South Sudan EFA Country Profile 2014

Transcription

1 South Sudan EFA Country Profile 4 General Context Completely landlocked between east and central Africa, the Republic of South Sudan stretches over an area of about 6, square kilometers, with a population of.3 million inhabitants. Having gained independence in, it is the youngest African country. The primary school-aged population (for an eight-year cycle) represents 2. percent of the total population, underlining the particular significance of the demographic constraint for the development of the education system. Today, almost three out of five (5.6 percent) school-aged children do not have access to school. The great majority of the country remains poor, with underdeveloped infrastructure and a literacy rate of barely 27 percent, one of the lowest on the continent. Furthermore, the HIV&AIDS prevalence rate in 2 was 3. percent. Demographic and Macroeconomic Context (2) GDP per Capita (US$) NA Total Population ( ),26 % of the Population of School Age 2. % of Out-of-School Children of School Age 5.6 HIV&AIDS Prevalence (5-49 years) 3.% HDI (Ranking) NA Key EFA Indicators for 2 or Most Recent Year Given that the country did not yet exist in, it is difficult to appraise progress towards the EFA goals in South Sudan. At best, the level of achievement of these goals could be appraised for the last available year, 9. In that year, the African EFA Development Index was 9.3. The low value of this index is explained by the extremely low primary completion rate, one of the three indicators that it comprises. This was barely percent in 9 (for an eight-year primary cycle), although if a six-year primary cycle was considered, the completion rate would be 26 percent. The low level of the EFA index is also explained by the high level of illiteracy of the adult population (73 percent). African EFA Development Index (EDI) South Sudan () SSA (57) SSA Max (9) SSA Min () Although it is possible that these figures improved between 9 and 2, they nevertheless describe one of the most difficult EFA development contexts on the continent. Among the three indicators that compose the index, the gender parity index (Goal 5) is the highest. It was 66 percent in 9, in favor of boys. Nevertheless, it still appears to be particularly low when compared to the Sub-Saharan African average (9 percent). This new country is facing enormous challenges to catch up with the level of schooling of its African peers. The education needs of youth (Goal 3) are insufficiently provided for, as the lower secondary

2 completion rate is barely percent. Goal Early Childhood Care and Education Goal 2 Universal Education Goal 3 Learning Needs of All Youth and Adults Goal 4 Improving Levels of Adult Literacy Goal 5 Gender Parity in Education Preprimary Enrollment Rate Completion Rate 67 Completion Rate Adult Literacy Rate 94 Level Gender Parity Index Goal 6 Educational Quality Legend Goals to 5 South Sudan (Value for or close in parenthesis) SSA Range (min/max) Learning Quality 2 or Most Recent Year In relation to the quality of learning (Goal 6), the low level of knowledge of primary pupils is to be noted. Only 35 percent of Grade 6 pupils achieved the minimum required level in language in, and just 29 percent achieved the minimum level in math (CSR). This result is not surprising given the recent history of education in the country. Enrollment: Education Pyramids 2 or Most Recent Year In addition to the primary and secondary completion rates provided above, the education pyramid indicates that technical and vocational education and training represents barely six percent of total secondary enrollment, and that higher education coverage, at 23 students per, inhabitants, is among the least developed of the continent.

3 Education Financing 2 or Most Recent Year Sub-Saharan African Minimum South Sudan Sub-Saharan African Maximum Resource Mobilization, 9 Distribution of Education Budget, 9 Government Revenue as % of GDP 66 (incl. TVET) Educ. Current Exp. as % of Government Current Expenditure 22 4 Higher Educ. Other Levels

4 The priority placed on education is yet to be demonstrated, with just percent of the recurrent budget being devoted to the sector (against an average of 22 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa). Within the sector however, priority is clearly given to primary education, which is allocated percent of recurrent education expenditure. If the primary cycle is re-calibrated according to a six-year cycle, this is in line with Sub-Saharan African common practice (45 to 5 percent). As for the use of the budget, 77 percent is devoted to salaries, which leaves little scope to cover operational costs. Education Policy Parameters 2 or Most Recent Year Given that South Sudan is a young country, education policy is still embryonic. Added to this, the post-conflict context and the reconstruction underway make such policy implementation more difficult still. An education system diagnosis initiated in 9 and published in by a national team with the support of World Bank experts has thus revealed multiple organization issues: the absence of a national curriculum, the low level of qualifications of the teaching staff (mainly composed of volunteers coaxed away from the civil war), the relative insecurity of rural schools and so on. Despite the importance given to primary, the challenges are immense: classrooms are overcrowded, with an average of 29 pupils each. The pupil-teacher ratio is 52: when volunteers are accounted for and 2: when considering only the teachers paid for by the government on an ongoing basis. There are hence considerably fewer classrooms than teachers, meaning that many pupils are given lessons outdoors. -level unit costs are percent of GDP per capita, equivalent to the Sub- Saharan African average. Furthermore, the allocation of teachers to schools bears little coherence with the size of schools, given that only percent of deployments appear to be justified by enrollment levels, which signifies that other criteria are playing a greater role in such decisions. The education system makes a relatively significant provision for non formal education (Alternative Education System), which is equivalent to percent of primary enrollment. AES is the second most developed subsector, after primary. It provides learning opportunities to children and adults who have never accessed formal education or have dropped out early and are unlikely to return, in particular because of their age. It offers a selection of training programs targeting the Sudan People s Liberation Army s (SPLA) demobilized troops and other ex-security forces. education (including TVET) represents percent of the recurrent education budget (compared to 3 percent for Sub-Saharan Africa). This cycle is comparatively underdeveloped (the GER is percent), entailing that its unit costs are relatively high (3 percent of GDP per capita, compared to an average of percent for Sub-Saharan Africa).

5 Sub-Saharan African Minimum South Sudan Pupil-Teacher Ratio in Public Schools, 2 Sub-Saharan African Maximum Public Teachers Average Salary (% of GDPpc) % of Current Spending Other than Teachers Salaries Percentage of Repeaters, % of Pupils in Private Schools, 2 Public Cost per Student (% of GDP pc, Cur. Exp.), (incl. TVET) TVET Higher Education