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UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States – Beirut Cite Sportive – Bir Hassan P. O. Box: 11-5244 Beirut – LebanonTel: +961 1 850 013 /4 /5 Fax: +961 1 824 854 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.unesco.org/beirut
EFA R
egio
na
l Rep
ort fo
r the A
RA
B STA
TES 20
11
EFA RegionalReport for the ARAB STATES
2011
EFA Regional Report for the
ARAB STATES 2011
1
EFA Regional Report for the
ARAB STATES 2011
2
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout
this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever
on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country,
territory , city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation
of its frontiers or boundaries.
For more informationyou can contact the following addresses:
UNESCO Regional Bureau
for Education in the Arab States – Beirut
Cite Sportive – Bir Hassan
P. O. Box. 11 - 5244
Beirut – Lebanon
Tel: +961.1.850 013 /4 /5
Fax: +961.1.824 854
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.unesco.org/beirut
© UNESCO Regional Bureau - Beirut 2011
3
Table of Contents
Foreword .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................................................................................
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Chapter 1: From Jomtien to Dakar: Mapping out the Challenges to Education
for All in the Arab States ........................................................................................................................................................
Chapter 2: Education for All: Making it Work in the Arab States ...........................................................
2.1 Early Childhood Care and Education
2.2 Universal Primary Education
2.3 Promoting Learning and Skills for Young People and Adults
2.4 Adult Literacy
2.5 Gender Disparities
2.6 Quality Education
2.7 Summary of Progress Towards EFA Goals
Chapter 3: Issues and Challenges in Education in the Arab States ..................................................
3.1 National EFA Fatigue; donors, National Counterparts and Organisations
Exhausted
3.2 Slow Progress and Low Quality in ECCE Programmes
3.3 Unbalanced and Slow Trends in Primary Education Delivery
3.4 Low Quality Education System
3.5 Globalization and the Division between Education Systems and Market
Requirements
3.6 Demographic Change
3.7 Increasing Number of Displaced Children and Refugees
3.8 Geography and Gender – a double-disadvantage
3.9 Limited Educational Opportunities for Children with Special Needs
3.10 Limited and Unstructured Non-formal Education Programmes
3.11 High Illiteracy Rates and Cycles of Educational Exclusion
Chapter 4: Policy Recommendations .........................................................................................................................................................
List of References ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Country Profiles ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
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4
Foreword
The Dakar Framework for Action emerged in 2000 as a result of the World Education Forum
in Senegal 10 years after the Jomtien Declaration of Education for All (EFA). Through the
establishment of six specific education goals, the Dakar Framework for Action laid the
foundation for structured and comprehensive policy and practice review and development in
the education sector across the world. As the lead agency in cooperation with 4 other partners
(UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank) in the achievement of these six goals, UNESCO’s
role is to support policy dialogue initiatives, implement monitoring and advocacy activities,
mobilize funds and strengthen national capacity.
The present regional report seeks to provide an update on the current state of educational
development in Arab States. The report data is based on the most recent data gathered by the
UNESCO Institute for Statistics as well as the results of several national reviews and surveys
commissioned by UNESCO such as the 2007 National EFA MID Review, The 2010 national
ECCE Progress Survey , the 2009 National Literacy Report in preparation for Confintea V1.
In the Arab States, considerable progress has been made in several areas related to the six EFA
goals. In particular and most notably, many States have significantly built their ECCE capacity
in the past decade, resulting in increased awareness and accessibility to ECCE programmes.
UNESCO Beirut and partners have supported the development of a new phase in ECCE in
the Arab region through the cooperative implementation of several activities including a high
level regional conference. Quality and equity remain the primary foci of decision-makers and
practitioners working to achieve EFA in the Arab States, and efforts in several countries are
being developed and strengthened in order to ensure that children enrolled in school remain
in school. Gender parity at all levels of education, a significant challenge to the achievement
of EFA goals throughout the 1990s, has improved dramatically in recent years as a result of
targeted activities and efforts on the part of Ministries of Education in every Arab State. In
tandem, many stakeholders in the region have begun and continued cooperative efforts to
improved education services in providing opportunities to those most marginalized in society
through the piloting and scaling of equivalency education programmes, community education
initiatives.
Another area where significant progress has been made is in non-formal, literacy and
adult education. Efforts have been intensified in the reform of literacy and adult education
programming to include more learner-centred and holistic initiatives and a more participatory
approach.
5
In quality education, there are noticeable efforts in several Member States towards setting
up monitoring quality assurance mechanisms and in promoting the culture of quality and
accountability.
These efforts and initiatives must continue and improve in order to ensure that these important
gains are maintained and improved. Despite strong commitment and extensive endeavors by
Governments of the Arab States, UN agencies, civil society organizations and communities
themselves the road is long and fraught with considerable obstacles. Strengthened
collaboration and capitialisation on shared success are necessary in order to achieve our
common goals and meet our shared commitment to provides the best education possible for
our children and theirs.
Dr Abdel Moneim Osman
Director
UNESCO Regional Bureau
for Education in the Arab States - Beirut
6
Executive Summary
The Arab region has achieved significant progress over the last decade and fast expansion
of average levels of educational attainment. Developments in the region include higher
enrolment rates at all levels, the progressive closing of the gender gaps in formal education
in many countries, and commitments from governments toward achieving the EFA goals.
Yet, this progress still places states in the Arab region below that of South-East Asia, Latin
America, and East Asia. With 6 million children still out of school and 60 million adult
illiterates, the Arab region must continue to build on progress made to achieve and sustain
developments in education.
The remarkable expansion of education systems has given rise to a growing awareness
of a number of qualitative deficiencies. These pertain to the low levels of internal and
external efficiency of national systems as they are confronted with high drop-out and
repetition rates in some countries, as well as with a significant mismatch between skills
produced and those required by the labour market and higher and further education.
What makes this all the more worrying is that public investment in education is generally
high and further strain on these limited resources will be required to meet the demand
for increasing access to post-compulsory education.
While large numbers of out-of-school children and adult illiterates still have to benefit
from education, the demand for education from new generations is increasing drastically.
Pre-primary education has witnessed an increase in enrolment but still suffers from a
lack of investment, public understanding of its importance in a child’s early cognitive
and social development and an overall lack of resources including trained staff and
curriculum standardization. The march toward Universal Primary Education (UPE)
has made progress over the last two decades but challenges remain. National and
international surveys of learning outcomes have also documented low levels of learning
across the Arab Region.
Considering where the Arab region is today, many states are at risk of not achieving
some, if any, of the EFA goals. Only Bahrain and Kuwait are expected to achieve the
three EFA time bound targets of universal primary education, gender parity in primary
and secondary education and halving adult illiteracy rate by 2015. Other countries would
achieve two of them: Qatar would miss the gender goal; Egypt, Jordan, Syria and the
UAE the literacy goal; Oman the UPE goal. Djibouti, Mauritania, Sudan, the Occupied
Palestinian Territory, and Yemen are at the greatest risk of not achieving the goals.
7
Despite the progress achieved across the Arab region, the impressive improvements
in some countries will not be enough to reach all EFA targets on time. There is an
urgent need for key policy actions in order to accelerate the progress and to remove the
remaining barriers. To respond to the challenges and meet head–on the issues related
to accessibility, affordability, cultural/social demands, curricular relevance and quality
of education in the Arab States, non-formal education, a determined political will backed
by the required resources is needed to provide the human, infrastructural, and financial
resources not only to create but sustain change well after 2015.
8
Introduction
The Arab region has come a long way in raising the average educational attainment levels
of their populations over the past several decades. While still lower than levels observed
in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and East Asia, average levels of educational attainment
in the the Arab region witnessed the fastest expansion in the world between 1990 and
20101. In particular, the region as a whole has made great progress in expanding access
to education and has recorded significant increases in enrolment ratios at all levels
of education in most cases. In addition, recent educational development has seen the
progressive closing of the gender gap in formal education in many countries, although
significant gender gaps continue to exist in adult literacy.
This remarkable expansion of education systems has given rise to a growing awareness
of a number of qualitative deficits. These pertain to the low levels of internal and
external efficiency of national systems as they are confronted with high drop-out and
repetition rates, as well as with a significant mismatch between skills produced and
those required by the labour market and higher and further education. What makes this
all more worrying is that public investment in education is generally high and further
strain on these limited resources will be required to meet the demand for increasing
access to post-compulsory education.
More fundamentally, national and international surveys of learning outcomes (such as
TIMSS and PISA) at various levels have documented low levels of learning across the
Arab region. At the time of the World Education Forum in Dakar in 2000, it became clear
that “an enormous gap exists between the number of pupils graduating from schools and
those among them mastering a minimum set of cognitive skills”, and that “a significant
proportion of school leavers do not achieve minimum mastery levels, as defined by
their own national governments”2. For example, while 97% of children reached the last
grade of primary school in Qatar in 2008, results of TIMSS in 2007 indicated that large
numbers of eight graders have limited skills. About 84% of pupils scored below the low
international benchmark in Mathematics and 71% in Science3.
Recognizing that educational achievement within the region lags behind that of countries
with similar levels of educational provision, many of the countries in the Arab region
1 Barro & Lee, 2010.2 Dakar EFA Action Plan.3 IAE, TIMSS 2007
9
have embarked on major reforms of their education and training systems in order to
make them more relevant to their needs. The World Education Forum (Dakar 2000)
coincided with national educational reform efforts undertaken across the Arab world,
often within the context of larger reform processes, including, for instance, reform of
the financial sector and social protection in Egypt, trade and governance in Morocco,
telecommunication in Tunisia, private sector development in the GCC countries, and
labour market strategy and knowledge economy in Qatar.
Addressing both the issues of persistent inequities in access to basic education and the
low levels of learning outcomes as monitored through national and international surveys
have constituted fundamental rationales for the initiation of national education reform
processes. In addition, there has been greater awareness of a number of structural
phenomena, which are serving as important rationales for educational reform in the Arab
region. These phenomena include (1) the growing importance that knowledge economies
play in the development process and the consequent need for economic diversification,
(2) the slow yet steady demographic changes taking place within the region and the
resulting pressure on job creation in a context of already high unemployment, and (3) the
financial constraints on meeting the increased demand for upper secondary and higher
education resulting from expanded access to the basic education cycles, and this, within
a context of high average levels of public expenditure in the education sector.
Within this context, this report assesses the achievement status of the Education for
All goals and identifies the new educational trends and key EFA issues, based on the
most recent data4 as well as the progress made since Dakar 2000, and specifically
highlighting the main issues and challenges facing the achievement of EFA goals five
years ahead of the 2015 targets, and tracing the way forward to enhance EFA in the
region.
4 Data source in this report is principally from UNESCO Institute for Statistics of December 2010.
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
10
11
CHAPTER 1From Jomtien to Dakar: Mapping out the Challenges to Education for All in the Arab States
The period between the signing of the Jomtien
Declaration in 1990 and the launch of the Dakar
Framework for Action in 2000 is marked with a
series of advances and set-backs in the Arab
States Region. Although considerable success
was achieved in many Arab States, particularly
in broadening access and strengthening the
basic structure of public education in the Arab
region, the challenges to Education for All
remained multiple and complex.
1
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
12
Poverty can be seen as a significant obstacle
in achieving education for all in the Arab
States during the period between Jomtien
and Dakar, not only in terms of government
spending which ranged from 7% to 12%
of GDP, but also in terms of the available
household budget families could afford to
set aside for the purpose of education. This
period witnessed lower government spending
on education in several Arab States in terms
of teacher training, facilities upgrading
and curricular revision coupled with higher
costs of education for families even without
government fees; uniforms, books, materials
and transport costs all impacted heavily on
families in financial difficulty across the Arab
region. In real terms, the percentage of the
population in the Arab States living below the
poverty line fell by only 1% during this decade.
Crucially, in the Least Developed Countries
in the Arab States (Yemen, Sudan, and
Mauritania), there occurred an increase of
10% in the number of people living below the
poverty line, meaning that the poorest of the
Region’s population increased significantly.
Another characteristic of the educational
landscape in the Arab States during the
period between Jomtien and Dakar is the
prevalence of conflict and the related effects
it bears on the education sector and the lives
of children. The people of Iraq, Palestine
and Sudan witnessed widespread and
profoundly destabilizing instances of conflict
throughout the decade in question. This left
its mark on the education sector not only
in terms of enrolment rates, which in Iraq
and Palestine fell 6% and 16% respectively
between 1990 and 1995, and also in social
terms through access issues (displacement,
transport, road safety, school structural
safety) and also basic services (water and
electricity supply to schools), not to mention
the psychological and emotional effects of
trauma on children and young people both in
and out of education.
