Rehabilitation of Basic Education in Sierra Leone

Example of a Public-Private Partnership

April 11, 2002

Sierra Leone Context

Post-conflict country, civil strife, political instability for the past decadeGDP declined in the 70s and 80s, in 1990 82% population under poverty lineIn 2000 recovery to 3,8% growth, in 2001 5,4% growthPositive prospects in the political and economic frontPeace agreement reached in 2001

Sierra Leone Context

Privatization 29 of the 44 State Owned Enterprises

2001 Strategic Plan for the Divestiture of the State Enterprises, and National Commission for Privatization

Legal and Regulatory Framework underway

Education Sector in Sierra Leone

Access, Equity, Quality, Efficiency1990 GER of 51% for primary and 17% for secondarySteep decline in the 1990s63% GER in primary 2000 and 70% in 2001GER for Junior Secondary is 16%68 % of youngsters 15-19 yrs. Out of schoolRegional and Gender disparities:34% of Girls in the north119% of Boys in the Western area Freetown

Education Sector in Sierra Leone

Quality- 10 years to reach complete literacy and numeracy (average in the region 7)50% of the teachers are untrained1 in every 4 children has access to textbooks88% of the infrastructure has been partially or totally destroyed

Education Sector in Sierra Leone

Total Budget for Education in 2000 46,3M30,4 % of Total government revenuesPublic resources for primary education 1,7% of GDPTeacher salaries 4,2 % of GDP/capitaExtremely weak managementLack of governance

Strengths of the Sector

Private sector has been a key player in the delivery of education servicesIn the post-conflict environment NGOs, missions and CBOs have been involved in the reestablishment of school services80% of the government-assisted schools are managed by the missions

Public-Private Partnership to rehabilitate the school system

Players: MYES, school proprietors (missions), new comers: NGOs, SMCs, NACSA

MYES

Financing

regulatory framework and

monitoring

Public-Private Partnership to rehabilitate the school system

Service providers: missions, NGOs, CBOs, District Education Offices

Management: Project Steering Committee with 60% government 40% non-government members

Operational Manual for the Partnership Program

Partnership Program Operational Manual

Legal FrameworkRoles and responsibilitiesMechanisms for submission and approval of proposalsStandards for the provision of servicesFinancial and Procurement ManagementMonitoring and Supervision

Lessons learnt

Much too soon to derive conclusions, although this is not an example of public-private financing, it is an example of public-private partnership in which each one has specific roles to play based on their comparative advantage.To what extent is this is a short-term strategy to cope with the emergency, and how much will be maintained as the system evolves is yet to be determined.