Education Sector Belize is prioritizing education spending. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Education Sector

Belize is prioritizing education spending…. Expenditure per student (Primary and Secondary levels) 10000 15000 20000 Expenditure (US$ adjusted by PPP) Expenditure (% of GDP per capita) 60 45 30 5000 15 0 0 Iceland Chile Brazil Mexico St. Lucia Jamaica BELIZE St. Vincent Dominica Costa Rica Panama Colombia Peru El Salvador Bolivia Guyana Guatemala Argentina Trinidad and Tobago Antigua and Barbuda Venezuela Uruguay Paraguay Dominican Republic Nicaragua Per-student expenditure as % of GDP per capita * Year of data varies: Belize, Chile, Columbia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines (2010); Antigua& Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Iceland, Mexico (2009); El Salvador, Trinidad & Tobago (2008); Panama, Venezuela (2007); Bolivia, Uruguay (2006) Source: IADB/EDU, World Bank and IMF Databases

… but is getting little bang for the buck. 15 to 19 year-old youth who completed primary education Mexico Costa Rica Panama Domincan Republic LAC Honduras BELIZE BELIZE El Salvador Guatemala Nicaragua 20 40 60 80 100 Percentage of population 20% wealthiest 20% poorest Urban Rural Average Source: IADB/EDU, 2009 Living Standards Measurement Survey (Belize) and most recent Household Surveys (other countries)

At the secondary level the situation is even bleaker … Secondary school enrollment 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Belize LAC Average Belize Rural Belize Urban Belize Qtle1 Belize Qtle5 Source: IADB/EDU, 2009 Belize Living Standards Measurement Survey and World Bank Database

Almost 60% of eighth graders fail math … PSE results by subject Students who achieved below satisfactory grade Overall Science Social Studies English Mathematics Students who achieved above satisfactory grade 100 80 60 40 20 0 20 40 60 80 100 Percentage of students A - Excellent B - Competent C - Satisfactory D - Adequate F - Inadequate Source: IADB/EDU, MOE Evaluation Unit

Only half of test takers pass Math at the end of 12 th grade… Results on tertiary education entry requirement exams (CSEC) English A Mathematics 100 90 Percentage of students 80 70 60 50 40 30 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Year % enrolled - sat exam % sitters - passed exam % enrolled - passed exam Source: IADB/EDU, MOE Evaluation Unit

Why does Belize get so little bang for the buck?

Belize has contracted loads of new teachers to maintain student-teacher ratios … Student-teacher ratios maintained, in spite of growing student population 86000 50 Primary and secondary students 84000 40 Student population 82000 30 Ratio Primary schools 80000 20 Secondary schools 78000 10 76000 0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year Source: IADB/EDU, MOE Planning Unit

… but class size appears to not be strongly linked to student performance in Belize Correlation between class size and student academic performance Average class size Percentage of students with satisfactory PSE grades 60 50 40 30 20 Correlation coefficient = 0.4180 10 Corozal Orange Walk Belize Cayo Stann Creek Toledo District

The increase in the teaching force has brought down the proportion of trained teachers… Trained teachers 3500 45 3000 42 Percentage of teachers Number of teachers 2500 39 2000 36 1500 33 1000 30 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Year % of trained teachers - primary % of trained teachers - secondary Total number of teachers - primary Total number of teachers - secondary Source: IADB/EDU, MOE Planning Unit

Teacher content gaps are huge …. Neither current nor prospective primary school teachers have strong content skills 90 100 A Average score and corresponding grade 80 B 70 C 60 D 50 F 40 30 20 10 0 Mathematics English Science Overall Subject Current teachers Prospective teachers Students Source: IADB/EDU, Teacher Quality Study

There is strong correlation between trained teachers and student performance Correlation between trained teachers and student academic performance Percentage of trained teachers Percentage of students with satisfactory PSE grades 80 70 60 50 40 Correlation coefficient = 0.7459 30 Corozal Orange Walk Belize Cayo Stann Creek Toledo District

In addition to lack of skills, teachers have few incentives to improve their performance… Percentage of teachers who agree with the statement: Percentage of teachers who agree with the statement: Sustained poor performance of a teacher is tolerated by the rest of the staff Review of teachers' work is done to fulfill administrative requirements 50 70 60 40 50 30 40 30 20 20 10 10 0 0 BELIZE Mexico Iceland Brazil TALIS Average BELIZE TALIS Average Iceland Brazil Mexico Source: IADB/EDU, Belize Teacher Quality Assessment Survey 2012 and Teaching And Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2008, OECD. Source: IADB/EDU, Belize Teacher Quality Assessment Survey 2012 and Teaching And Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2008, OECD.

Also schools have few incentives to improve … » Fun unding has, with the exception of the reform at the secondary-school level, been input ut-ba based. » Weak system for monitoring education quality. Schools define curriculum, textbooks etc. without oversight. » No consequences for underperforming schools and no rewards for performing schools. » Parental involvement in school management is generally minimal.

A few of the most important MOE Goals … » Ful ully trained teaching force by 2016: 75% at the primary level, 50% at the secondary level. » Benchmark all teacher training programs against regional and international standards. Establish national standards for teacher educ ucation. » To improve compliance with the cur urricul ulum um. » Improve school leadership by 2016: 100% principals and vice principals certified; and 75% of schools rated as effective.

Policy Area 1: Strengthen Governance throughout the Sector » Quality assurance system based on clear standards for both student learning and school management, both of which should be used as the basis for annual assessments of school performance; » Principal training and assistance in School Based Management ; » Shift the focus from inputs to outcomes realized by students.

Policy Area 2: Teacher Quality » Establishment of national teacher education and accountability standards ; » Train teachers in both content knowledge and inquiry-based classroom practices ; » National system for testing teacher content and pedagogical skills; and » System for monetary and non-monetary teacher incentives to enhance teacher quality and student learning.

Emma Näslund-Hadley IDB Lead Education Specialist emman@iadb.org The Inter-American Development Bank Discussion Papers and Presentations are documents prepared by both Bank and non-Bank personnel as supporting materials for events and are often produced on an expedited publication schedule without formal editing or review. The information and opinions presented in these publications are entirely those of the author(s), and no endorsement by the Inter-American Development Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the countries they represent is expressed or implied. This presentation may be reproduced with prior written consent of the author.