One of the most cross-cutting challenges
affecting the achievement of all six EFA goals
in the Arab States in the period spanning 1990
to 2000 was the level of gender disparity at all
levels of education in the region. Despite the
remarkable improvement accomplished by
the Arab LDCs - the GPI rose from 0.54 in 1990
to 0.81 in 2000, its progress since then mirrors
the regional average. Girls’ enrolment and
completion rates were consistently lower
than boys in most countries, and thus girls
also constituted the majority of out-of-school
children across the region. In situations
of conflict or in marginalised populations
(displaced, very poor, refugee, rural) girls
were also double- and triple-disadvantaged
by the lack of educational opportunities
available to them. Likewise, in terms of
youth and adult literacy rates, the triangle of
poverty, gender and education opportunity is
clear; the lowest national literacy rates in the
region belong to the region’s LDCs and those
with the largest populations, and the gender
parity index of these rates is stacked heavily
against women: Algeria, Djibouti, Sudan,
Egypt, Mauritania and Yemen all maintained
a gender parity in literacy levels among youth
and adults of 0.65 or below. This consistent
and comprehensive discrimination against
girls and women in education can easily
be identified as one of the most significant
obstacles to the achievement of education
for all in the Arab States.
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
13
In addition to these intersecting circumstances
of poverty, conflict and discrimination,
there is a range of goal-specific conditions
and realities that proved obstacles to the
achievement of education for all between
the period of 1990-2000. In relation to Early
Childhood Care and Education (ECCE),
awareness of the importance of ECCE was
extremely low, and the regional enrolment
rate remained 15.3% in 1998, with more than
half of the Arab States registering less than
12% of young children in any kind of ECCE
programme. Moreover, the vast majority
constitutes private sector service provision,
with many more boys received ECCE support
than girls. In comprehensive terms, it must be
noted also that the percentage of malnutrition
in the Arab States in young children fell
by only 1% to 12% of the total population
aged under 5 between 1990 and 2000, and
immunization programmes reached 85% of
children, up from 77% in 1990. This means
that social protection for the region’s poorest
young children often did not meet the diverse
and interconnected needs of the increasingly
younger population, which had direct effects
on their concentration and learning abilities,
well-being and growth.
In working toward ensuring the access of all
children to basic education of good quality in
the Arab States region, there were several
important milestones during the period
between Jomtien and Dakar. Enrolment
rates increased impressively in many
countries across the region, with the regional
rate increasing to 79.2% in 1998. However,
that left 10.5 million primary school-aged
children out of school, 6.3 million of whom
were girls. Accordingly, although the
Jomtien Declaration was orientated toward
access, and enrolment rates did increase,
the manner and implications of the increase
was not as valuable as anticipated. The
quality of the education available was not
sufficient to support learning achievement
or increase completion rates, which we
both low and gendered. At base the systems
were Inadequate and mismanaged funding,
centralized governance and management
of education systems, lack of updated
and relevant curriculum and low levels of
teacher training and professionalisation
all contributed in varying degrees to weak
education outcome in many of the Arab
States. The implications of these challenges
led to poor internal efficiency with high
repetition and drop-out rates, authoritarian
teaching and learning methodologies, a lack
of critical thought in students and a distinct
lack of certified or accredited non-formal
education methods or practices.
In relation to the education of young
people and adults, programme design and
implementation were often unsuitable/
incompatible with the target populations,
traditional methods and practices remained
in use; the objective was more alphabetic than
functional and curricula were not designed
in reference to the process of globalization
which had begun to take place. Although
literacy rates improved in this decade
by 10% up to 61.5% of the total regional
population, literacy rates in the previous
decade throughout the 1980s improved by
11% indicating that the Jomtien Declaration
was not as effective as was hoped. One of
the significant challenges throughout the
1990s was the lack of coherence between
education outputs and the requirements of
CHAPTER 1 from Jomtien to Dakar: Mapping out the Challenges to Education
for All in the arab States
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
14
15
CHAPTER 2Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
The achievement of EFA goals in the region
faces various challenges. While large
numbers of out-of-school children and
adult illiterates still have to benefit from
education, the demand for education from
new generations is increasing drastically.
Despite the notable progress made in access
to and participation in primary education
since Dakar 2000, there are still grey areas
which call for immediate action.
2
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
16
2.1 EARLY CHILHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION
“Expanding and improving
comprehensive early childhood care
and education, especially for the most
vulnerable and disadvantaged children”.
EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007: Strong Foundations - Early childhood Care an Education.5
BOX 1: Regional Trends in ECCE
As a vital window for development in the
life of the individual, ECCE has become
a social and political issue that bears
considerable weight and continues to
climb the national agenda in many Arab
countries. Several notable trends can be
observed in recent years in the progress
of the Arab States toward achieving the
first of the EFA goals related to ECCE.
Many countries in the region with an
increasing emphasis on enrolment and
standard setting. Since 2005 many of the
Arab States have opened ECCE divisions
with their Ministries of Education and
many Arab universities have developed
and offered courses and, in some cases,
faculties for the study and research of
ECCE at the national level. In addition,
there is an effort to broaden access
to ECCE services from the private
fee-paying sector to the public sector
in order to reach out to marginalised
children, who stand to benefit most
from such an opportunity. Lastly, there
is a new trend in many of the Arab
States such as Egypt and Syria with the
establishment of resource and training
centres to improve the quality of ECCE
service provision.
Good-quality Early Childhood Care and
Education (ECCE) enhances children’s physical
well-being, cognitive and language skills as
well as social and emotional development, and
contributes to the realization of the other EFA
goals by laying the foundations for subsequent
education. Empirical evidence points to links
between participation in early childhood
programmes, primary school enrolment and
better results over the first years of schooling,
particularly for disadvantaged children. There
are also economic benefits of ECCE. Analysis
in Egypt found a benefit/cost ratio of 3:1, and
the benefits could be as high as 5.8:1 if ECCE
programmes are targeted at children most at
risk5. A pre-primary system is relatively new
and participation varies greatly between Arab
States. In 2008, more than 3.1 million children
were enrolled in pre-primary education in
the Arab region, with an increase of 31%
since 1999. On average, 47% of the students
are girls. Morocco is the only country which
lags behind, with a share of girls’ enrolment
of only 42%. Although it is often fragmented
with an apparent lack of coherence and
coordination, most Arab States do have a pre-
primary education system for 3-5 year olds.
In some countries this takes a traditional
form, such as government-supported Kuttabs
(Koranic schools) in Mauritania and Morocco.
Considerable regional disparities exist in
pre-primary education coverage as well
as significant sub-national discrepancies,
particularly between urban and rural
locations. Among the countries with available
data, GERs were above 50% in Bahrain, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, and the United Arab
Emirates, but under 10% in Djibouti, Iraq,
Libya, Mauritania, Syria and Yemen.
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
17
BOX 2: ECCE in Jordan - some Encouraging Signs
The Jordanian Government has pledged to support the National Plan of Action for children
(2004-2013) whose strategy calls for holistic development of the child focusing on five
components: securing a healthy life; developing and strengthening capability of children;
protecting children in difficult circumstances; and expanding the role of the media and
monitoring and evaluation. The main objectives of the Plan are to increase enrolment of
4-year olds from 28% to 50% and of 5-year olds from 47% to 70% by 2013.
The Ministry of Education Policy focuses on opening kindergartens in remote and
disadvantaged areas, and plans call for a daily meal and warm clothes for disadvantaged
children. The Ministry of Social Development is responsible for parenting education
programmes and supervises centre-based child care programmes. The Ministry of
Education supervises all pre-schools and provides kindergartens.
Source: National Plan of Action 2004, Ministry of Education, Jordan.
BOX 3: Early Childhood Care and Education in Difficult Circumstances – The
Ghassan Kanafani Foundation working in Palestinian Refugee Camps in Lebanon
The Ghassan Kanafani Cultural Foundation has been implementing an Early Childhood
Care and Education programme through its Centres in Palestinian refugee camps in
Lebanon since 1974. The programme, which is delivered by a team of education and social
care professionals and facilitators, consists of inclusive educational and developmental
activities for Palestinian refugee children aged 3-6 years on a range of topics but focusing
particularly on art.
The programme services are currently meeting the needs of approximately 600 children,
47 of whom have special need. It faces a range of challenges, from lack of resources to
the prevailing focus traditional academic in primary schools. In recounting the lessons
learned over 30 years of successful implementation, the Ghassan Kanafani Cultural
Foundation highlights the importance of child-centred approach above all, and the
importance of partnership with the family of children participating in their programmes.
Source: UNESCO Innovations in ECCE, 2010.
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
18
BOX 4: The improvement of pre-school education in Egypt –
The Ministry for Education in Egypt, the World Bank, FAO and the Canadian
International Development Agency
In cooperation with the above-listed agencies, the Ministry of Education in Egypt is currently
directing the implementation of large project that seeks, among other things, to increase
the pre-school education enrolment rate from 13% to 60% before 2012. The project began
in 2005 and aims to strengthen the pre-school education delivery by providing 2,698 new
kindergartens across Egypt and, in tandem, improving the quality of education provision
through the establishment of national standards, a revised curriculum and training of the
teaching and facilitator work-force. Lastly, this project is working to build the capacities
of education professionals within the Department of ECCE in the Ministry as well as its
outlaying pre-school education and administrative staff across the country.
In addition to the very low enrolment rate of 13%, the project faces several challenges
such as the lack of awareness of the importance of ECCE among the general public, and
also the lack of qualified teachers and facilitators needed to provide a complete national
service to all children of pre-school age. Conversely, the Ministry of Education has seen
success and can offer many lessons learned in the importance of inter-ministerial
coordination for comprehensive ECCE, the importance of nutritional incentives especially
in poor areas as well as the vital component of setting and sticking to national quality
standards in ECCE supported with clear and accessible guidelines.
Source: UNESCO Innovations in ECCE, 2010
Most countries in the region with available
data have experienced increases in pre-
primary GERs during the post-Dakar period,
with rises of 10 percentage points or more in
Algeria, Bahrain, Lebanon, Qatar, Sudan, and
the United Arab Emirates. On the other hand,
participation declined in Djibouti, Kuwait,
Morocco and the Palestinian Autonomous
Territories. In Morocco, the decrease in pre-
primary enrolment is attributed to a declining
population in this age-group; implementation
of the National Education Policy reform
measures (2002) which encouraged the
private sector without appropriate regulation
and control on fees; and the inability of the
Ministry of Education to establish a pre-
schools infrastructure particularly in rural
areas. The decrease in the Palestinian
Autonomous Territories, on the other hand,
took place primarily due to the prevailing
instability and conflict with Israeli armed
forces where several kindergartens have
been shelled, destroyed and closed. Further,
in areas close to the recently erected wall,
access and mobility to kindergartens has
been seriously obstructed.
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
19
For Example, in Lebanon where the minimum academic qualification required for pre-primary teaching is post-secondary non-tertiary education, only 53% of teachers meet the formal requirement. Source: EFA/MTR Report 2007.
6
BOX 5: The Down Syndrome Charitable Association (DSCE) – Saudi Arabia
The programme is offered by the DSCE – Saudi Arabia to serve children with Down
Syndrome and their parents from age 3-7 years in order to prepare them for school. The
programme focuses on training the children and enhancing their social skills in order to
support and build their character and to equip them with pre-school skills that help build
their personality and assist with social integration in the community.
The educational mainstream classes differ from regular classes in that the children join
classes without a parent for 4 hours per day and are offered opportunities to continue to
develop their academic and social skills. The general focus of the programme is similar
to that of traditional kindergarten with an increased focus on individual goals and plans
for each child. Lastly, the programme contains a large mother and family component in
order to promote and achieve integration and to ensure that learned skills are reinforced
and attained.
Source: UNESCO Innovations in ECCE, 2010
On the other hand, the region has recorded
notable progress in bridging the gender
gap in pre-primary education, with the
average gender parity index (GPI) rising
from 0.77 in 1999 to 0.92 in 2008. Even so,
gender disparities at pre-primary level
are higher in the Arab region than any
other region. Disparities are also higher in
pre-primary education than at any other
level of education – the opposite of what is
observed elsewhere. The gender disparity in
pre-primary education is particularly high
in Morocco, despite the situation having
improved.
