EXPECTATIONS Public Disclosure Authorized AND ASPIRATIONS A New Framework for Education in the Middle East and North Africa OVERVIEW Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Overview Expectations and Aspirations A New Framework for Education in the Middle East and North Africa This booklet contains the updated overview (originally published in November 2018) from Expectations and Aspirations: A New Framework for Education in the Middle East and North Africa, doi: 10.1596/978-1-4648-1234-7. A PDF of the final, full-length book, once published, will be available at https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/ and print copies can be ordered at http://Amazon.com. 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Interior image credits: The following images are by individual artists from thenounproject.com: Figure ES.1 / Figure O.1: “Rope” by Pedro Baños Cancer. Figure ES.2 / Figure O.7: “Handshake” by Gregor Cresnar; “Climbing” by IYIKON; “Man Pushing Big Ball” by Gan Khoon Lay; “Pull” by Pavel, N. Figure O.2 / Figure O.17: “Diploma” by Ben Davis; “Brain” by Max Hancock. Figure O.21: “Handshake” by Gregor Cresnar; “People” by Anastasia Latysheva; “Idea” by Ben Markoch. Contents Foreword ......................................................................v Acknowledgments ..............................................................vii Executive Summary ............................................................ ix Abbreviations ................................................................xvii Overview .....................................................................1 Education has large untapped potential for the Middle East and North Africa ............1 Much has changed in MENA—and the world—but education in MENA remains stuck ....2 Four tensions are holding back education in MENA .................................4 A new framework is needed to realize education’s potential in MENA .................12 Push for learning ...........................................................13 Pull for skills ..............................................................37 Recognize that context matters for learning and skills ..............................42 A new education pact ........................................................46 Unleashing the potential of education is attainable .................................52 Notes ....................................................................53 References ................................................................54 Boxes O.1 Conflict has taken a large toll on education in MENA ..........................4 O.2 World Development Report 2018: Learning to Realize Education’s Promise. 13 O.3 Prioritizing early childhood education in the United Arab Emirates ...............18 O.4 Attracting the best students to teaching depends on the right policies and programs ......................................................20 O.5 School principals also must act as instructional leaders .........................22 O.6 Teaching at the right level benefits students ..................................25 O.7 Improving foreign language instruction is important ..........................27 O.8 Conflict in MENA is depriving many children of education .....................30 iii iv CONTENTS O.9 MENA’s gender paradox presents a dual challenge for human capital .............33 O.10 EdTech offers opportunities to leapfrog learning ..............................36 O.11 Signaling in education is communicating about skills ..........................38 O.12 Reforming vocational education ..........................................42 O.13 Finland and the Republic of Korea rely on different successful education models ....43 O.14 In Rwanda, education has played a role in building peace .......................46 O.15 Peru has found success in aligning interests. .48 O.16 Egypt’s education sector uses technology to ensure accountability ................50 Figures ES.1 Four tensions are holding back education in MENA. .x ES.2 “Push, pull, and pact” offers a new framework for education in MENA ...........xii O.1 Four tensions are holding back education in MENA. .5 O.2 MENA is stuck in a credentialist equilibrium .................................6 O.3 MENA students are more likely to be asked to memorize ........................7 O.4 Obedience plays a central role in children’s education in MENA ..................8 O.5 Teachers in MENA have less autonomy than teachers in OECD countries ..........10 O.6 Substantial time is devoted to religious education in MENA .....................11 O.7 “Push, pull, and pact” offers a new framework for education in MENA ...........12 O.8 What matters for growth is skills ..........................................13 O.9 When adjusted for learning, the number of years of effective schooling in MENA drops substantially .............................................14 O.10 Preprimary enrollments are lower in MENA than in many other regions ...........17 O.11 Large differences in preprimary enrollment ratios are found across MENA .........17 O.12 The required working hours for teachers in MENA are well below those in top-performing countries ..............................................23 O.13 Teacher absenteeism is prevalent throughout MENA ..........................24 O.14 MENA has the biggest gaps in student achievement between top and bottom performers .....................................................31 O.15 MENA has the largest gender gaps in test scores ..............................32 O.16 Computers are available in MENA’s schools, although coverage varies considerably ....35 O.17 MENA needs a skills equilibrium ..........................................37 O.18 A personal connection (wasta) is critical to securing work in MENA ..............39 O.19 School principals in MENA have less authority than those in OECD countries ......40 O.20 Tolerance is associated with education, but intolerance is high even among the educated in MENA ..................................................45 O.21 Learning is a collective responsibility, and everyone is accountable ................49 BO.16.1 Technology can shape accountability relationships ............................50