Tanzania - Community education

Human Development 180 IXONAL ea 4'~VApril 2001 Findings reports on ongoing operational, economic, and sector work carried out by the World Bank and its member govemments in the Africa Region. It is published periodically by the Knowledge and Leaming Center on behalf of the Region. The views expressed in Findings are those of the WORLD BA N K author/s and should not be attributed to the World Bank Group. Tanzania: Communitv Education [N AND 22082 "Mfuko wa ElUmu ya Msingi"- tributed to a sharp decline in en- or the Community Education rolments and quality. By the mid- U ) X sFund- was started in 1995. It was 1990s, enrolments were below 80 extended as one of the two key com- percent and falling fast, and the ponents under the Human Re- system was failing to deliver func- sources Development Project tioning schools in many communi- _1 1 X (HRDP) launched in 1997. The ties, threatening to jeopardize wider HRDP is a pilot project undertaken social and economic development. _qw 'mw by the Government of Tanzania and The performance of the education financed by a $20.9m World Bank system was further negatively af- IDA credit. It is intended to pilot fected by several factors including solutions to some of the key prob- the shortage of resources necessary lems of access and quality that char- for system financing, decline of acterize the Tanzanian education quality of educational inputs and system. reduction of public financing for What was first regarded with non-salary expenditure items. The skepticism has now expanded four reduction of public financing pro- times beyond its original target and voked an expansion of various fees is emerging as a viable solution to and levies on parents, thus affect- w the issues of funding, improving ing the demand for education.. The primary education and increasing quality of service delivery was also community involvement affected by distorted institutional arrangements and resources rarely The Tanzanian education system reached schools on time, if at all. The few resources available for Despite being one of the poorest quality control, monitoring and countries in Africa, Tanzania supervision at the district and achieved dramatic increases in pri- school level means that communi- mary school enrolment during the ties are effectively excluded from all flrst two decades of independence issues of education of their children x and gross enrollment rose from and the management of resources. less than 50 percent in 1961 to per- This has led to a lack of both edu- haps as high as 95 percent in 1976. cational and fiscal accountability at 'r M However, economic decline and the school level. public sector mismanagement con-  Figure 1 Implementation mechanism: cilities, receive technical assistance Unexpected development of CEF the cascade approach from district-level specialists, who ensure that minimum quality stan- 2000 The starting point for the dards are adhered to. District edu- implementation of the CEF was cation officers are also required to 1500 a sensitization campaign. This make regular site visits to ensure Moffl"fi"...., used a 'cascade' approach, that funds are being utilized respon- ooo 0 t | | * whereby the project's rationale, sibly, school plans are being up- objectives and procedures were dated andchatl regulare meeings are l communicated to the various being held. Within the community, 0 ~~~~~~~~stakeholders through the local school accounts must be publicly Target Actual education sector hierarchy The displayed as a way of promoting ac- procedure is as follows: a com- countability and further insuring CEF design munity meeting is convened by against misuse of funds. In addi- the elected school committee at tion, twice-yearly meetings are held The Community Education Fund which the community formally in the community to review progress or CEF is a matching fund program agrees to participate in the project. against the school plan, and adjust designed to increase the allocation The community then identifies its it where necessary. of public funding for non-salary ex- education needs and priorities in a penditures at school level and em- rolling three-year plan. The plans CEF achievements and impact power communities to improve can include both capital and non- their primary schools. The five-year salary recurrent expenditures, and The number of schools in the project is backed by US$5. Im from usually identify school construction CEF program has increased from a World Bank credit, and a further and rehabilitation, classroom fur- 264 in 1998 to 355 in 1999, in line US$3m anticipated in community niture, and learning materials as with the projections in the pilot contributions. The important fea- key priorities. A consolidated cash design. During 2000 the CEF ex- tures of the CEF are the direct allo- contribution is agreed upon, either panded to a further 11 districts cation of funding to primary on a household or per capita ba- reaching 1,635 schools. By the end schools, the matching of commu- sis, towards the community fund. of 2000, the CEF has disbursed nity contributions with funding al- Income from the school garden, lo- more than US$2m of credit funds, located from the CEE; preparation cal fundraising activities, and con- that were matched by about US$ Im of three-year school development tributions from businesses can aug- of local contributions. plans, prioritization of school de- ment these funds. The funds generated by the CEF velopment objectives within these were primarily used for rehabilita- plans, the active role of school Implementation mechanism: tion and construction of additional boards and village committees at all matching grants and district classrooms, latrines, purchase of stages of the process, with the ulti- SUpport desks (86 percent of the CEF mate decisionsd developmen The funds that are mobilized at funds), housing for teachers (8.5 the program and development the community level are deposited percent). A snmall proportion of the plans taken through community in a school bank account, after funds has also been used for qual- meeti gs. which they are matched by a gov- ity-related investments such as Initially, the project was to reach ement grant, up to a ceiling of teaching materials and teacher 355 schools in 5 districts, or ap- 6,000 Tanzania shillings P Tsh )per training. As most of the schools proximately 3 percent of Tanzania's p Pnt have been participating in the primary schools. Today, the CEF is provided on a sliding scale start- project for a very short time, it is being implemented in 1,635 ing at 1:1, with poorer communi- premature to arrive at definite con- schools an 5, children. ties usually receiving grants at a ra- clusions about the overall impact ing more than 570,000 children. tio of 2:u1. Communities building of CEF on learning achievements or classrooms, latrines and other fa- the quality of schooling. This will  be feasible only over a long time and countability in education have been realizable development plans, cap- when a concerted effort is made to- enhanced. An overwhelming major- ture of the process by elite groups wards quality-related investments. ity of communities are meeting the etc. increase substantially. Specifi- The Impact Evaluation of the minimum requirement of develop- cally, the following activities may be HRDP, carried out in November ing school plans, and many are ac- recommended for