Another ECCE constraint stems from
the poor quality of teaching staff in some
countries. A majority of pre-primary
teachers are employed on a contractual
basis, receive low salaries and have limited
or no professional training. Formal entry
requirements are often not respected and
exercised6. Teachers at this level receive
little training – almost always less than their
primary school counterparts. In 2009, the
percentage of trained pre-primary teachers
was between 24% and 48% in Bahrain,
Sudan and Syria. In contrast, all teachers in
pre-primary had received some pedagogical
training in Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, the
Palestine Autonomous Territories and the
United Arab Emirates, indicating efforts
towards achieving good quality of care,
health, education and development of young
children.
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
20
2.2 UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION
“Ensuring that by 2015 all children,
particularly girls, children in difficult
circumstances and those belonging
to ethnic minorities, have access to
and complete, free and compulsory
primary education of good quality”.
BOX 6: Regional Trends in Primary
Education
Regional trends at primary level in
the Arab States have revolved around
issues of both access and quality. Since
2000, there has been a very significant
improvement in enrolment rates in
several countries, particularly among
girls, and the marked diversification
of delivery mechanisms such as
community and mobile schools, often
with multi-grade structures.
Enrolment has been boosted by the
removal of fees at primary level in every
country in the Arab region and also the
establishment in many countries of
education support mechanisms such as
book and uniform schemes to support
families shoulder the indirect costs
of education. In terms of curriculum,
there have been reviews conducted
in many countries to improve the
relationship between education output
and job market requirements, more
specifically in terms of moving from
objective-based to competency-based
curricular frameworks.
There has been progress towards Universal
Primary Education (UPE) in the Arab States
since Dakar, although it has been slower
than in other regions. In 2008, approximately
41 million children were enrolled at this
level in the Arab region, representing an
increase of 17% since 1999, or almost 6
million additional pupils. Girls’ share in
the total enrolment accounted for 47% for
the whole region. The increase in primary
school participation in the Arab states mainly
reflects rises in the number of new entrants
in Grade I (20% over the period), with Djibouti
and Yemen standing out with a sharp 90%
and 57% increase, respectively. Declines
however are reported in Algeria, Lebanon,
the Palestinian Autonomous Territories,
Oman, and Tunisia.
Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Tunisia, and
the United Arab Emirates are all pushing
close to universal enrolments with an
adjusted Net enrolment rate7 of 95% or
above. On the other hand, in countries such
as Djibouti, Iraq, Mauritania, the Palestinian
Autonomous Territories, Oman, Saudi
Arabia, Sudan, and Yemen, the education
system is facing serious challenges and
even the impressive gains in net enrolment
recorded in the region would be insufficient
to ensure universal participation by 2015.
In order to achieve universal primary
education, the Arab countries still have
to enrol more than 6 million children of
primary school age, of which 58% are girls.
Even though this number has decreased by a
third since 1999 (or over 3 million children),
Adjusted NER consider children of primary school age enrolled either in primary or secondary education.7
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
21
UNICEF, 2005. Progress for Children, A report card on gender parity and primary education
EFA Global Monitoring Report 2010 : Reaching the marginalized.
8
9
an enormous effort still has to be made by
some countries to reach this objective before
2015. The available evidence suggests that
more than eight out-of-school children
amongst ten live in six countries: Sudan
(estimated at over two million) followed by
Yemen (just over one million), Iraq (over
half a million), and Egypt, Saudi Arabia and
Morocco each accounting for nearly half a
million children. In Iraq and Egypt, 70% of
out-of-school children are girls, while in
Yemen and Algeria, girls’ share accounts for
63% and 58% respectively. Though Bahrain
and the United Arab Emirates have very low
numbers of out-of-school children, those
that do not attend are overwhelming girls at
a rate of 77% and 63% respectively.
There are hybrid situations of intersecting
circumstances that inhibit children’s
participation in and completion of basic
education of quality. Galloping rates of
demographic expansion, large pools of
out-of-school children, intractable social
attitudes, entrenched prejudices, continued
civil strife, unbridgeable gender and ethnic
divides, poor educational infrastructures,
and the need to supplement family income
have all been responsible for the slow pace
of progress in some countries of the Arab
region. Marginalization deprives millions
of children, in rich and poor countries, of
education and life opportunities. They are
victims of poverty, geographic isolation,
conflict and discrimination based on ethnicity,
language, disability and ill health. Factors
leading to marginalization do not operate in
isolation: wealth and gender intersect with
language, ethnicity, region and rural-urban
differences to create mutually reinforcing
disadvantages.
The regional household data in developing
countries show that children from the
poorest 20% of households are 3.2 times
more likely to be out of primary school than
those from the wealthiest 20%8. The ratio is
4.5 in the Arab states, while for countries
such as Algeria and Bahrain it stands at more
than 4.9. The range varies widely among
regions and between individual countries.
For instance, in Yemen the incidence of
four-year education deprivation among
the poor is double the national average9.
More significantly than these numbers,
however, is the concern that education
largely reproduces and reinforces wider
social discrimination and economic and
political disparities experienced by girls and
women in many countries of the region. In
that regard, education systems in the Arab
States generally need to be more gender
responsive, particularly in rural and hard-
to-reach areas.
In Maghreb, the number of out-of-school
children decreased drastically because of
the remarkable improvement in Morocco
where comprehensive reform efforts
addressed low enrolment rates, particularly
focusing on rural areas and vulnerable
groups. Conversely, the modest progress
in the Middle East is mainly a result of the
deterioration of enrolment rates in conflict
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
22
countries. Indeed, enrolment rates have
dropped by over 20 percentage points
since 1999 in the Palestinian Autonomous
Territories, due to continued Israeli
occupation, and stagnation in Iraq.
In sum, over a quarter of the region’s 6.2
million out-of-school children live in the
region’s four conflict-affected states;
Palestine, Yemen, Sudan and Iraq. The
multiple and complex direct and indirect
effects of conflict are extremely detrimental
to national and regional achievement of
the Education for All goals. In direct terms,
attacks on schools, school staff and students
has increased globally in the past 10 years,
and the Arab region is no exception.
In addition to poverty and conflict, the
majority of the world’s out-of-primary
school children living in rural areas are girls.
This is a particular characteristic of many
Arab states where girls’ non-participation
is strongly influenced by religious, ethnic,
geographical and security (particularly in
post-conflict countries) factors. However,
once girls enter school, they tend to stay
longer and generally complete primary
schooling. In addition to the direct impact
of gender discrimination in education,
in global terms, 75% of children out of
primary school in developing countries have
mothers who themselves were excluded
from education. Regionally, the rate of
intergenerational exclusion from education
is striking in the Arab states – the mothers
of 80% of out-of-school children are totally
illiterate. Research evidence suggests
that the education level of mothers plays a
determinant role in children’s participation
and attendance in school. In addition to the
inherent value of educating women and girls
for their own individual and social benefit
and empowerment, this also underlines the
importance of getting as many girls and future
mothers into school as soon as possible and
encouraging them to stay on to complete
their education. Besides the impact of
discrimination of this kind, geography plays a
considerable role in determining the kind of
education opportunities available to children
in the Arab States. An estimated 30% of rural
children in the Arab states are out-of-school
compared with 18% of those living in cities
and towns. Among the multiple contributing
factors, children in rural areas are very likely
to have to travel further to reach the nearest
school; their parents are less likely to have
been educated and to value education; and
it is often harder to attract good teachers to
the countryside.
Progress on primary completion has not
been fast enough to place the region on track
towards meeting the goal. Although school
retention rates have been rising steadily
since 1999, drop-out rates remain high in
Iraq, Mauritania, Morocco and Yemen, with
survival rates to the last grade of primary of
67%, 82%, 78% and 59% respectively. On the
other hand, other countries manage to retain
a large proportion of their students until the
last grade of primary education; such is the
case in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, the
Palestinian Autonomous Territories, Oman,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab
Emirates.
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
23
2.3 PROMOTING LEARNING AND SKILLS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS
“Ensuring that the learning needs of
all young people and adults are met
through equitable access to appropriate
learning and life-skills programmes”.
BOX 7: Regional Trends in Relation
to Youth and Adult Education
Regional trends in youth and adult
education show that most Arab States
have introduced new subjects related to
the promotion of life-skills and continuing
education into their national curricula
such as computer literacy, civic and
human rights education, and environment
and health education. The learning
content of adult education programmes
have been updated in order to reflect the
learning needs of youth and adult learners
in most countries: functional literacy
programming incorporating relevant
topics such as health, agriculture,
sewing and other income-generating
activities needed by adult learners have
been introduced. Several countries have
introduced pilot projects and innovative
initiatives aiming to promote learning and
develop life-skills among young and adult
learners. Lastly, in line with many regions
of the world, in the past decade, the Arab
region has made efforts to move toward
the provision of pubilc education to better
meet the needs of the knowledge-based
economy.
Arab countries have approximately 6.2
million children out of school and over 60
million illiterate adults. Youth unemployment
reached 30% in 2006 and accounted for 50%
or greater of all unemployment in most
Arab states and continues to increase with
natural population growth. In the coming
10 years, the combination of these figures
and the demographic figures indicating the
Arab Region’s youth bulge in population
terms may stretch youth and adult literacy
rates and programming beyond their
current state. Arab States must, therefore,
give more priority to improving educational
quality in order to improve internal efficiency
and equip graduates with skills demanded
by a modern, productive market based in an
internationally competitive economy10.
Despite progress in introducing life-skills
in a formal setting, countries still face
several challenges in achieving EFA Goal 3,
particularly in relation to limited access of
young and adult to non-formal education
programmes. A great variety of structured
learning activities for the young and youth
take place in the Arab States, although the
extent to which this supply corresponds to
demand is unknown. There is an urgent need
to improve the monitoring of supply and the
demand in non-formal education at national
levels.
UN, 2010. The Third Arab Report on the Millenium Development Goals 200 and the Impact on the Global Economic Crisis
10
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
24
BOX 8: Promoting Literacy and Lifelong Learning through Community Learning
Centres in the Arab States
The Community Learning Centres (CLCs) initiative proved to be a successful model for
lifelong learning in Asia and the Pacific region before being implemented in the Arab
States.CLCs aim to provide lifelong learning to all people in local communities including
adults, youth and young children. CLCs are a flexible and cost effective set up managed
by local communities at places that are easily accessible to all, such as public places,
municipalities, schools, sport centres, mosques and churches.
The goals of CLCs are:
• To empower poor communities to become self-reliant.
• To promote human development by providing learning opportunities to all community
members.
• To be a resource centre and venue for local community cultural, recreational and
educational activities.
• To act as multipurpose venues for functional literacy and post-literacy, and lifelong
learning and development (educational , social, and economic).
UNESCO Regional Bureau-Beirut is leading the implementation of several CLCs in the
Arab States in close collaboration with UNESCO offices in the region: Amman, Cairo, Iraq
and Rabat. At present, CLCs are operational in 6 countries, namely: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
Lebanon, Morocco and Syria, in addition to the implementation of CLCs in all Palestinian
Refugee Camps in Lebanon.
Sources: UNESCO Progress Reports
While equivalency, Recognition of Prior
Learning (RPL), and second chance
programmes are a commonly used strategy
in providing learning opportunity for young
people in Asia and Latin America, it is rarely
used in the Arab countries with the exception
of Egypt, Morocco, Sudan and Syria, albeit on
a small scale.
Recent studies by UNESCO Beirut on synergy
between formal and non-formal education in
Egypt and Tunisia reveals that NFE in these
countries faces serious challenges such as
lack of recognition by officials and the public,
lack of funding and lack of coordination.
