groups are insufficient. High Illiteracy and low community participation: A combination of widespread poverty and high illiteracy rates serves to provide a social environment that is not supportive of children's schooling. More than 70% of the population is illiterate. Because of poverty, the opportunity cost of children's schooling is high given the critical role they play in advancing family welfare. The cost is even higher for girls who ordinarily do more household chores. The MoE's guidelines empower communities to participate in substantive aspects of the school life such as in student / teacher relationships; provision of teachers' basic amenities, and up-keep of school infrastructure. In real terms however, community participation in schooling still remains low and is mostly limited to the provision of materials and financial support for their schools. Expansion of literacy programs and their linkage to formal education programs is required to provide a larger social environment that supports children's schooling. Equity Issues: Gender inequity: A combination of factors such as overall poverty, cultural beliefs pertaining to the value of educating girls, division of labor in the households, distance from school and related security issues, limited positive role models by way of female school teachers and other professionals, inadequate hygiene facilities in schools and specific inconveniences adversely affect girl's participation and success in schooling. In 2000/01, gross enrollment ratios at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels for girls were about 52%; 42% and 17%, while for boys were 61%, 45%, and 27%, respectively. Girls tend to repeat and drop out more than boys. Results of the MLA study also show that girls are outperformed by boys in the grade 3 and Grade 5 tests and across all learning areas tested. Regional disparities: The distribution of schools across zobas is not equitable. The extent of inequities in access to elementary education across the six administrative zones is illustrated by the deviation of GER around the national mean which ranges from 47% in Deb-Keih-Bahri region to 20% in Maekel region. The NER is much lower in the Deb-Kei-Bahri, Sem-Keih-Bahri, Gash Barka, and Anseba regions where marginalized groups comprising largely of nomadic and agro-pastoralists are. Distance from school is also another factor of inequity of access especially for girls. 3 PID Nomadic children and other minorities: The lifestyle of pastoralists and nomads militates against effective participation and engagement through regular delivery modes. In addition, the opportunity cost of children's time makes schooling unaffordable for many families. Inadequatephysical learningenvironment: Eritrean schools are characterized by overcrowding, inadequate support facilities like libraries, laboratories and ablution blocks; and a general paucity of enrichment teaching and learning materials. On average, the physical environment is not conducive to effective teaching and learning. The average student/classroom ratio is 63:1, 83:1 and 97:1 for elementary, middle and high school respectively. These very high ratios are somewhat offset by the double shift system described below. However, they do have a negative impact on children's learning and on the attractiveness of schools to children, especially girls: one very large secondary school (5,000 children) has no latrines for students! Inadequate instructionaltime: In effort to improve coverage within a context of limited physical capacity, most elementary schools operate a double shift. The school day is very short - a maximum of four-hours of learning time. Consequently, the Eritrean learners have inadequate time-on-task relative to many other countries. It is estimated that an average elementary and middle school year comprises of 800-900 clock hours relative to 900-1200 in OEDC countries. Poor teacher quality: Teachers are in short supply and female representation in the teaching profession remains low. Shortage of qualified teachers is more acute in middle schools. Approximately 30 percent of elementary and high school teachers are unqualified relative to over 70 percent of middle school teachers. The planned expansion of education access and the extension of the duration of middle school can only exacerbate already existing teacher quality issues. Even where teachers are qualified, there is inadequate evidence of teaching quality. Other than low qualifications, teacher morale and motivation are low owing to inadequate incentives. Female teachers comprise 40%, 12% and 10% of the teaching force at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels. At present, capacity for training teachers for formal education is restricted and this constitutes a major barrier to the expansion of access and deepening of quality. The profession is male dominated and deprives girls in particular of positive role models. For instance, the Asmara Teacher Training Institute (ATTI) enrolled 560 trainees in 2002 only 22 of whom were female. The deployment of the few qualified teachers is not very efficient. Though primary school teachers are trained to handle all subjects, they are assigned to teach two to three subjects depending on the size of their school. There is no specialized unit or department within the MoE dedicated to addressing the enormous challenge to provide adequate numbers and quality of teachers as well as to effectively manage them. Poor learner readiness and potential learner disengagement: Most learners enter school without an adequate level of readiness to cope with the first grade of elementary school. In addition, a large proportion of them are maliourished owing to endemic and severe poverty. For younger learners particularly, the distance from school, coupled with the absence of school feeding programs can compound the discomfort and fatigue that may lead to disengagement during lessons and at worst, to absenteeism. Curriculum: Though some revisions have been done over the years, the curriculum that is currently offered is fairly dated. The elementary and middle school curricula were developed in 1984 and since then, only books and instructional materials have been evaluated and updated. The last substantial review of the secondary school curriculum was done in 1992. Key policy documents note that the curriculum bears no relevance

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