Sierra Leone EFA Country Profile 14 General Context A West African state of almost 6 million inhabitants in 12, Sierra Leone has witnessed renewed demographic growth since the end of the conflict in 2, with an estimated rate of 2.4 percent per year between 4 and 12, against 1.8 percent per year over the previous decade. With economic growth (9.5 percent per year over the -12 period) being much higher than demographic growth, the living standards of Sierra Leoneans has significantly improved, to achieve GDP per capita of US$ 632 in 12. The country does however have one of the lowest HDIs, ranking Sierra Leone in 177 th place out of 187 countries. The primary school-aged population represented 16.2 percent of the total population in 12, which although high, was lower than the Sub-Saharan African average (17.6 percent). Despite this slighter demographic pressure, the country appears to face difficulties in enrolling all its children in school: in 1 it is estimated that 24 percent of primary school-aged children were out-of-school (CSR, 13). The prevalence of HIV&AIDS remains low, at 1.6 percent. Demographic and Macroeconomic Context (12) GDP per Capita (US$) 632 Total Population ( ) 5,979 % of the Population of School Age 16.2 % of Out-of-School Children of School Age 24. HIV&AIDS Prevalence (15-49 years) 1.6% HDI (Ranking) 177/187 Key EFA Indicators for 12 or Most Recent Year The African EFA Development Index for Sierra Leone was 49. in 12, well below the average for Sub-Saharan Africa (57.1) but significantly higher than in (23.3). This improvement is in great part the result of progress in terms of gender parity in primary enrollment. This goal (Goal 5) has now been achieved, given that the gender parity index for primary is. Significant progress is African EFA Development Index (EDI) Sierra Leone (49) SSA (57) SSA Max (91) SSA Min (8) also noted in terms of primary completion, with 72 percent of a generation of children finishing the cycle in 12, against just 45 percent in. Further efforts will however be required to achieve universal primary education. The literacy rate of adults aged 15 years and above (Goal 4) was 43.3 percent in 12, an improvement over 4 when it stood at 34.8 percent, but well below the Sub-Saharan African average (67.6 percent). With respect to the other dimensions of EFA, in particular preprimary enrollment (Goal 1), the GER doubled over -12, but with a value of 9.2 percent
in 12, this cycle is weakly developed, among the least of the region. The lower secondary completion rate (Goal 3) has witnessed very strong progress, reaching 56 percent in 12. Goal 1 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 72 67 Completion Rate Adult Literacy Rate 94 Level Gender Parity Index 94 8 6 9 8 6 8 6 56 8 6 43 68 8 6 55 4 4 4 35 4 4 24 (4) (45) 1 8 (24) 1 (35) (68) Goal 6 Educational Quality Legend Goals 1 to 5 Sierra Leone (Value for or close in parenthesis) Sub-Saharan African Average SSA Range (min/max) Enrollment: Education Pyramids 12 or Most Recent Year A review of schooling profiles and education pyramids shows an improvement of enrollment at every level, especially for secondary, sustained by the rise in primary access and completion and in the transition rate between primary and lower secondary. Access to primary is today almost universal, thanks in great part to the fee-free primary education policy introduced in 2; the system is however marked by a significant number of late entrants. The transition to secondary has also been eased by improved supply. The gross enrollment rate for lower secondary has thus risen from 27 percent in to 66 percent in 12 and from 8 percent to 33 percent for upper secondary. The student population has also grown significantly, to reach 451 students per, inhabitants in 12, three times its level. The development of technical education has not mirrored the very strong progress in terms of secondary enrollment. Its share of total secondary may in fact have receded considerably, from 21 percent to 8 percent over the period, to settle at a level below the Sub-Saharan African average (1 percent).
Equity in School Access and Schooling Careers 12 or Most Recent Year In terms of equity, although gender parity has been achieved at the primary level and is close to being achieved at lower secondary (gender parity index of.91), a more substantial gap persists at upper secondary where boys are clearly favored (74 girls for boys). The socioeconomic background of families appears to be the most discriminating factor however. Enrollment gaps between children from the poorest quintile and those from the wealthiest quintile are manifest as early as primary access (parity index of.68, meaning that 68 poor children access primary for every wealthy children), and widen throughout schooling careers (the parity index is just.2 by the end of upper secondary). Thus, whereas just 1 percent of children from the most disadvantaged households can expect to reach the end of upper secondary, 46 percent of children from the wealthiest households are expected to do so.
