Bank support to basic education has increased greatly over the last two decades. The Ghanaian experience provides a useful test case of the effectiveness of this support. Since 1986 there have been ten Bank education sector projects in Ghana, of which five have directed support to basic education.

The main questions addressed in the IEG study are: (1) what has happened to educational outputs (school attendance and learning); (2) what are the main determinants of those outputs; (3) which educational interventions have the largest and most cost effective impact on educational outputs; (4) to what extent have Bank-supported activities promoted interventions that support improved educational outputs; and (5) how do improved educational outputs support better welfare outcomes? These questions were addressed through a variety of means, including a nationwide survey carried out by IEG in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The survey followed up on a living standards survey conducted in 1988 that included data on test score outcomes and school quality. The study is thus in a unique position to analyze school-level changes over the 15 year period, 1988-2003.

Both the quantity and quality of schooling have improved over the last 15 years. Statistical analysis shows that these improvements in learning outcomes are clearly and strongly linked to better welfare as measured by higher income, better nutrition, and reduced mortality. The data also show that gain in educational outputs are directly linked to better school quality, manifested in improved infrastructure and greater availability of school supplies. Increased school quality can in turn be linked to the Bank’s support, which has financed the construction of 8,000 classroom blocks and the construction of 8,000 classroom blocks and
provided 35 million textbooks over the last 15 years.

Books, Buildings, and Learning Outcomes: An Impact Evaluation of World Bank Support To Basic Education in Ghana

Reach