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
25
BOX 9: Innovative Approaches in Expanding Basic Education to the Deprived and
Marginalized Groups and Eliminating Gender Disparity in Egypt
The Ministry of Education in Egypt, in collaboration with several UN Agencies (UNESCO,
UNICEF, WFP) and bilateral donors, has developed several educational initiatives to reach
the un-reached and to diversify the basic education delivery to meet the educational needs
of rural girls and children living in difficult circumstances. These initiatives included the
following:
a) The One Classroom Schools for Girls in Rural and Marginalized Areas in Egypt :
The Ministry of Education in Egypt began this initiative several years ago to provide easy access
for drop-out girls living in rural and marginalized areas. It has provided educational opportunities
for thousands of girls in more than 3,000 schools around Egypt and has enabled them to have
problem-free education close to home and to acquire life-skills and professional efficiency to
improve their living conditions.
b) UNESCO Friendly School Initiative for Street and Working Children in Egypt:
This initiative, initiated by UNESCO Beirut in collaboration with WFP and the Ministry of Education
in Egypt, aims to re-integrate street and working children into basic education and society
through enrolling them in multi-level classrooms and offering an accelerated primary education
programme equivalent to the National Primary Educational System. The initiative targets boys
and girls living in difficult circumstances. The model has been designed to meet the educational,
economic and social needs of the target group through developing an adapted national curriculum,
using innovative teaching/learning methodologies and offering incentives. The model operates in
27 Schools in the different governorates in Egypt and the Ministry of Education has committed
itself to expanding the project to reach 50 schools all over the country.
c) UNICEF Community Schools Model
This model was initiated by UNICEF and the Ministry of Education in Egypt to meet the needs of
deprived and marginalized children, especially girls. The initiative is built on the same concept of
the one classroom and multi-grade schools. However, the community school model focuses more
on community needs and community participation in school management and the use of active
and self teaching/learning approaches. There are more than 20,000 enrolled in the initiative in 339
community schools in Egypt.
d) Girls Friendly School Initiative:
A new initiative has been established in collaboration with several donors catering for the provision
of educational opportunities for girls living in remote and deprived areas in seven governorates
in Egypt. The Initiative aims to eliminate gender disparities in these governorates by meeting the
educational and social needs of girls. There are 434 schools and 10,674 enrolled girls participating
in this initiative.
Sources: Egypt - EFA Mid - Term Review Report 2000 - 2007
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
26
2.4 ADULT LITERACY
“Achieving a 50% improvement
in levels of adult literacy by 2015,
especially for women, and equitable
access to basic and continuing
education for all adults”
BOX 10: Regional Trends in Adult
Literacy
In the area of adult literacy, there
have been considerable changes in
methodology and approach, such as
the regional move toward embracing
functional literacy instead of the
more traditional alphabetic literacy
training. This has been supplemented
by a regional trend to increasingly
professionalise literacy service
provision, in terms of quality and
training but also in terms of managerial
mechanisms and monitoring.
In addition, in recent years and in
particular in LIFE Arab countries the
mechanisms of encouraging NGOs
toward literacy work has been set
up. Most countries have now well-
developed national literacy plans and
often a formalised unit within Ministries
of Education or Social Affairs dealing
with the adult literacy.
Although the literacy rate for adults improved
in average for the region during the last
decade from 67% to 72%, the total illiterate
population increased by around one million,
reaching over 60 million in 2005-2008. Egypt
and Morocco account for nearly half of the
regional adult illiterates. Algeria, Sudan
and Yemen also are countries where adults
illiterates surpass five million each.
If Education for All is to be achieved,
breakthroughs must take place in these
key countries of the region, which share
a number of challenges because of their
physical size, large populations, and vast
rural and remote arid and desert areas,
with extreme local ethnic diversities. Yet,
developments in science and technology
as well as communications, coupled with
the inherent economic potential of these
countries present dramatic opportunities to
meet these challenges.
Women from rural areas are the main victims
of illiteracy. In the region, two out of three
women are illiterate. While adult literacy
rates are expected to rise by the year 2015, the
female illiteracy disadvantage, particularly
in rural areas, will not just “disappear” as
part of general educational progress. Unless
the region specifically targets rural female
illiteracy, the problem will continue to fester
and prove a substantial stumbling block in
the move towards gender equity and rural-
urban parity.
The chief concerns are now about
sustainability. A careful strategy and
implementation policy is required for
meaningful post-literacy and continuing
education to become a reality. The narrow
concept of literacy must be broadened to
include knowledge of basic life-skills and
enhanced competencies. Functional literacy
must provide to the learner an avenue for
renewed self-belief and most importantly
self-advancement. Hence, initial literacy
teaching must have strong follow-up for
retention on the one hand and imparting life-
skills on the other. Only then will lifelong
learning translate into learning life long.
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
27
BOX 11: Innovative Approaches
Egypt: One-Room Community Schools
One-room community schools have been established to improve female education in
rural Egypt to help acquire basic life-skills from within the community and to bridge the
gap between male and female education.
Saudi Arabia: Post-Literacy Training Programme for Girls
The programme aims at providing girls and women with vocational, life, and income-
generating skills together with literacy and post-literacy courses.
Lebanon: UNILIT Pilot Project
The project is an attempt to combine literacy programmes and higher education
institutions in an effort to combat illiteracy on the basis of “teaching others” and to bridge
the education gap between the “haves and have-nots”.
Source: National EFA/MTR Reports 2007.
2.5 GENDER DISPARITIES
“Eliminating gender disparities in
primary and secondary education by
2005, and achieving gender equality
in education by 2015, with a focus on
ensuring girls’ full and equal access
to and achievement in basic education
of good quality.”
Gender disparities appear high in pre-
primary education than at the other levels
of education in most of the countries of the
region in favour of boys. In relation to their
respective population, boys and girls seem
to be enrolled in the same proportions for
eleven of the countries in the region (Gender
Parity Index - GPI - in the range of 0.97-1.03).
The GPI exceeds 0.90 in six other countries
with data. Morocco is lagging behind
as regards gender parity at this level of
education, with only three girls enrolled for
four boys. Yemen is the second country with
relatively large disparity in favour of boys in
pre-primary education. Oman, on the other
hand, has a GPI of 1.17, indicating that girls
out enrol boys at this level of education.
In primary education, more than half of the
countries have met the 2005 target or are
close to it. Four countries still have a long
way to go to achieve this goal with a GPI
at or below 0.90, including Djibouti, Iraq,
Sudan and Yemen. Conversely, Mauritania
enrols more girls than boys at this level of
education, as do Jordan and Oman.
Only four countries have met the 2005 target
at secondary education: Kuwait, Oman, Syria,
and the United Arab Emirates. Countries
lagging behind at secondary education are
the same as for primary including Djibouti,
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
28
Iraq, Sudan, and Yemen. In Yemen, for
example, only one girl is enroled for every
two boys. There are more countries where
the GER of girls is higher than that of boys:
Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, the
Palestinian Autonomous Territories, Qatar,
and Tunisia. In Qatar, two boys are enrolled
for every three girls in secondary education.
Most of the countries missed the 2005 gender
target for both primary and secondary
education, strictly speaking. Indeed, only
three countries met this target (GPI between
0.97 and 1.03): Kuwait, Oman and the United
Arab Emirates. Four patterns of gender
parity emerged:
• Three countries that met the target for
primary education also did so also for
secondary education (Kuwait , Oman,
and the UAE). Bahrain, Jordan and Syria
met the target for one level and are very
close to doing so for the other;
• Four countries met the target for primary
education, but not yet for secondary
education (Lebanon, the Palestinian
Autonomous Territories, Qatar and
Tunisia). In all of them disparities in
secondary education are in favour of girls;
• In seven countries the target has been
missed both in primary and secondary
education and disparities are in favour of
boys at both levels of education (Djibouti,
Egypt, Iraq, Morroco, Saudi Arabia,
Sudan and Yemen);
• In three countries the target has also
been missed both in primary and
secondary education but for Mauritania
disparities are against boys in primary
and against girls in secondary while the
opposite is true for Algeria and Libya.
Progress since 1999 has been in the direction
of the gender parity goal for most of the
countries in primary education, particularly
for those who were far from the parity range
such as Djibouti, Morocco and Yemen. The GPI
in these countries rose by 24, 15, and 11 points
respectively, meaning that the achievement
was to bring more girls to schools than it was
in the past. Change has also been substantial
in Mauritania (8 points) but from parity to
disparity against boys. No progress has been
observed though in Iraq where still four
girls out of five boys are enrolled in primary
schools; the same level as in 1999.
At the secondary level of education, the
progress has been slower and not always
in the right direction for some countries
during the period under consideration.
Only Mauritania and Morocco improved
substantially their GPI in enrolling more
girls in secondary education, with Syria also
achieving notable progress. Progress also
occured in Iraq and Yemen, however they are
still far from parity at this level of education.
In Djibouti, disparities against girls are even
slightly increasing. Other countries, such as
Qatar and Tunisia, are moving away from the
parity range to the disadvantage of boys.
In many countries, more girls than boys who
start grade 1 are expected to reach the last
grade of primary education. If we compare
the GPI of the gross intake rate at grade 1
with that of the survival rate to last grade,
the gender disparities seem to be improved
with the later in all countries except in Iraq
and Saudi Arabia. Once girls are enrolled in
schools, they are more likely to complete
primary school than boys.
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
29
Even in countries where overall gender
parity is achieved, large disparities appear
in the distribution of male and female
students among the different educational
programmes, such as in technical and
vocational education and training (TVET) and
fields of study in higher education. In the
Arab region, the share of girls in technical
and vocational education ranges from
10% in Kuwait to 50% in Djibouti. Syria and
Lebanon have also high proportion of girls
participating at this type of education. On
the other hand, TVET is planned exclusively
for boys in Oman, Qatar and the United Arab
Emirates.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab
Emirates are the only countries where
literacy rates both for adults and youth are
in the gender parity range. Less than eight
adult women out of ten men are literate in
Algeria, Egypt, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan
and Yemen. For every two adult literate
males, there is only one adult literate female
in Yemen and two adult females out of three
adult males in Morocco.
Providing equal learning opportunities for
boys and girls figures prominently in the
educational agenda of many countries. TIMSS
2007 data allow us to examine the extent to
which the goal of gender equality is achieved
in terms of learning achievement. Girls on
average scored better in some countries
while boys did so in others across the TIMSS
countries. For instance, in Bahrain, Egypt,
Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, the Palestinian
Autonomous Territories, Qatar and Saudi
Arabia, girls on average outperformed boys.
In contrast, boys on average outperformed
girls in Lebanon, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia.
2.6 QUALITY EDUCATION
“Improving every aspect of the quality of
education and ensuring the excellence for
all, so that recognized and measurable
learning outcomes are achieved by all
learners, especially in literacy, numeracy,
and essential life skills.”
BOX 12: GPI and Enrolment Rates in Yemen
Since 2000, the adjusted net enrolment rate among girls has jumped 20 points – admit-
tedly to just 66% – which represents a huge improvement in terms of access and enrol-
ment. This has impacted considerably upon the gender parity index which rose from .66
to .83 in the same period. In addition, this pushed the total adjusted net enrolment rate
for primary education in Yemen to 73% from 59% in 2000, (UIS, 2010). Since 2005, public
education expenditure as a percentage of GDP has more than doubled and it is hoped that
this investment, supported by international efforts, will provide the necessary push to
bring Yemen closer to achieving universal primary education (World Bank, 2008).
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
30
For quality of education in general,
definitions and expectations differ according
to purposes, contexts, stakeholders and
time. Monitoring progress toward better
quality education is as much a challenging
task as the notion of quality is complex.
The most direct way used by the education
systems to measure quality education is to
assess what students have learned. These
outcomes are however linked to many inputs
and process indicators that enable students
to perform well in schools. An extensive
dimension of quality education implies the
socio-economic environment of students
and schools as well as the impact of such
outcomes on the society at large.
Results from TIMSS 2007 show that school
systems in the majority of the participating
Arab States were characterized by very few
top-scoring students in either of the two
subjects and very large numbers of students
with relatively low scores. Clearly though,
a system that provides a “high standard”
for a small minority and a “low standard”
for a large majority cannot be said to have
achieved high quality for all. In total, eight-
graders in all Arab countries participating
in 2007 survey scored on average below
TIMSS scale average (500) in both Math and
Sciences.These results highlight the urgent
need to drastically raise the level of learning
in schools in the region.
BOX 13: Regional Trends in Education Quality
The measurement of progress in the achievement of goal 6 remains more difficult, but the
participation of countries in global assessments goes some way to giving an indication of
improvement. The participation of Arab States in the international assessment surveys is
increasing, like for TIMSS, PIRLS and PISA. The most popular survey with these countries
has been TIMSS, with 15 countries participating in TIMSS 2007 and 14 countries will be
participating in TIMSS 2011. This level of participation in the Arab States indicates a high
level of commitment to the gathering of high quality evidence in the area of educational
policy making.
Results from international studies on learning achievement like TIMSS, show indeed
that participating countries from the Arab region perform on average well below the
international average and below the indicated low benchmark. At the same time many of
them don’t have any national mechanism for evaluating the quality of education. There is
a need to go further in this broad picture to understand more thoroughly factors for low
performance and their relationship with other contextual factors.
