Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) signal an important change in the way developing countries are helped out of poverty. Education is seen as a major part of poverty reduction, but how far has the education sector been included in the preparation of PRSPs? What impact have PRSPs had on educational policies and priorities to date? This study by the International Institute for Educational Planning reviews poverty reduction strategies and finds that overall the quality of the education sector varies across countries.
An examination of 18 completed PRSPs, and of those nearing completion by May 2003, shows that education is given major importance. The structure of the PRSP is similar across countries because of the standard format laid out by the international financial institutions. The conceptual framework essentially rests on two theories: the human capital theory (educating and training the poor will increase their capacity to raise income) and the integrated development approach (integrating education strategies with strategies of other sectors). Further trends identified are:
- A convergent pattern in the preparation of PRSPs, with the work completed by a PRSP team, headed in most cases by the prime minister of the minister of finance. Preparation is an iterative process involving ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ consultation.
- Most PRSPs refer to the Education for All goals, but more especially to the Millennium Development Goals. Education is seen as a tool for capacity building in different sectors.
- While formal education and literacy are well-covered, the treatment of non-formal education varies considerably between countries.
- Costing and financing is not always adequately covered, leading to a lack of credibility and poor sustainability prospects. Most financing solutions rely on high and sustained growth rates, or on debt-relief schemes, both of which are problematic.
- Monitoring mechanisms, institutional arrangements and set performance indicators are not clearly assessed.
There are issues that present key challenges. There is the need to overcome conceptual uncertainty on the best education strategies to eradicate poverty. The importance of alternative learning strategies cannot be overemphasised. There are varying educational levels and different approaches to teacher training. In addition:
- The necessity to synchronise action in the educational sector with actions in other sectors.
- The challenge of capacity-building, particularly the need for carefully measured decentralisation.
- The need for better co-operation between educational professionals and economists, both within individual countries and among international financial and technical partners.
