What are the Gaps in Equity financing and student learning outcomes in Zambia?

• In Event: Gender Equity and Inclusion: Ensuring access to quality education for all

Proposal

This presentation will share the results from an analysis of equity in the Zambia education system titled “Developing a Planning and Monitoring Framework for Educational Equity in Zambia.” In this study current practices for promoting equity in the education system are assessed and is accompanied by a demonstration of the use of existing administrative data to:
• analyze the distribution of education investments and education outcomes, identifying key relationships between investment and outcomes;
• develop recommendations for priority actions for improving equity in the system and using existing data to support better decision-making to promote equity and
• elaborate draft benchmarks/indicators for monitoring progress on equity at the national, provincial, and district levels (an “Equity Index).
Current considerations of equity in education planning and resource allocation in Zambia focus on gender. While the performance of girls in the system has improved relative to boys, full gender equity has not been achieved in a number of areas. However important the impact of gender on education outcomes, it is not the only equity challenge in the system. Meeting the Government of the Republic of Zambia’s commitments to national and international goals in equity requires expanding consideration of equity to other barriers that keep some children from achieving the same levels of education and learning outcomes as other children of similar ability.
The study combined a survey and field visits to examine the implementation of current gender equity policies with a quantitative exercise identifying key relationships between school characteristics and outcomes (survival rates and exam results) from existing administrative data. The results of the analysis were then utilized to develop a proposed “equity index” that provides decision makers a means of identifying schools, zones and districts where existing conditions are likely to produce lower levels of educational attainment (years of schooling completed) and inferior learning outcomes (lower exam results).

Author

• Laura Conrad, Chemonics International