There is a movement among many of the major regional partners to education development
calling for the establishment of a regional quality observatory in order to further improve
quality in education.
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
31
Compared with TIMSS 2003 surveys, out
of the Arab countries which participated
in the two surveys, eight graders in three
countries showed significant progress in
Math ( Lebanon, Jordan, and Tunisia) and in
sciences in five countries (Lebanon, Jordan,
Tunisia, Egypt and Bahrain). Palestine, on the
opposite, showed a regress in both subjects.
The most critical indicator of achievement
in the Arab countries is the percentage of
students who scored advanced benchmark.
Results show that very few students in Arab
countries scored advanced benchmark in
Math and sciences. For every 100 Grade 8
students, only 1 in Jordan, 1 in Lebanon and 1
in Egypt reached the “advanced benchmark”
in Math. In the remaining Arab countries, no
students reached this level. As for sciences
the situation was slightly better: in five
countries one student out of 100 reached
this benchmark, two in Bahrain, and five in
Jordan.
A large number of Grade 8 students in the
region performed at the “intermediate”
and “low” international benchmarks.
Yet, a considerable percentage of eight
graders scored below the low level (below
400) especially in math. More importantly,
with the exception of Lebanon, about
40% or more of Grade 8 students in all
participating countries failed to reach the
“low” international benchmark in Math. The
proportion of students who were not likely to
reach low score ranged from 26% in Lebanon
to 84% in Qatar.
A slightly better picture is noted in Sciences.
40% or more of students in 9 countries failed
to reach the “low” international benchmark.
The proportion of students who were not
likely to get the correct answer to a question
more than half of the time ranged from
21% in Jordan to 71% in Qatar. Qatar with
the largest proportion of low-performing
students was only surpassed by Ghana
(81%).
Overall, sizeable proportions of students
in the Arab States eighth grade failed to
master the basic knowledge and skills in
mathematics after at least eight years in
school. The average score is 286 in knowing
and 392 in applying. None of the Arab
countries attained TIMSS scale average (500)
in each of the three Mathematics Cognitive
Domains: knowing, applying, reasoning.
They showed the lowest scores in these
domains surpassed only two countries (out
of the 39 participating countries).
The performance of eighth-graders in the
Arab States in sciences was slightly better
than in mathematics, with somewhat more
high-scoring students and fewer students
with extremely low scores. However, none
of the Arab countries reached the TIMSS
scale average (500) in each of three science
domain: “knowing”, “applying”, “reasoning”.
“Knowing” and “applying” score average in
sciences stood at 430 and 425 respectively
for the 14 Arab countries. Only one country
showed lower scores than the Arab countries
in “knowing” and “applying” (Ghana) whereas
two Arab countries showed the lowest score
in “reasoning”: Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
32
Results from PISA 200911 confirm that the
quality of learning in the Arab States is
less than desirable. In all the three Arab
participating countries in addition to Dubai,
the overall scale in reading, mathematics
and science are below the OECD averages
(respectively determined at 493, 496 and
501). Amongst 65 participating countries/
economies, Qatar ranked 63 in reading,
63 in mathematics, and 62 in science;
Tunisia respectively 58, 63 and 58; Jordan
respectively 58, 58 and 52; and Dubai
respectively 43, 42 and 41.
In all the three Arab participating countries
in addition to Dubai, the highest reading
proficiency level achieved by most students
was the baseline Level 212. This was the case
for 81.7% of the students in Qatar, 81.6%
in Tunisia, 79.9% in Jordan and 56.4% in
Dubai. The situation was worse for all in
mathematics and for Qatar and Tunisia in
science.
These results confirm how it is important
for national educational policies aiming to
pay adequate attention to the issue of quality
so that children, when they are enrolled in
school, are provided with meaningful and
challenging opportunities to learn and to
achieve high in a globalized competitive
context.
It is well known that children’s chances of
success at school are strongly influenced
by their home circumstances. For instance,
students whose parents are better educated,
have social capital significant to positively
impact the lives of their children or quite
simply have greater economic capacity are
more likely to succeed at school. Children
from advantaged family backgrounds are
more likely to have higher levels of nutrition,
perhaps more physically comfortable
circumstances as well as attend better
resourced schools – be they better trained
and more experienced teachers and/or more
learning and teaching aids – or schools with
other characteristics that are more likely
to produce superior achievement. In other
words, schools reproduce or even exacerbate
the achievement gaps related to differences
in children’s family circumstances.
2.7 SUMMARY OF PROGRESS TOWARDS EFA GOALS
The table below assesses progress relative
to each goal looking at whether the goal
has been already achieved in 2009, or the
country is on track to achieve it in 2015, or
the country is off track to do so. It should
be noted that the indicators used here to
assess progress for each goal cannot tell
us the whole story. They are used here as
an indication of progress only. Targets and
benchmark assessment are based on the
following indicators and assumptions for
each specific goal:
OECD, PISA 2009
Level 2 is considered a baseline level of proficiency, at which students begin to demonstrate the reading skills that will enable them to participate effectively and productively in life. Students who do not reach Level 2 have difficulties locating basic information.
11
12
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
33
• Goal 1: the goal states that all countries
should improve access to early childhood
programmes. From the status of
participation in these programmes since
1999, the target will be considered as
achieved when the GER in pre-primary
education is above 50%. Countries are
on track when the GER increased by 50%
and its current value is not below 20%.
They are off track otherwise.
• Goal 2: the goal states that all countries
should ensure universal primary
education by 2015. Therefore, the
adjusted NER in primary education
should reach at least 95%. Countries
are on-track when the adjusted NER is
between 85 and below 95%. They are off-
track otherwise.
• Goal 4: the goal states that all countries
should improve the literacy rate by 50%.
For technical reasons13, the monitoring
uses “halving” illiteracy rate for adults.
The target is achieved when current
adult illiteracy rate is half the value
before Dakar. Countries who made half
of the way from this target are on track.
They are off-track otherwise.
• Goal 5: gender parity in primary and
secondary education should be achieved
by 2005 and gender equality by 2015.
The indicator used here is a Gender
Parity Index (GPI) of the GER in primary
and secondary, which both should be at
the parity range [0.97-1.03]. The goal is
achieved if GPI is within the parity range.
Countries are on-track when the GPI is
expected to be within the parity range at
any year up to 2015. They are off-track
otherwise.
• Goal 6: only countries who have
participated in TIMSS 2007 will be
commented on here and will be ranked
according to the percentage of children
who reached at least the intermediate
international benchmark in Mathematics
and Sciences. When half of the students
or more reached this benchmark, the
country will be considered as on track.
According to observed trends and assuming
that they will continue in the same direction
and with similar rhythm (which is unlikely as
countries may be implementing development
projects that may impact on the current
trends in the future), the situation of the
Arab States towards EFA goals is as follows:
• Seven countries have achieved high
enrolment rates close to UPE (goal 2) in
2009 with the adjusted NER above 95%:
Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Syria,
Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.
Six other countries have potential to join
this first group by 2015: Iraq, Jordan,
Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco and Saudi
Arabia (ANER above 85%).
• Only three countries have achieved the
first EFA target due by 2005 relative to
goal 5 (gender parity in both primary and
secondary) with GPI ranged within [0.97-
1.03]: Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab
The literacy rate cannot be continiousely improved by 50% when getting the value above 66% without surpassing 100%.
13
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
34
Table 1: Achievement of EFA Goals
EFA Goals
Goal Status1
Goal 1 Goal 2 Goal 4 Goal 5 Goal 6
Achieved UAELebanonKuwaitBahrainMoroccoQatar
TunisiaBahrainUAEQatarSyriaAlgeriaEgypt
QatarKuwait
KuwaitOmanUAE
On track JordanOmanSudanAlgeriaTunisia
JordanKuwaitLebanonMoroccoIraqSaudi Arabia
BahrainOman
JordanSyriaBahrainEgypt
Jordan (S56)
Off track PalestineEgyptSaudi ArabiaSyriaLibyaIraqDjiboutiYemenMauritania
PalestineMauritaniaYemen OmanDjibouti
* No data for Libya and Sudan
PalestineJordanLibyaSaudi ArabiaSyriaTunisiaIraqAlgeriaSudanEgyptYemenMauritaniaMorocco
* Lebanon and UAE have no two data points to compare. Djibouti has no data
Qatar**
Tunisia**
Palestine**
Lebanon**
Morocco**
Saudi Arabia**
Djibouti**
Mauritania*
AlgeriaLibyaSudanYemenIraq
Lebanon (M36/S28)Jordan (M35/S56)Egypt (M21/S27)Tunisia (M21/S31)Bahrain (M19/S49)Syria (M17/S39)Palestine (M15/S28)Oman (M14/S32)Morocco (M13/S18)Algeria (M7/S14)Kuwait (M6/S28)Qatar (M4/S11)Saudi Arabia (M3/S18)
1 Countries are sorted from the highest to the lowest rank. Countries in italic are making negative progress.* Countries at risk to not achieve parity in primary only.** Countries at risk to not achieve parity in secondary only.
(Mx) refer to % in Mathematics and (Sx) refer to % in sciences. Countries are ranked according to Mathematics
scores.
CHAPTER 2 Post Dakar Monitoring Progress
35
Emirates. Only four other countries are
close to this range and would be able to
achieve the goal by 2015: Bahrain, Egypt,
Jordan and Syria.
• Seven countries have achieved gender
parity in primary education in 2009
(Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar and Tunisia)
or would achieve it by 2015 (Djibouti,
Morocco, and Saudi Arabia) but are
at risk of not achieving it in secondary
education.
• Only two countries have been able to
halve illiteracy rates among adults
(Kuwait and Qatar) and two others would
be able to do so by 2015 (Bahrain and
Oman).
• Even though progress in pre-primary
participation has been relatively high,
most of the countries started from
very low enrolment rates. Six countries
have reported high enrolment rates
above 50% including Bahrain, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar and the United
Arab Emirates. Five other countries
have doubled the GER value since 1999
and/or raised its value above 20%:
Algeria, Jordan, Oman, Sudan and
Tunisia. Palestine is above this range
but experiencing a continious decrease
in GER.
• Quality education is of high concern in
the region. In all fourteen countries that
participated in TIMSS 2007, the majority
of their eighth grade students failed to
perform at least at the intermediate
international benchmark in mathematics
and in sciences. The top country in this
group was Jordan where 35% of grade
8 students performed at least at the
intermediate level in mathematics and
56% in sciences. Saudi Arabia had the
lowest performance level of the group in
mathematics and Qatar in sciences.
According to the observed trends since
1999, unless appropriate policies are
implemented, the expected overall EFA goals
achievement by 2015 can be characterised
into four patterns:
• Only Bahrain and Kuwait are expected
to achieve the three EFA time bound
targets: universal primary education
(goal 2), gender parity in primary and
secondary education (goal 5) and halving
adult illiteracy rate (goal 4) by 2015.
Both countries have also achieved great
progress in pre-primary participation
(goal 1).
• Other countries will miss one of the
three time bound goals: Qatar will miss
the gender goal; Egypt, Jordan, Syria
and the UAE the literacy goal; Oman the
UPE goal;
• Five other countries will achieve just one
goal: Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco,
Saudi Arabia and Tunisia will only
achieve universal primary education
(goal 2).
•
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
36
CHAPTER 2 Issues and Challenges in Education in the Arab States
37
CHAPTER 3Issues and Challenges in Education in the Arab States
All the countries of the Arab States region have
shown concern for, and displayed impressive
political commitment towards, the achievement
of the six Dakar EFA goals. This commitment is
reflected in the increasing instances of sectoral
reform as well as the levels of spending on
education in the region, which now average
4.9% of the gross national product (GNP) and
about 15% of total government spending in
2007. These levels of spending are somewhat
higher than those in comparable developing
countries and are at similar levels to those of
high performing Asian economies.
In some important respect, this investment has
paid off. Since Dakar in 2000, there has been
an increase in primary education enrolment in
all countries, more girls have been included in
schooling (mainly in Egypt, Morocco, Yemen),
there has been a decrease in the illiteracy rates
(Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia), national
strategies have been developed for ECCE
3
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
38
(Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi
Arabia and Syria), and educational reforms
aiming at improving the quality of education
are under implementation (Egypt, Lebanon,
Oman, Syria and the United Arab Emirates).
Progress towards achievement of the six
EFA goals, however, has been uneven in the
region. This is, perhaps, only to be expected
in so diverse a region which includes both
high income countries such as Kuwait, Qatar
and the United Arab Emirates and low income
countries such as Djibouti, Mauritania and
Yemen, as well as post-conflict countries,
such as Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian
Autonomous Territories and Sudan.
