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Policy on Education
X. After the Policy Paper64. Development of the education sector policy is only the beginning. It defines ADB’s vision. It sets out ADB’s goals for the development of education as an element of ADB’s overall development strategies and priorities. Implementing the policy requires several essential actions. The policy principles must be articulated and applied in education sector strategies/sector road maps as part of the country strategy and program for each DMC. The framework of education sector reform to be supported by ADB must be clearly formulated, and subsectoral priorities and strategies must be stated in a manner consistent with overall sector policy principles. These strategies/road maps must be based on sector analysis and dialogue with governments and other partners, link education investment to overall poverty reduction, and support the overall country strategy and program. The country strategy and program should form the basis for identifying specific investment projects and programs over the medium term. Above all, the sector strategies/road maps must clearly demonstrate how ADB investment in education will contribute to poverty reduction in each country, and to the attainment of the MDGs. 65. Finally, implementation of the policy must be monitored to determine whether ADB is in fact providing the type of support required to achieve the policy goals—the vision articulated in the policy paper and detailed in the country education sector strategy/sector road map. The policy will be revised and adapted after 5 years to address shortcomings and unanticipated needs. This process of monitoring policy implementation, and revising it in general and its application to particular countries as circumstances warrant, can only be done through systematic review and collection of data. Acceptance of the policy should thus be followed by continuous and systematically planned efforts to assess its impact, and to ensure its continuing relevance. Development of the policy is only the first step to reaching ADB’s vision of supporting quality education and skills training that maximize poverty reduction and pro-poor sustainable economic growth. 66. Monitoring involves several levels, including (i) ADB overall resource allocation patterns by sector, (ii) nature of education sector lending, (iii) achievement of specific targets such as net enrollments, student achievements, or textbook ratios, (iv) progress toward the MDGs, and (v) performance of country policies and investments. On an annual basis, ADB should monitor sectoral lending patterns, with the aim of ascertaining whether sufficient resources are being allocated to sectors, and to activities that promote the MDGs. Monitoring should also examine the subsectoral distribution of resources within education to determine whether investments target areas, e.g., basic education for the poor, that contribute most substantially to the MDGs and to poverty reduction, are prioritized. For each country, ADB should monitor progress toward the MDGs as the ultimate indicator of success. Such monitoring can be done by country and by subregion. In the interests of efficiency and consistency, MDG monitoring should be undertaken in collaboration with other agencies, such as UNICEF and UNESCO, which already have established systems for collecting data on key social indicators. Finally, monitoring—which is useful only if its results are actually used to guide subsequent actions—should be a key feature of country strategic plans, which themselves form the basis for ADB investment. Monitoring of the implementation of the education policy should ultimately be seen as part of a larger process–-the achievement of the MDGs and poverty reduction. 67. To help implement the policy, ADB currently has about 15 staff working in education in the regional departments. After the reorganization, they are complemented in their work by economists, poverty reduction specialists, and social development specialists. The staff strength is considered adequate to implement the education policy with current education sector investment demands, and no staff increase is immediately needed. If demand for education investment increases in the future, however, the staffing needs will have to be carefully assessed. 68. Specific follow-up actions include the following. 69. Setting Targets. Incorporate the MDGs and related education indicators into the countrystrategic plans, and set MDG-related country targets. 70. Support DMCs in compiling data annually on key education indicators (especially those related to the MDGs, and access to education by the poor), with the intention of using the annual updates to guide ADB country lending strategies and resource allocation. 71. Increasing Assistance. Increase education assistance, and concentrate education investment for those countries where primary and lower secondary enrollment and completion rates and the ratio of boys to girls are low. In countries with higher rates, focus on ensuring that poor children, especially girls, have equitable access to and complete basic education of adequate quality. 72. Facilitating Dissemination. During 2003, conduct a series of in-house seminars to discuss the education sector policy and implementation approaches with key constituents, including staff from the Operations Evaluation Department, the Strategy and Policy Department, the Economic and Research Department, regional departments, and resident missions. 73. Promoting Sector Coordination. Advocate for effective governmentled education sector coordination among funding agencies, within an agreed policy and strategic framework. 74. Preparing Country Strategies. Prepare an education sector strategy and sector road map for each DMC in the context of the country strategy and programming process, to guide ADB investment in the sector, based on (i) new or existing sector work, and/or policy and strategic framework; (ii) dialogue with the DMC through country programming missions and special education policy dialogue missions; and (iii) consultation with key ADB internal players, including the Regional and Sustainable Development Department, and Economics and Research Department; and ensure that the strategy is incorporated in the country strategy and program. 75. Strengthening Advocacy. Undertake public expenditure reviews in the context of the country strategy and programming process every 3 years starting in 2003, and advocate strongly that DMCs below the subregional average for education expenditure, as a proportion of total public expenditure, allocate an appropriate share of budgetary resources to basic education, particularly for girls and the poor. 76. Advocate more actively during policy dialogue with governments on behalf of increasing resource allocation (government and external funds) for MDG achievement. 77. Monitoring Progress. Conduct, by the end of 2005, a comprehensive review of the implementation of the education sector policy paper; examining in particular the extent to which the poor have gained better access to basic education. 78. Assess the status of each of the follow-up actions proposed in the policy paper. 79. Updating Policy. Undertake, after 5 years, a comprehensive review of the education policy paper, and revise it to reflect changing needs and circumstances, as well as lessons learned from the implementation of the current education policy.
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