further CEF suc- 1999, covered schools in the first tively assisting in monitoring their cessful implementation. five districts participating in the implementation. On-going sensitization: Continu- CEF program. It made a system- e Impact on enrollment and stu- ous community on-going sensitiza- atic attempt to measure progress dentperformance: Absolute enroll- tion, training and support during against the project's core expected ments have risen overall in the five the project implementation is outcomes. The key findings of the CEF districts but it is difficult to needed in order to preserve truly Impact Evaluation were as follows: conclude that this is attributable to participatory school management. * Improvedfinancing andfinan- the CEF contribution. In 1997, the Weak traditions of community in- cial management: The non-salary number of students enrolled rose volvement in school management funding to primary schools has in- by 6.2 percent, in 1998 it fell by - have resulted in a significant risk creased. In Mtwara Rural and 0.05 percent, and in 1999 it rose that school development plans, de- Sumbawanga Urban, average per again by 5.2 percent. CEF schools cisions on community contribu- student spending has approxi- also tend to show an improvement tions etc. might be taken in a purely mately doubled under the CEF, when compared with other schools mechanical and non-participatory when comparing financial year in their respective regions. In par- way. Efforts need to be made in or- 1995/96 with 1998/99. In 1998, ticular, a higher proportion of chil- der to assist local community ini- CEF schools spent an average of dren is scoring grades A and B in tiatives and develop initial commu- 3,534TSh per student on non-sal- CEF districts as compared to non- nity-level capacity to identify and ary expenditures, more than four CEF districts in the same regions. rank own priorities, needs in times the average non-salary school development and to imple- spending of 759TSh in non-CEF Implementation problems ment these plans, even when fund- districts in Tanzania. In general, ing is provided. resources mobilized for the CEF Implementation of the CEF dur- Flexibility in methods for reach- have remained at the community ingthe firsttwoyearsidentified sev- ing weak and poor communities: level and been used for their in- eral issues and risks that need to There is need for additional tech- tended purposes. This has been be continuously monitored and to nical assistance and advice to be critical in securing ongoing commu- be taken into account when the CEF provided to weak and poorly-struc- nity support for the project. is replicated or when such a devel- tured communities. It is clear that * School environment for learnin: opment instrument is used in other some of the communities-due to In many communities where it is environments. The most important territorial spread, institutional or operating, the CEF has financed a general observation is that the CEF socio-economic factors (poverty) - significant improvement in the project should be dealt with as a will not be able to consolidate their school environment. These funds school-level management reform efforts and come up with prioritized were urgently needed for improve- and capacity development program school development plans and/or ments in the school environment. and not merely as a mechanism for generate the necessary contribu- In many cases, these school im- the allocation of finding for certain tions to be matched by CEF funds. provements are generating an en- non-salary items at the school level. Such communities need additional thusiastic response from commu- Therefore, the implementation de- support in order to consolidate nities, who feel a renewed pride and sign of the CEF should include a their efforts. Targeted schemes of interest in their schools. broad and comprehensive set of participation of these communities * Increased parental involvement actions and activities at the com- in the CEF should be put in place, and improved school manage- munity level - technical assistance using either a reducing matching in particular. If this general project ratio, permission to provide in- mwnentshin manyicipases, comniy a strategy is absent, the risks of low kind or labor contributions etc. ownership, participation and ac- th kmd nonn  The cascade approach should be needed in order to make these de- tion and therefore the CEF project replaced with ongoing project velopmental outcomes sustainable. should pay significant attention to implementation support at various First, the project should be prop- capacity building at the district edu- levels, especially for communities, erly implemented and community- cational and fiscal offices. using specially trained professional level capacity building should be the staff and consultants skillful in key priority of project activity. Conclusion participatory and information tech- Bringing in NGO expertise in the niques. Regular administrative staff process and building partnerships The CEF faces many challenges of the local education offices are of- between them and local educational and problems, but if it can survive, ten burdened with numerous other authorities could be an important be effective and reach a larger pro- responsibilities and also cannot prerequisite of such success. portion of schools in Tanzania step away themselves from their Second, the overall institutional while addressing issues of quality, regular administrative responsibili- framework for the delivery of edu- poverty and equity, it can become a model for other countries to follow. ties in order to perform a special cation should be based on empow- mpact on erount, commu- facilitatory/training role for the CEE ering the communities to partici- Its impact on enrollment, commu- Local Government Reform Pro- pate in certain aspects of educa- nityparticipation andlearninghave gram: The expansion of the CEF is tional management. There should already been demonstrated. From taking place in the context of the be sufficiently de-concentrated ad- a purely bureaucratic perspective, Local Government Reform Program ministrative and local government the CEF may not have reached all (LRGP) and ongoing civil service framework for the good governance its targets, but for the children and reforms, which have potentially far- of the educational sector; fiscal parents who partner in this initia- reaching implications for the edu- flows should permit the allocation tive, it seems to have made a world cation sector. There is obviously of public funding for use by the of difference. substantial potential for synergies communities; and there should be here. a sufficiently effective financial in- frastructure to process and account Sustainability for the fund flows to school level. The main outcomes of the CEF Third, it is essential that the CEF scheme be implemented through programs are first, communities the existing public institution of This article was written by that are capable of increased in- educational management, including Andrei Markov and Soren volvement in educational manage- the Ministry of Education, district Nellemann. For more information, improvent ens at the school lenve andfiscal and educational authorities. please e-mail improvements invl hey sole enti- a This requires significant change in Amarkov(2worldbank.ora or the way that these authorities func- Snellemann@worldbank.org