Despite the diversity and the uneven
progress, it is possible to draw some general
conclusions on issues and the challenges
facing the region with regard to achieving
the Six EFA Goals by 2015:
3.1 National EFA Fatigue; donors, national counterparts and organisations exhausted
In addition to relevant national policy
recommendations that serve to improve
access to and quality in education in the Arab
States, there is a need to review aspects of
the EFA coordination mechanisms used by
UNESCO and other agencies and donors.
There is considerable donor and national
actor fatigue apparent in several countries,
especially in those where achievement
of the goals looks slim; there has been
commitment by donors to support those with
credible plans which have not materialised
to the detriment of the process and expected
results of the programming. UNESCO needs
to lead the way in terms of the national and
regional coordination of efforts and available
resources such as effective practices, the
promotion of credible research and data
collection, and the improved dissemination
of practical lessons learned. By seeking to
implement more catalytic interventions in
order to rejuvenate the efforts of the Member
States, UNESCO can facilitate synergy in
terms of the development or enhancement
of platforms to support national and
regional advancement. In order to achieve
this, UNESCO in the Arab Region needs
to strengthen the culture of coordination
and cooperation both regionally and sub-
regionally between counterparts and donors.
3. 2 Slow progress and low quality in ECCE programmes
Progress towards the EFA Goal 1 has been
slow, especially with regard to reaching
marginalized populations. Universalizing
and improving the quality of ECCE remains
a considerable challenge for governments in
the region. Good-quality early childhood care
and education (ECCE) enhances children’s
physical well-being, cognitive and language
skills and social and emotional development,
and contributes to the realization of the
other EFA goals by laying the foundations for
subsequent education.
Drawing on the National EFA Mid-terms
reports and UNESCO Beirut’s recent Survey
on assessing the progress of ECCE in the
Arab States, there are serious challenges
hampering progress towards achieving EFA
Goal 1 such as: (i) the lack of awareness at
the community and the decision–making
levels of the importance of ECCE and its
39
CHAPTER 3 Issues and Challenges in Education in the Arab States
future impact on the growth of the child’s
mental, physical, emotional and social
development; (ii) the concentration of early
childhood services in the private sector and
few services provided by the governments
and often with high operating costs; (iii) the
lack of a single entity responsible for the
planning and implementation and apparent
lack of coherence and co-ordination of
ECCE policy and legislation; (iv) the failure
to provide ECCE services to the poor and
marginalized children and children with
special needs; (v) the shortage of specialized
academic programmes as well as limited
number of in-service training for its staff;
(vi) the focus of most ECCE programmes on
the child’s ability to read and write at the
expense of other skills; (vii) the deficiency in
the measurement tools and weaknesses of
follow-up quality control measures.
3.3 Unbalanced and slow trends in primary education delivery
Access to primary education is still
unattainable is some Arab States despite
the steadily increasing number of children
entering schools since 1999. There are an
estimated 6.2 million out-of-school children
in 2008. Access to primary schooling
continues to be a critical challenge in some
countries, such as Djibouti, Iraq, Mauritania,
Palestine, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and
Yemen. There are also significant disparities
within countries, with an estimated 30% of
rural children being out-of-school compared
with 18% of those living in cities and towns.
3.4 Low quality education system
Achieving quality in education is reliant
on several components that are lacking
in several countries in the Arab States. In
general there is a lack of clearly defined
standards that are required to promote a
culture of quality within national education
provision. In specific terms however, teacher
training and professionalisation is poor or
of low quality in many countries. Moreover,
many Arab governments have failed to initiate
research to support the development of
tailored educational policy that corresponds
to the needs on the ground. In addition,
there is a lack of effective coordination in
the implementation of proposed strategies
between the central and local government,
as well as a poor degree of synergy between
the private and public sector.
3.5 Globalization and the division between education systems and market requirements
Significantly, many of the education systems
that exist across the Arab region are out-
dated and ill-equiped to prepare young
people for the labour market. Moreover,
the curriculum analysis made in the
UNESCO-Beirut 2007 Quality Study found
that the curricula still ignore modern world
development requirements such as the
environment, population and current issues
(Iraq, Lebanon), or which focus on theoretical
knowledge at the expense of practical and
analytical or critical skills (Yemen). Internet,
computers and other technology rarely
form a component of public education in
Arab countries which sets it at a decided
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
40
disadvantage for future global and regional
market requirements. In addition, teaching
and learning materials often assume a
narrow and traditional approach that can fail
to stimulate creativity or interest in learning.
3.6 Demographic change
The Arab States region has one of the largest
“baby boomer” cohort in the world with a
large number of women of childbearing age
due to high fertility rates in the past. The
future demand for education will increase
as the young population is predominating in
the population pyramid (MENA Development
Report 2010). The region will continue to
have one of the highest percentages of youth
in the world. Despite the current decline in
fertility in most Arab States, there is still
high fertility in poor rural areas and often
associated with high illiteracy rate and low
quality of life and would result in an increase
in the number of school-aged children . An
example of this can be seen in Yemen, where
women have an average of 5.4 children which
is contextualised against the backdrop of low
female literacy rates. The primary school-
age population is expected to grow at a rate
of 6.2% in the region and it is estimated that
the 0-14 age group will make up close to
32% of the total population in 2015. This high
demand for education in the coming years
will structure the governmental resource in
poorer Arab States and is likely to influence
negatively the enrollment rate1.
3.7 Increasing number of displaced and refugee children
Recent internal and international conflict and
instances of occupation have led to a significant
increase in the number of displaced refugee
and children. The region has the highest
number of refugee and displaced population
(almost 5 million Palestinians, 2 million
Iraqis and more than 1.6 million internal
displaced Iraqi population, and thousands
of internal displaced families in Yemen and
Lebanon). This is affecting negatively the
educational services and the educational
delivery systems in the host countries as well
impacting extremely detrimentally upon the
lives, social development and educational
opportunity and achievement of children
trapped in situations of displacment and
conflict.
3.8 Geography and gender – a double-disadvantage
Despite the fact that the Gender Parity Index
has been achieved for half of the countries
in the region in primary education,
enrolement in several Arab States is faced
by geographical and urban–rural inequality
in education. Rural areas, such as those in
Yemen, Egypt, Morocco and Sudan, tend to
have vast tracts of land with low population
density that can mean long and often
dangerous journeys to school, particular
for girls. The combination of discrimination
and poor services to rural areas means that
several hundreds of thousands of children
are excluded from any type of formal
education services.
Arab MDG Report 2010.14
41
CHAPTER 3 Issues and Challenges in Education in the Arab States
3.9 Limited educational opportunities for children with special needs
Children with special needs are often some
of the most marginalized and least likely
to attend school in the Arab States. This
is particularly the case for LDCs where
resources are limited and so schools have
less chances of adaptation for disability,
special training, special needs assistants,
equipment and inclusive curriculum. Without
a culture of inclusion, the available resources
are also not used to the fullest potential in
ensuring that all children are welcomed into
the folds of the formal education system.
3.10 Limited and unstructured non-formal education programmes
Several countries have introduced pilot
projects and innovative initiatives aiming
to promote learning and develop life-skills
among young and adult learners. There is
an urgent need to improve the monitoring
of supply and the demand in non-formal
education at national levels.. There are
inadequate non-formal and supplemental
programmes and insufficient support
from NGOs and the private sector. Further
research on the under-lying circumstances,
the needs and strengths of the region’s out-
of-school children needs to be undertaken
in order to establish effective methodologies
through which to better reach out to and
education children outside the formal school
system. Progress in improving educational
achievement and bridging gender and
geographical disparities depend not only
on providing education but on addressing
barriers that prevent some children from
starting or completing schooling, such as
poverty, child labour, HIV/AIDS, remote
geographical location, poor infrastructure,
ethnicity, women’s low social status and lack
of parental education, civil conflict, natural
disasters and violence.
3.11 High illiteracy rates and cycles of educational exclusion
Arab countries have over 60 million adults
with difficulties in basic literacy. The number
of illiterate adults in this region is estimated
to have increased from 1990 by one million
of which more than two-thirds are women.
If Education for All is to be achieved,
breakthroughs must take place in these key
countries of the region. A carefully-designed
strategy and implementation policy is
required for meaningful post-literacy and
continuing education to become a reality.
The narrow concept of literacy must be
broadened to include knowledge of basic
life-skills and enhanced competencies.
Functional literacy must provide to the
learner an avenue for renewed self-belief
and most importantly self-advancement.
Hence, initial literacy teaching must have
strong follow-up for retention on the one
hand and imparting life skills on the other.
As aforementioned, significant gender gaps
continue to exist in adult literacy rates
with more than 80% of mothers of out-of-
school children facing literacy difficulties
themselves. This underlines the importance
of providing practical and tailored
educational opportunities for as many young
and adolescent girls as soon as possible and
encouraging them to complete as much of
their education for their own sake as well as
for the advancement of their future families.
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
42
43
CHAPTER 4Policy Recom-mendations
Despite progress achieved in all Arab States
toward the achievement of the EFA Goals
in 2015, some countries will still face the
challenge of not achieving the goals before this
deadline. There is an urgent need for key policy
actions in order to accelerate the progress and
to remove the remaining barriers. To respond
to the challenges and meet head–on the issues
related to accessibility, affordability, cultural/
social demands, curricular relevance and
quality of education in the Arab States, the
following policy recommendations which are
drawn from lessons learnt and good practices
from the region are deemed to be useful for
inclusion within the agendas of the Ministries
of Education:
4
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
44
• Rejuvenate the EFA National Group in
each Member State. This is crucial for
national coordination as well as regional
and sub-regional cooperation. UNESCO
as lead agency should lead the way in re-
grouping the partners and revitalising
the national and regional network of EFA
National Groups.
• For expanding ECCE accessibility
and quality, national governments in
the region are called upon to develop
a coherent and well-coordinated
national ECCE strategy to implement
programmes which are accessible to all
pre-school aged children, particularly
the disadvantaged and marginalized.
Appropriate ECCE programmes for
children in the 0-3 age range could be
developed in partnership with relevant
ministries and organisations, such as
the Ministry of Health and the Ministry
of Social Affairs. The aim should be
to provide quality programmes which
focus on the whole child’s development,
with an emphasis on learning through
interaction which encourages parental
and local community participation rather
than on teacher-based instruction alone.
There should be free provision of these
programmes for children from poor
families in order to encourage those who
stand to benefit most from such early
inclusion in education. Alternative, cost-
effective ECCE delivery mechanisms
(such as parenting ECCE programmes,
ECCE local community service, day-
care programmes, home-based ECCE
approaches etc..) should be developed
in order to expand coverage. The private
sector should be encouraged and
supported to provide delivery of ECCE
programmes through providing free
training, free curriculum development
and supervision.
• In tandem with the broadening of
enrolment and access levels at pre-
primary stages, there needs to be
a concerted effort to ensure that
expansion is coupled with quality
control. In increasing access, countries
need to begin the process of localising
international standards of safety
and quality in ECCE through the
establishment of quality standards and
the relevant monitoring and certifying
board to follow through on the application
and use of such standards.
• For securing school enrolment and
retention at primary level, national
governments should work to eliminate
additional or hidden school fees by
reducing indirect costs associated with
transport, uniforms, textbooks, and
other informal fees needed to make
education accessible to the poorest
children who would otherwise be unable
to attend. Financial stipend programs
can be foreseen for poor families as
incentives for encouraging them to send
their children to school.
• For vulnerable groups, special incentives
must be given by way of breakfast
clubs, mid-day meals, take-home food
packs and other nutritional or medical
services, particularly in rural areas.
Governments need to focus efforts on
45
CHAPTER 4 Policy Recommendations
improving delivery of such incentives
with community participation and
greater transparency in order to ensure
that corruption is avoided and that the
children and their families who benefit
from these services are supported as
much as possible.
• Governments need to institutionalize
non-formal education within the Ministry
of Education. The adoption of flexible
modalities could bring education
within the reach of the many million
marginalized children living in remote
and disadvantaged urban areas, such as
slums and refugee camps, as well as in
rural areas with low access and transport.
Such approaches include mobile school,
satellite schools, one classroom schools
and multi-grade teaching.
