Mr Olav Kjørven, State Secretary for International Development
Seminar on a Joint International Evaluation of External Support to Basic Education
Oslo University College
6 November 2003

Norwegian Development Assistance to Education and its Relationship to Evaluation Findings

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NORAD to this seminar on the international evaluation of external support to basic education in developing countries. In planning and organising the seminar, we have benefited greatly from our co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Research and the Oslo University College.

The evaluation has been carried out under the able leadership of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Norway has, together with 12 other donors and four developing countries, participated in the Steering Committee. It is a special pleasure to welcome the head of the evaluation team, Mr. Ted Freeman of the company Goss Gilroy Inc., Ottawa. Our seminar today is part of a concerted international effort to disseminate and discuss the evaluation findings in national workshops.

Opinions on education differ in any country. In our Norwegian Strategy for Delivering Education for All by 2015, we have quoted Lightness, a 13-year-old child from Tanzania, who said: "Education is the key to everything in life".

On the other hand, in the last edition of the review "Bistandsaktuelt", there is an interview with Karim Konate, a cotton farmer and father of thirteen in Mali. He considers education to be unnecessary and even stupid. The school system gives training that is not in harmony with local tradition and culture. According to Karim, it is risky to send girls to school. They tend to become unpredictable, obstinate, and unwilling to perform daily household chores. He thinks that boys are more useful and better off as workers in his cotton fields than as pupils in the local school. Out of the 40 people in his extended family who went to school, only two completed secondary education. One became an accountant, the other a soldier. Both have had to live on meagre salaries, and both have frequently asked relatives for help.

I can understand Karim when I consider his experience. But his reaction should never be accepted as the last word on education and social and economic development. His attitude is a strong reminder of the serious consequences of failing to organise the education sector as a whole in such a way that it meets the real needs of the population.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NORAD are arranging this seminar because, as we have said repeatedly, Norway considers education to be job number 1 in international development co-operation. According to the UN Millennium Development Goals all boys and girls should complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015, and gender disparity in primary and secondary education should be eliminated, preferably by 2005, and at all levels of education by 2015.

Evaluation findings

There are several findings of this joint evaluation which I consider to be of particular importance:

First: Even though considerable efforts have been made since the year 2000 to increase the flow of funds to basic education in developing countries, these efforts have not as yet resulted in increased disbursements.

Second: The goal of achieving gender parity in primary and secondary education is proving more difficult than expanding overall levels of enrolment.

Third: Efforts to use external support to increase the efficiency of basic education systems have often not taken adequate account of the needs and viewpoints of teachers or provided for their professional development.

Norwegian intentions

What does Norway intend to do about this?

As far as our own disbursements for education are concerned, we intend to take a major step forward. Nine per cent of the Norwegian budget for development co-operation is now earmarked for education. This is not enough. We plan to increase our commitment to education to 15 per cent by 2005. At the same time, we will increase our total budget for development co-operation. Basic education will be given special priority. But we also want to strengthen education systems at all levels in a balanced manner.

We realise that Norwegian efforts will have little impact unless they are an integral part of the international campaign to achieve the Education for All goals. Our national initiative to increase support to education fits well into such a campaign. Co-ordination and harmonisation will be guiding principles in our efforts. In this connection, the joint international evaluation has an important role to play, because it presents findings and recommendations that are directed to 13 key donors in the education sector. When we agree on the facts, it is easier to move forward together.

As far as the question of gender parity is concerned, we are aware that the investment that yields the highest return in strictly economic terms in a poor country is education for girls. Nothing can beat it. This is not only because "when you educate a girl, you educate the whole family". It is also because educating women also yields results in the areas of birth control, health, HIV/AIDS, income generation and many more. We achieve several development goals simultaneously. Girls’ education thus has a prominent place in our newly established Education Strategy, and we intend to intensify these efforts even further. This includes raising awareness among the public authorities, local communities and parents as regards girls’ and women’s rights and the value of providing them with education. An important part of the increase in the Norwegian development effort in 2004 will be channelled through UNICEF, which has girls’ education as one of its top priorities.

When it comes to teachers and their role, we should keep in mind that they are the key players in any educational system, and that their collaboration is absolutely essential for the final results. According to the evaluation, teachers’ interests have not been taken adequately into account, and their voice has not always been heard. If we are to meet the goals for good primary education, we must develop and improve the quality of teacher training. Norway will strengthen its support for the reform of teacher training and for continuing education. In addition to being part of Norwegian support for the education sector as a whole, this is an aspect of our support for reforms in the public sector.

The HIV tragedy

In closing, I would like to say a few words about one problem faced by the education sector in developing countries that has been considered in the joint evaluation, but that deserves an even sharper focus: the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In 2002 over a million children lost their teachers as a result of this terrible plague. Small village schools with only one teacher have had to close down. The pandemic is so widespread and has such dramatic consequences that it must be fought in every area of Norwegian development co-operation. It is particularly important to prevent it from undermining the education system as a whole. Information and consciousness raising with an emphasis on the responsibility of teachers and schools must be a major priority and must also be integrated into teacher training. At the same time, we should explore ways of providing a minimum of education to children who are unable to attend school simply because they have lost their parents and had to take over as head of the family.

The challenge ahead

Today you will be discussing some of these complex issues. The challenge ahead of us is twofold:

The immediate challenge is to analyse the evaluation findings and identify key areas for follow-up.

The second, which is the real acid test, will begin after the workshop has ended: transforming the findings into new and better policies and programmes. An evaluation that does not lead to improvements on the practical level is of little use. In this connection I think we have reason not only to be inspired by the 13-year-old in Tanzania who said that education is the key to everything. We should also listen very carefully to the cotton farmer from Mali and try to help to establish education programmes that will improve the well-being of his family in concrete terms.

I am confident that the outcome of your discussions will guide us in our efforts. Keep in mind that this is about the future of the next generation in some of the most populous parts of the world. I wish you a successful seminar.

Thank you for your attention.