Learning Quality 12 or Most Recent Year With respect to the quality of teaching (Goal 6), evidence suggests that learning outcomes are particularly low, at every education level. Shortfalls are apparent as early as primary, as reflected by the great majority of children who do not properly master the alphabet after three years of teaching (Early Grade Assessment). Pupils results at the regional exam validating the secondary cycle (WASSCE) also indicate that Sierra Leonean pupils competences are particularly weak. Education Financing 12 or Most Recent Year Sub-Saharan African Minimum Sierra Leone Sub-Saharan African Average Sub-Saharan African Maximum Resource Mobilization, 11 Distribution of Education Budget, 11 Government Revenue as % of GDP 1 11 66 (incl. TVET) 11 18 27 3 44 53 55 65 Educ. Current Exp. as % of Government Current Expenditure 8 22 29 41 Higher Educ. Other Levels 7 3 5 18 24 47 Despite the strong economic growth registered over the decade, the share of government resources has remained low, in particular due to the limited mobilization of internal revenue (11 percent of GDP), at a level well below the Sub-Saharan African average ( percent). The share of public recurrent expenditure devoted to education, although variable, was relatively high in 11 (29 percent, against 22 percent for Sub-Saharan Africa on average). Overall, despite a persistently difficult macroeconomic context, the country has managed to increase its budgetary effort in favor of education; testimony to the priority the government gives the sector. In 11, primary education absorbed 53 percent of the recurrent education budget, a share that has been stable over the decade, underlining the sustained priority given to this cycle by the government. Over the same period, the share devoted to secondary has varied little; it was 27 percent in 11 (slightly below the Sub-Saharan African average of 3 percent). The share of the budget allocated to higher education witnessed a slight drop, from.5 percent in 3 to 18. percent in 11. Whereas the evolution in the higher education budget might be linked to a better balance in terms of the public-private partnership, that for secondary conceals a relative drop in financing in favor of lower secondary, which, in a context of growth of this subsector, could affect the quality of its development.
Education Policy Parameters 12 or Most Recent Year Sub-Saharan African Minimum Sierra Leone Sub-Saharan African Average Sub-Saharan African Maximum Pupil-Teacher Ratio in Public Schools, 12 Public Teachers Average Salary (% of GDPpc), 1 13 34 44 88.8 2.4 3.4 7.1 13 22 35 62 1.3 3.4 4.8 11.6 7 26 48 1.3 3.6 5.9 11.6 % of Current Spending Other than Teachers Salaries, 1 Percentage of Repeaters, 12 12.6 22.1 24.4 65.8 1. 14.1 12.6 4.4 6.4 26.2 63.5.3 7.9 13.4 26. 19.9 31.8 66..5 13.4 13.3 29.7 % of Pupils in Private Schools, 12 Public Cost per Student (% of GDP pc, Cur. Exp.), 11.5 5 14..4 8.2.5 1 27.5 54.2 57.3 8.4 (incl. TVET) TVET Higher Education 4 7 11 6 13 16 73 161 612 18 121 179 24 38 2147 75
With respect to the different components of education policy over the period, it is noteworthy that primary-level public unit costs were 7 percent of GDP per capita in 11, below those of Sub- Saharan Africa as a whole (11 percent). For secondary, public unit costs were 13 percent of GDP per capita, below the Sub-Saharan African average (24 percent). These relatively low levels of primary and secondary public unit costs are explained in part by the relatively low levels of government teacher salaries in Sierra Leone compared to their Sub-Saharan African peers: a Sierra Leonean teacher costs 2.4 units of GDP per capita at the primary level and 3.4 and 3.6 units at lower and upper secondary, against 3.4, 4.8 and 5.9 units of GDP per capita respectively for Sub-Saharan Africa on average. The level of non-teacher salary spending also represented a lower share (22 percent) in Sierra Leone than in Sub-Saharan Africa (24 percent). However, the pupil-teacher ratios, among the lowest of the region, remain an asset for the country: 34 pupils in primary and 22 pupils in lower secondary share a teacher, on average. These supervision levels provide scope to expand the system at these levels. It could furthermore gain efficiency by reducing the share of repeaters, that nears 14. percent at primary (against 12.6 percent for Sub-Saharan Africa) and 7.9 percent and 13.4 percent for lower and upper secondary (below the rates for Sub-Saharan Africa). As for TVET and higher education, unit costs are of 73 percent and 121 percent of GDP per capita respectively, again below the Sub-Saharan African averages (161 percent and 179 percent of GDP per capita, respectively). A final aspect of education policy relates to the share of the private sector in education supply. In 12, it accounted for a low share in Sierra Leone, enrolling 4.9 percent of primary, 7.7 percent of lower secondary and 1.3 percent of upper secondary pupils. These levels are approximately three times lower than those of Sub-Saharan Africa.