Rural children walking to school near Ulundi in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa
do not always indicate successful education. Some students complete primary school without acquiring adequate literacy and numeracy skills. Hence there is an increased focus on measuring and monitoring education quality and learning achievement. Many countries conduct national assessments to monitor progress in learning outcome, but differences persist. Results from international assessments, such as the Progress for International Student Achievement (PISA) and Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ), reveal large achievement gaps among countries, especially between developing and developed countries. Beyond primary schooling To compete in today’s knowledge-driven economy and shifting global markets, countries need a flexible, skilled work force, able
to create and apply knowledge. This is usually achieved through strong secondary and tertiary education systems. While all regions have made progress in expanding secondary and tertiary enrollments between 1991 and 2010, disparities remain between regions, and by gender, household wealth, and rural/urban location. Europe and Central Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean have enrollment rates of about 90 percent in secondary education, but only Europe and Central Asia has tertiary enrollment reaching 50 percent. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where primary enrollment is lower than all other regions, the secondary enrollment ratio is even lower, about 40 percent, and a huge gender gap persists: the ratio of female to male secondary enrollment is only 82 percent. Achieving widespread and equitable access to education will remain a development goal for many years to come. Achievements in secondary and tertiary enrollment vary among regions Gross enrollment ratio (% of relevant age group), 2010 100
Secondary Tertiary
80
Standardized tests reveal achievement gaps Average mathematics score on the SACMEQ exam, 2007
Female
700
Male
600
60
40
500 20
400 300
Eas tA s Pac ia & ific Ce Euro ntr pe al A & sia Lat in Am e Ca ric rib a & bea n Mi dd No le E rth ast Afr & ica So uth Asi a
100 0
Zambia
Source: World Bank Edstats database
South Africa
Tanzania
Mauritius
Su b-S aha Afr ran ica
0
200
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Education
43