• For children who remain out-of-
school and for those who are pushed
out of the system through poverty or
discrimination, governments need to
put in place a set of systems to identify
at children at risk and support those
who have already dropped out. Risk
prevention activities as well as follow-up
in the community needs to be initiated
and developed. Accelerated learning
process and new learning opportunities,
catering to school-aged children and
adolescents must also be developed
and implemented by national bodies in
collaboration with NGOs, the community
and local stakeholders. These programs
must be accredited and recognized by
government and employers and enable
children to return to school or facilitate
entry to the labor market in the future.
• Infrastructure and culture of schools
must cater to disabled children and an
inclusive environment must be created
to welcome all children into schools.
This is an urgent and basic necessity in
recognizing the right to education of all
children.
• Although the region has made credible
progress in tackling illiteracy levels, the
scale of the problem is such that literacy
improvement requires a determined
political will to mobilize the whole
society including appropriate ministries,
the non-state sector, universities,
students, part-time teachers and trained
volunteers, particularly in rural areas.
Policy-makers need to explore how to
create bridging links between formal
and non-formal education, to rethink
the role of ICT so that it impacts not
only on knowledge and skills but, more
importantly in this context, on how it can
promote social inclusion and how to link
literacy programmes to national poverty
strategies.
• Ministries of Education in the region
are invited to collaborate in improving
teaching and learning practices.
Attention must be given to the use
of active and cooperative pedagogic
practices which places the learners
at the center of the teaching/learning
processes (child-centred approaches).
This means teachers are called to move
away from traditional teaching to open-
ended instruction and enquiry-based
learning.
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
46
• There is a need for revision of educational
content in order to ensure that national
curricula is up-to-date and reflective
of modern globalised issues. There is
a need for the right mix between the
incorporation of new subjects related to
health, human rights, environment and
the core subjects. Given that there is a
positive correlation between instruction
time and student achievement, policy
makers in the region are advised to
pay attention to the broadly agreed
benchmark of 1,000 effective hours of
schooling per year.
• The use of continuous and reliable
assessment that can be implemented in a
timely manner is essential to improve the
quality of education. It is recommended
that the use of assessment tools be varied,
flexible, and continuous. These could take the
form of, for example, teacher observation,
reports or the use of portfolio or project-
orientated assessment.
• There is a need to rethink the pre-service
and in-service training of teachers as
well as improving working conditions.
Best practices must be adopted and
ongoing professional support should
include an incentive structure that lets
teachers see the benefit of improving
their practices and encourages schools
to put better learning at the heart of
their educational vision. Motivating
teachers is not easy when funds are
low and classes are often large and of
varying ability – governments need to
ensure that there are incentives to drive
teachers performance forward; these
can be teachers’ awards, recognition,
food or transport allowances or other
incentives as well as the establishment
and celebration of teachers’ day – all
can serve to improve the motivation of
teachers in completing their work.
• Improving school conditions and
ensuring good training for head teachers
will influence the quality of education
provided. Investment in working with
head teachers will serve to prioritize
the decentralization of knowledge and
management training. Investment
in school administrators will ensure
the production of effective schools
and encourage them to increase their
participation in the development of their
communities.
47
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UNESCO. 2007. EFA Global Monitoring Report 2007: Strong Foundations – Early Childhood
Care and Education. Paris, UNESCO.
UNESCO. 2010. EFA Global Monitoring Report 2010: Reaching the Marginalized. Paris,
UNESCO.
UNESCO. 2010. Innovations in ECCE
UNICEF. 2005. Progress for Children, A report card on gender parity and primary education,
Number 2. New York, UNICEF.
United Nations, League of Arab States. 2010. The Third Arab Report on the Millennium
Development Goals 2010 and the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis. New York, United
Nations.
World Education Forum. 2000. Dakar Framework for Action. Education for All. Meeting our
Collective Commitments. Dakar, Senegal, 26-28 April.
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
48
CHAPTER 2 Issues and Challenges in Education in the Arab States
49
CO
UN
TRY P
RO
FILES
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
50
ALGERIA
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6) (-3)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-3)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) (-1) 23
108
31
74
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.94
1.4
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4
Female
Male
Total 73
81
64
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 92
94
89
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 2,381,741
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 34,895
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 1.51
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 72.3
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 31.1
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 4,029
Human Development Index, 20104 .677
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 4.3(-1)
% of total government expenditure 20.3(-1)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 28 28 23
% of repeaters in primary 9 12 11
% of repeaters in secondary 14 23 16
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary89 92 95
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary80 85 90
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 91 93(-2)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education77 72 91(-2)
Programme Orientation
DATA NOT AVAILABLE
51
BAHRAIN
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6) (-3)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-1)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 59
107
96
85
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.98
1.04
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Female
Male
Total 91
92
89
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 100
100
100
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 750
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 791
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.08
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 75.7
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 9.9
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 28,240
Human Development Index, 20104 .801
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 2.9(-1)
% of total government expenditure 11.7(-1)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 19 18(+1) -
% of repeaters in primary 5 4 2
% of repeaters in secondary 5 8(+1) 4
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary99 99 99
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary97 99 103
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 92 99(-5)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education96 99 99(-1)
Programme Orientation, 2009
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment 76%
TVET
Enrolment
24%
COUNTRY PROFILES
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
52
ARAB REPUBLIC OF EGYPT
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009(-2)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-3)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0)16
100
29
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.95
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Female
Male
Total 66
75
60
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 85
88
82
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 100,200
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 82,999
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 1.8
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 70
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 35
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 2,269
Human Development Index, 20104 .620
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 3.8(-1)
% of total government expenditure 11.9(-1)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 25 23 27(-2)
% of repeaters in primary - 6 3(-2)
% of repeaters in secondary - 7(+2) 7(-5)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary- 88 95(-2)
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary- 89 95(-2)
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 99 97(-3)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education- 84 -
Programme Orientation
DATA NOT AVAILABLE
53
COUNTRY PROFILES
IRAQ
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009(-2)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-1)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 6
103
51
64
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.84
0.75
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Female
Male
Total 78
86
69
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 82
85
80
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 438,317
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 30,747
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.2
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 67.4
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 33.2
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 2,090
Human Development Index, 20104 -
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP -
% of total government expenditure -
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 25 25 17(-2)
% of repeaters in primary 16(+2) 10 17(-2)
% of repeaters in secondary 33(+2) 28 21(-2)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary76 88 88(-2)
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary58(+2) 56 64(-2)
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 49 67(-6)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education64(+2) 73 -
Programme Orientation, 2009(-2)
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
90%
TVET
Enrolment
10%
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
54
JORDAN
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009(-1)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-2)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 36
97
88
41
78
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary
1.01
1.04
1.11
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Female
Male
Total
92
96
89
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 99
99
99
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 89,342
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 6,316
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 3.0
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 73
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 19
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 3,829
Human Development Index, 20104 .681
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP -
% of total government expenditure -
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 28(-2) 20(+3) 20(-6)
% of repeaters in primary 5 1 1(-1)
% of repeaters in secondary 7 1 1(-1)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary- 95 94(-1)
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary101 95 100(-1)
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 97 99(-3)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education94 97 99(-2)
Programme Orientation, 2009(-2)
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
85%
TVET
Enrolment
15%
55
COUNTRY PROFILES
KUWAIT
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-2)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1) (-1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) (-1) 76
95
90
29
75
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.98
1.03
2.36
0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 2.4
Female
Male
Total95
95
93
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 98
98
99
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 17,818
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 2,985
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.44
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 77.6
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 9.1
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 54,260
Human Development Index, 20104 .771
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 3.8(-3)
% of total government expenditure 12.9(-3)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 18 13 9
% of repeaters in primary 3(+1) 3 1(-2)
% of repeaters in secondary 12(+1) 10 6
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary47 93 93(-1)
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary57(+1) 99 93
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 94 97(-1)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education95(+1) 97 100(-1)
Programme Orientation, 2009
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
96%
TVET
Enrolment
4%
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
56
LEBANON
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-2)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2009)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 77
103
82
53
81
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.98
1.11
1.19
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4
Female
Male
Total 90
86
93
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total
99
99
98
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 10,452
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 4,224
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 .83
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 72
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 22
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 8,157
Human Development Index, 20104 -
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 1.8
% of total government expenditure 7.2
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 15(-2) 14 14
% of repeaters in primary - 9 9
% of repeaters in secondary - 8 9
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary- 93 91
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary- 100 83
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- - 93(-1)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education- - 86(-1)
Programme Orientation, 2009
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
71%
TVET
Enrolment
29%
57
COUNTRY PROFILES
LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009(-3)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6) (-3)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-1)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2009)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) (-1) 9
110
93
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary
0.95
1.17
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Female
Male
Total 88
95
81
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 100
100
100
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 1,759,540
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 6,420
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.0
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 74.0
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 18.0
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 9,714
Human Development Index, 20104 .755
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP -
% of total government expenditure -
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary - - -
% of repeaters in primary - - -
% of repeaters in secondary - - -
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary- - -
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary- - -
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- - -
Transition from primary to
secondary general education- - -
Programme Orientation
DATA NOT AVAILABLE
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
58
MAURITANIA
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009(-2)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-1)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2009)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0)
102
24
4
50
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 1.06
0.89
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Female
Male
Total
57
64
50
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 67
71
63
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 1,025,520
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 3,291
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.40
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 56.6
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 72.8
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 921
Human Development Index, 20104 .433
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 4.0(-1)
% of total government expenditure 15.6(-1)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 45 47 39
% of repeaters in primary 18 15(+1) 3
% of repeaters in secondary 15 14(+2) 11
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary- 62 77
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary33 51(+1) 70
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 61 82(-1)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education26 35 34(-1)
Programme Orientation
DATA NOT AVAILABLE
59
COUNTRY PROFILES
MOROCCO
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2009)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3) (-2)
Primary (ISCED 1) (-1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) (-1) 57
107
56
13
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary (-2)
Primary 0.92
0.86
0.88
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Female
Male
Total
56
69
44
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 80
87
72
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 446,550
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 31,993
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 1.2
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 71.2
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 30.6
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 2,795
Human Development Index, 20104 .567
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 5.6 (-1)
% of total government expenditure 25.7(-1)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 27 28 27
% of repeaters in primary 11 12 11
% of repeaters in secondary 20 19 16(-1)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary57 71 90
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary48 54 84
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 75 78(-1)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education76 81 79(-2)
Programme Orientation, 2009(-1)
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
95%
TVET
Enrolment
5%
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
60
Occupied Palestinian Territory
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2009)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 34
79
87
46
75
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 1.00
1.07
1.31
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20 1.40
Female
Male
Total
95
97
92
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 99
99
99
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 6,020
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 4,277
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 3.2
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 73
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 18
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 1,123
Human Development Index, 20104 -
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP -
% of total government expenditure -
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary - 38 28
% of repeaters in primary - 2 1(-2)
% of repeaters in secondary - 3 2
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary- 99 78
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary- 101 82
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 99 99(-2)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education- 97 97(-1)
Programme Orientation, 2009
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
94%
TVET
Enrolment
6%
61
COUNTRY PROFILES
OMAN
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009(-1)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-1)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 34
75
88
27
66
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 1.01
0.97
1.15
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Female
Male
Total 87
90
81
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 98
