ROCARE ERNWACA A Transnational View of Basic Education: Issues of Access, Quality, and Community Participation in West and Central Africa January 2002 Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA) United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA) Project A Transnational View of Basic Education This publication was prepared by the Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA) project. SARA is operated by the Academy for Educational Development with subcontractors Tulane University, JHPIEGO, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Population Reference Bureau. SARA is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development through the Bureau for Africa, Office of Sustainable Development (AFR/SD/HRD) under Contract AOT-C-00-99-00237-00. Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA) Academy for Educational Development 1825 Connecticut Ave., NW Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel : 202-884-8000 Fax : 202-884-8447 E-mail : [email protected] Educational Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA) BP E1854 Bamako, Mali Tel : 223-21-16-12 Fax : 223-21-21-15 E-mail : [email protected] ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... v Acronyms and abreviations .................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 Access and retention of students in Côte d’Ivoire and the Gambia ................................... 2 Relationships between community participation, access and quality in Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, and Togo ............................................................................................. 3 Recommendations for improving access, retention, and quality ...................................... 6 Section I Access and retention of students in Côte d’Ivoire and the Gambia Chapter 2: Côte d’Ivoire..........................................................................................11 1. Context of the study ............................................................................................11 2. Issues ................................................................................................................12 3. Studies on access and retention in Africa ...............................................................13 4. Methodology .....................................................................................................14 5. Results ..............................................................................................................16 6. Analysis of results ..............................................................................................26 7. Conclusions and recommendations .......................................................................29 References ...............................................................................................................31 Chapter 3: Gambia ..................................................................................................33 1. Background .......................................................................................................33 2. Statement of the problem ....................................................................................34 3. Review of relevant literature ...............................................................................37 4. Research methodology ........................................................................................39 5. Findings ............................................................................................................44 6. Discussion and recommendations .........................................................................54 References ...............................................................................................................56 Section II The relationship between community participation, access and quality in Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, and Togo Chapter 4: Benin ......................................................................................................61 1. Context of the study ............................................................................................61 2. Issues ................................................................................................................62 iii A Transnational View of Basic Education 3. Conceptual framework ........................................................................................63 4. Methodological approach ...................................................................................67 5. Results ..............................................................................................................74 6. Analysis of results ..............................................................................................84 7. Conclusions and recommendations .......................................................................89 References ...............................................................................................................91 Annex: Detailed tables ..............................................................................................93 Chapter 5: Cameroon........................................................................................... 101 1. Context of the study .......................................................................................... 101 2. Issues .............................................................................................................. 101 3. Conceptual framework ...................................................................................... 103 4. Methodology ................................................................................................... 105 5. Results ............................................................................................................ 108 6. Analysis of results ............................................................................................ 121 7. Conclusions and recommendations ..................................................................... 123 References ............................................................................................................. 126 Chapter 6: Ghana ................................................................................................. 129 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 129 2. Statement of the problem .................................................................................. 129 3. Conceptual framework ...................................................................................... 130 4. Research methodology ...................................................................................... 136 5. Findings .......................................................................................................... 141 6. Discussion of results ......................................................................................... 152 7. Conclusions and recommendations ..................................................................... 158 References ............................................................................................................. 160 Chapter 7: Mali ..................................................................................................... 163 1. Context of the study .......................................................................................... 163 2. Issues .............................................................................................................. 163 3. Conceptual framework ...................................................................................... 164 4. Methodology ................................................................................................... 167 5. Results ............................................................................................................ 169 6. Analysis of results ............................................................................................ 180 7. Conclusions and recommendations ..................................................................... 182 References ............................................................................................................. 184 Chapter 8: Togo .................................................................................................... 187 1. Context of the study .......................................................................................... 187 2. Questions / study objective ................................................................................ 188 3. Methodology ................................................................................................... 189 4. Results ............................................................................................................ 197 5. Conclusions and recommendations ..................................................................... 218 References ............................................................................................................. 220 iv Acknowledgements The ERNWACA transnational studies were initiated on the basis of the member countries priority educational issues identified