UNICEF Botswana Education Budget Brief 2017 Keorapetse/©UNICEFBotswana2016 UNICEF Botswana Education Budget Brief 2017 Key Messages The Ministry of Education and Skills Development There is underfunding of the Education and Training was divided into the Ministry of Basic Education Sector Strategic Plan, which runs from 2015 to (MOBE) and the Ministry of Tertiary Education, 2020. Implementation of this Plan needs to be Research and Technology. The Ministry’s skills continuously revised in light of the resource development also changed hands and is now under availability as projected in the Medium Term Fiscal the responsibility of the Ministry of Employment, Framework. Labour and Skills Development. Areas that are fundamental to supporting the In nominal terms, in 2017/18, total spending of the education of the most disadvantaged children, education sector equalled P12.7 billion (21.3% in the including early childhood development, out of school total budget or 7.2% of GDP), which is 34% higher programmes and improving learning outcomes, as compared to 2013/14. When adjusting for receive almost no public funding. The Government inflation, the rise in spending remains impressive, may consider maintaining public spending at least at jumping nearly 18% over the same period, which is current level (7-8% of GDP) as one of the priorities in close to 4.5% real annual growth. As an UMIC, the coming years, with specific focus on public Botswana no longer attracts significant donor expenditure on service delivery targeting children. funding and relies on domestic resources to finance education. The current budget structure does not allow for analysis of spending by education level or items. In fiscal year 2017/18, P1.1 billion i.e. about 7% of Using historical data, there appears to be a major the proposed total development budget was imbalance in spending across different levels of allocated to the education sector, mainly, for education, with potentially strong gains to be construction of additional facilities in rural schools. achieved by shifting resources away from higher Although increasing in recent years, infrastructure levels to support basic education services. funding, particularly for pre-primary and primary schools, remains low and should be reviewed in line In contrast to recurrent spending, which is with current policy commitments and underlying performing quite well, the planning and execution of funding requirements. development budgets is characterized by severe discrepancies. Besides, the budget utilization varies At 90% of the education budget, spending on across districts and is not connected to improved salaries and other recurrent items is at a dangerous learning outcomes. level based on international standards (anything above 80%) and suggests there are serious The availability of disaggregated education spending inefficiencies within the education expenditure by level of education allows system, which need to be addressed. understanding and addressing inefficiencies in spending, which is not possible in the current budget structure to know how much is being invested at each level. *This budget brief is one of four that explore the extent to which the public budget addresses the needs of children under 18 years in Botswana. The briefs analyse the size and composition of budget allocations for fiscal year 2017/18 as well as offer insights into the efficiency, effectiveness, equity and adequacy of past spending. Their main objectives are to synthesize complex budget information so that stakeholders easily understand it and to put forth key messages to inform financial decision-making processes. 1 UNICEF Botswana Education Budget Brief 2017 Introduction Botswana’s education system – primarily managed by two ministries – has been a significant priority since independence. As this brief will demonstrate, education continues to receive the highest level of funding in the national budget. In practice, two ministries have been responsible for delivering education services, which include the Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MOESD), and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MOLGRD). However, starting in fiscal year 2017/18, MOESD was divided into the Ministry of Basic Education (MOBE) and the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Research and Technology (MTERT). Skills development also changed hands and is now under the responsibility of the Ministry of Employment, Labour and Skills Development (MELSD). Because of the changes in the ministerial setup of the education sector, the analysis of the 2017/18 budget is undertaken separately throughout this brief, where possible. In Botswana’s five-tier education system, the private sector is playing only a minimal role apart from early childhood learning. In terms of the structure, pre-primary covers ages 4 to 5 years , primary (6 to 12 years), junior secondary (13 to 15 years), senior secondary (16 to 17 years) and tertiary (18 years and above). While there are private sector providers, the majority of learners go to public schools. In 2013, for example, 93% of primary school students and 82% of secondary school students were enrolled in government schools.¹ The lone exception is at the pre-primary education level, where more than 70% of students are enrolled in private schools. Ambitious national and sector development plans guide Botswana’s education system. The overarching plan, National Vision 2036, is based on a series of medium-term plans. The current plan, National Development Plan 11, runs from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2023. It aims to transform Botswana into a knowledge-driven economy and emphasizes the importance of education to improve the quality of the labour force. It also acknowledges key challenges in the sector, including low inclusion, poor secondary to tertiary transition rates, and a mismatch between skills and labour force needs.² To this end, the Government aims to invest 60% of mineral revenues in the development of physical and human capital. Operationally, the Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan (ETSSP), which covers the 2015 to 2020 period, is intended to address key challenges and guide the sector. The ETSSP emphasizes the importance of: (i) laying a strong foundation at pre-primary education level; (ii) teacher education and professionalism; (iii) enhanced participation of private sector and parents; (iv) technical and vocational education; and (v) the sector’s strategic role as a catalyst in economic transformation and national development. Some of the key targets to be achieved by 2020 include: • Increasing pre-primary enrolment to 35,379 (from 9,995 in 2012/13); • Increasing technical and vocational enrolment to 24,535 (from 5,899 in 2012/13); • Increasing tertiary level enrolment to 100,130 (from 65,702 in 2012/13); • Increasing the private sector’s role in tertiary education; and • Enhancing teacher training and the professionalization of teaching through a Teaching Council. ¹ Statistics Botswana (2014) Education Statistical Briefs 2014. ² Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (2016) National Development Plan 11, Government of Botswana, p.68. 2 UNICEF Botswana Education Budget Brief 2017 Keorapetse/©UNICEFBotswana2016 During the course of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Botswana achieved strong results in core education indicators, but equity concerns persist. For example, adult literacy rates increased from 81% to 88% between 2003 and 2015,³ but there are major rural/urban differences (e.g. 76% in rural areas versus 96% in urban areas4). At the same time, while Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE) have improved, but they are dominated by C and D grades with major differences across regions. There is also a recent downtrend in Junior Certificate results, which indicates that the quality of students being fed into senior secondary and ultimately tertiary level education is deteriorating. Table 1: Selected Education Indicators Indicators 2003 / 2011 2016 or latest available School enrolment, pre-primary (% gross) 18.7 19.8 School enrolment, primary (% net) 85.6 93.2 School enrolment, senior secondary 84.1 82.3 School enrolment, tertiary (% gross) 15.1 21.3 Transition rate from junior to secondary (%) 54.0 64.2 Transition rate from senior secondary to tertiary (%) 56.0 63.8 Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above) 83.2 90.0 Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24) 93.9 97.8 Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics Database (extracted in August 2017); National Development Plan 11 (2017-2021); Statistics Botswana: National Literacy Survey 2014; UN Data (data.un.org; 14 August 2017); Education and Training Sector Strategic Plan (ETSSP 2015-2020). ³ UNESCO Institute for Statistics Database (extracted in July 2017). 4 Statistics Botswana (2011) Core Welfare Indicators Survey 2009/10. 3 UNICEF Botswana Education Budget Brief 2017 Education Spending Trends Public investment in the education sector have grown significantly in recent years, even when factoring in changing price levels. In nominal terms, in 2017/18, total spending of the education sector equalled P12.7 billion, which is 34% higher as compared to 2013/14. When adjusting for inflation, the rise in spending remains impressive, jumping nearly 18% over the same period, which is close to 4.5% real annual growth (Figure 1). Figure 1. Education sector spending trends: Nominal vs. Real Nominal Value Real value (constant 2013/14 prices) 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18* Source: Ministry of