98
98
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 309,500
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 2,845
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.08
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 75.6
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 12.3
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 16,207
Human Development Index, 20104 -
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 3.9(-3)
% of total government expenditure 31.1(-3)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 28 25 12(-1)
% of repeaters in primary 9(+1) 8 1(-1)
% of repeaters in secondary 9(+1) 10 2(-2)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary70 83 72(-1)
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary74(+1) 83 80(-1)
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 92 100(-2)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education78(+1) 95 97(-2)
Programme Orientation
DATA NOT AVAILABLE
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
62
QATAR
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6) (-3)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) (-1) 53
106
85
10
57
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary
0.99
1.47
6.31
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Female
Male
Total 95
95
93
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 98
98
98
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 11,586
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 1,409
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 10.7
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 76
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 8.3
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 69,754
Human Development Index, 20104 .803
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP -
% of total government expenditure -
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 11 13 11
% of repeaters in primary - 3 1(-1)
% of repeaters in secondary - 5(+6) 3
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary92 95 98
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary71 87 109
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- - 97(-2)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education87 96(+1) 100(-1)
Programme Orientation, 2009
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
98%
TVET
Enrolment
2%
63
COUNTRY PROFILES
SAUDI ARABIA
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6) (-1)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 11
99
97
33
81
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.96
0.86
1.23
0 0.4 0.8 1.2
Female
Male
Total
86
90
80
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 97
98
96
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 2,149,690
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 25,721
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.12
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 72.8
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 18.8
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 14,540
Human Development Index, 20104 .752
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 5.6(-1)
% of total government expenditure 19.3(-1)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary - 11 11
% of repeaters in primary - - 4
% of repeaters in secondary - 7(+6) 4
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary- 85 86
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary- - 95
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 96 96(-1)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education- - 96(-1)
Programme Orientation, 2009(-1)
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
99%
TVET
Enrolment
1%
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
64
SUDAN
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6) (-2)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-1)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 28
74
38
38
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.9
0.88
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Female
Male
Total 69
79
60
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 85
89
82
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 2,505,813
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 42,272
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.2
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 58
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 69
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 1,293
Human Development Index, 20104 .379
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP -
% of total government expenditure -
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 34 - 38
% of repeaters in primary - 11 4
% of repeaters in secondary - - 3(-1)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary- 42(+1) -
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary- 36 57
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 77 93(-2)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education- 78 94(-2)
Programme Orientation, 2009
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
96%
TVET
Enrolment
4%
65
COUNTRY PROFILES
SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6) (-2)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-1)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2009)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 9
122
75
66
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.96
0.99
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Female
Male
Total 84
90
77
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 94
96
93
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 185,180
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 21,906
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 3.3
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 74
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 16
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 2,474
Human Development Index, 20104 .589
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 4.9(-2)
% of total government expenditure 16.7(-2)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 25 25 18(-1)
% of repeaters in primary 7 6 8
% of repeaters in secondary 15 11 5
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary93 95 97(-7)
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary89 86 113
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 87 93(-1)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education66 69 95(-1)
Programme Orientation, 2009
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
79%
TVET
Enrolment
21%
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
66
TUNISIA
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009(-1)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6))
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-1)
Data Source1. UN Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2009)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0)
107
92
34
78
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.98
1.08
1.49
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6
Female
Male
Total78
86
71
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 96
98
97
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 163,610
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 10,272
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 .98
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 73.9
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 19.8
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 3,792
Human Development Index, 20104 .683
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 7.1(-2)
% of total government expenditure 22.4(-2)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 28 24 17(-1)
% of repeaters in primary 20 18 8(-1)
% of repeaters in secondary 16 22 17(-1)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary94 96 100(-1)
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary74 90 93
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 87 94(-2)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education43 68 82(-2)
Programme Orientation, 2009(-1)
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
90%
TVET
Enrolment
10%
67
COUNTRY PROFILES
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-4)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2009)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6) (-1)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 94
105
95
25
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary (-1)
Secondary
Primary 0.99
1.01
2.05
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Female
Male
Total90
90
92
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 95
94
97
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 83,600
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 4,599
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.82
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 77.4
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 9.7
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 50,070
Human Development Index, 20104 .815
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 1.2
% of total government expenditure 23.4
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 18 16 16
% of repeaters in primary 4 3 2
% of repeaters in secondary 8 7 3
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary99 81 98
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary103 81 100
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 90 100(-3)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education85 96 98(-3)
Programme Orientation, 2009(-3)
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
99%
TVET
Enrolment
1%
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
68
YEMEN
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS5
Participation in Education, 2009
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6) (-4)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2009(-1)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. The World Bank (EDI, 2009)4. UNDP Human Development Report (2009)5. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6) (-2)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3) (-4)
Primary (ISCED 1) (-1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) (-4) 1
85
46
10
54
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary (-1)
Secondary (-4)
Primary (-1) 0.8
0.49
0.42
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
Female
Male
Total 61
79
43
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total83
95
70
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 527,968
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 23,580
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.86
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 62.7
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 58.6
GDP per Capita, 2009 (current US$)3 1,118
Human Development Index, 20104 .439
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 5.2(-1)
% of total government expenditure 16.0(-1)
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary - 22 -
% of repeaters in primary - 11 6(-1)
% of repeaters in secondary - 9 6(-1)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary- 56 73(-1)
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary- 54 61
Survival rate to last grade of
primary- 80 59(-5)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education- 84 83(-5)
Programme Orientation, 2009(-4)
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
98%
TVET
Enrolment
2%
69
COUNTRY PROFILES
Regional Profile of the Arab States
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS
Participation in Education, 2009(-1)4
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2005 - 20094
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)4. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)5. EFA Global Monitoring Report (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 19
96
68
21
65
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary*(-2)
Secondary
Primary
0.92
0.92
0.96
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00
Female
Male
Total 81
63
72
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 91
84
87
0 20 40 60 80 100
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 13,114,997
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 341, 542
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 10.60-.83 (2.17)
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 75.7-56.6 (72.8)
Total Fertility rate, 2005-2010 (children/woman)2 5.30 -1.86 (2.89)
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 72.8-5.9 (19.4)
Human Development Index, 20103 .590
Public Expenditure on Education5
Indicator 2009
% of GDP 4.0(-2)
% of total government expenditure 20.5(-2)
Education Quality, %4
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary - 23 22(-1)
% of repeaters in primary - 8 3.2(-2)
% of repeaters in secondary - 4 8(-1)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary4 - 77 86(-1)
Gross intake rate to last grade of
primary4 - 72 85(-1)
Survival rate to last grade of
primary5 - 90 94(-3)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education5 - - 88(-3)
Programme Orientation, 2009(-1)4
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
87%
TVET
Enrolment
13%
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
70
Jordan, Lebanon, OPT, Syria
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS4
Participation in Education, 2009(*)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2005-2009(*)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)4. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 35
100
85
46
77
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.99
1.06
1.1
.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20
Female
Male
Total 99
99
99
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 95
88
91
0 20 40 60 80 100
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP -
% of total government expenditure -
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 28-15 (25)$ 38-14(25)x 28-14(18)x
% of repeaters in primary - 9-1(4) 9-1 (5)
% of repeaters in secondary - 11-1 (6) 9-1 (4)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate
in primary-
99-
93(95)
94-78
(91)#
Gross intake rate to last grade
of primary-
101-
86(98)
113-82
(92)
Survival rate to last grade
of primary-
99-
87(94)
99-
93(96)(-1)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education-
97-
69(97)+
99-
86(96) (-1)
Programme Orientation, 2009
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 290, 994
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 36, 723
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 3.26-0.83(3.10)
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 74-72 (73)
Total Fertility rate, 2005-2010 (children/woman)2 5.09-1.86(3.21)
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 22.0-16.0(18.5)
Human Development Index, 20103 -
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
81%
TVET
Enrolment
19%
Countries not included in data* Jordan x Lebanon # Syria $ oPt
71
COUNTRY PROFILES
Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco,Tunisia
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS4
Participation in Education, 2009(*)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2005 - 2009(*)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)4. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year(*) Calculated using median figure
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 41
107
92
30
74
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary0.95
1.08
1.44
0.00 0.40 0.80 1.20 1.60
Female
Male
Total
94
89
92
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 81
58
73
0 20 40 60 80 100
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP -
% of total government expenditure -
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in
primary28-25(28)+ 28-23 (26)+ 27-17 (25)+
% of repeaters in primary 20-9 (11)x + 18-6 (12)+ 11-3 (10)+
% of repeaters in secondary 20-14 (16)x + 23-19 (22)x + 17-16 (16)x +
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate
in primary
94-57
(89)x +
96-71
(90)+
100-
90(95)+
Gross intake rate to last
grade
80-48
(74)x +
90-54
(87)+
95-84
(94)+
Survival rate to last grade of
primary-
99-75
(89)+
97-78(94)(-1)+
Transition from primary to
secondary general education
77-43
(76)x +
81-
68(72)x+
91-82
(82)x+
Programme Orientation, 2009(1)x+
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
93%
TVET
Enrolment
7%
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 5, 753, 441
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 166, 579
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 1.81-.98 (1.51)
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 74.0-70.0 (72.3)
Total Fertility rate, 2005-2010 (children/woman)2 2.89-18.0 (2.38)
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 34.8-18.0 (30.6)
Human Development Index, 20103 .755-.567 (.677)
Countries not included in data# Algeria x Egypt x Lybia $ Tunisia
EFA Regional Report for the Arab States 2011
72
Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS4
Participation in Education, 2009(*)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2005 - 2009(*)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)4. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year(*) Calculated using median figure
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) 56
102
93
30
75
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.99
1.02
2.21
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50
Female
Male
Total 98
98
98
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total 98
98
98
0 20 40 60 80 100
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP -
% of total government expenditure -
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 28-11 (18)# 25-13(15)+# 16-9 (11)+
% of repeaters in primary 9-3 (5)# 8-3 (3)# 4-1 (2)
% of repeaters in secondary 12-5 (9)# 10-7 (9)# x 6-2 (4)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate
in primary
99-47
(92)#
99-81
(93)#
99-72
(98)#
Gross intake rate to last grade
of primary
103-57
(74)#
99-81
(87)#
109-
80(100)#
Survival rate to last grade of
primary-
94-
90(92)X#
100-96
(98)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education
96-78
(87)#
99-95
(96)#
100-96
(99)
Programme Orientation, 2009**
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 2, 572, 944
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 38, 350
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 10.652.08(2.28)
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 77.6-72.8 (75.7)
Total Fertility rate, 2005-2010 (children/woman)2 3.09-1.96 (2.36)
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 12.3-5.9 (9.5)
Human Development Index, 20103 .815-.752 (.801)
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
98%
TVET
Enrolment
2%
Countries not included in data* Bahrain # Saudi Arabia $ UAE * Oman x Qatar
73
COUNTRY PROFILES
Priority Countries: Iraq, Mauritania, Sudan, Yemen
KEY EDUCATION INDICATORS4
Participation in Education, 2009(*)
Gro
ss E
nro
lem
en
t R
ati
o (
%)
Combined (ISCED 1-6)
Ge
nd
er
Pa
rity
In
de
x
Literacy Rates, 2005 - 2009(*)
Data Source1. United Nations Statistics Division (2008)2. UNPD estimates (WPP: The 2008 Revision)3. UNDP Human Development Report (2010)4. UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2010)(-/+ n): previous or beyond reference year(*) Calculated using median figure
Ad
ult
(%
)Y
ou
th (
%)
Tertiary (ISCED 5-6)x
Secondary (ISCED 2-3)
Primary (ISCED 1)
Pre-primary (ISCED 0) (-1) 4
95
42
9
50
0 20 40 60 80 100
Tertiary
Secondary
Primary 0.87
0.82
0.37
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00
Female
Male
Total87
75
83
0 20 40 60 80 100
Female
Male
Total79
55
65
0 20 40 60 80 100
Public Expenditure on Education
Indicator 2009
% of GDP -
% of total government expenditure -
Education Quality, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Pupil/Teacher ratio in primary 45-2 5
(34)$ 47-22 (25)+ 39-17 (38)$
% of repeaters in primary - 15-10 (11) 17-3 (5)
Universal Primary Education, %
Indicator 1991 1999 2009
Adjusted net enrolment rate in
primary-
88-56
(62)+
88-73
(77)+
Gross intake rate to last grade
of primary-
56-36
(53)
70-57
(63)
Survival rate to last grade of
primary-
80-61
(69)
93-
59(75)(-1)
Transition from primary to
secondary general education-
84-35
(76)-
Programme Orientation, 2009x$
Upper
Secondary
General
Programmes
Enrolment
93%
TVET
Enrolment
7%
Background Information
Total Area (sq. km)1 4, 497, 618
Total Population, 2009 (thousands)2 99, 890
Population annual growth rate, 2005-2010 (%)2 2.86-2.17 (2.30)
Life expectancy at birth, 2005-2010 (years) 2 67.4-56.5 (60.4)
Total Fertility rate, 2005-2010 (children/woman)2 5.30-4.11 (4.38)
Infant mortality rate, 2005-2010 (‰)2 72.8-33.2 (63.9)
Human Development Index, 20103 .589-.379 (.436)
Countries not included in data# Iraq x Mauritania x Sudan $ Yemen
UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States – Beirut Cite Sportive – Bir Hassan P. O. Box: 11-5244 Beirut – LebanonTel: +961 1 850 013 /4 /5 Fax: +961 1 824 854 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.unesco.org/beirut
EFA R
egio
na
l Rep
ort fo
r the A
RA
B STA
TES 20
11
EFA RegionalReport for the ARAB STATES
2011
EFA Regional Report for the
ARAB STATES 2011