This report, led by Caerus Capital, shows the many opportunities education policymakers and investors have to leverage the private sector in their education systems. The research involved nearly 260 interviews and consultations with global education-sector leaders representing donors, private providers, investors, and government officials. Research covered more than 135 private not-for-profit and for-profit education case studies.

Some key findings from the report are:

• 21% of pupils (one in five) are educated in the private sector (at the time of the study).

• Despite significant gains, 30 million children in sub-Saharan Africa still have no access to any form of schooling.

• Private sector education is growing faster than public across most education segments in sub-Saharan Africa, from primary to secondary and higher education.

• Private education in Africa offers a $16 billion-$18 billion investment opportunity over the next five years.

The report also suggests various solutions to engaging the private sector and exploring public-private partnerships, which can assist in addressing Africa’s educational challenges.

IDP Foundation commissiond Dr Joanna Härmä, who worked with Laura Moscoviz, to investigate the low overall results in English and Mathematics abilities in grades 4 and 6 in Ghana's Central Region, and what might explain the relatively higher test scores in low-fee private schools. Three research questions were investigated:

1. How does the literacy and numeracy performance of Primary 4 pupils compare between government and private schools, with special focus on low-fee private schools? 

2. How do pupil, household, teacher and school characteristics (e.g. pupil background, teaching practice, school management, and school fees) vary within and among school types? 

3. To what extent are household, pupil, teacher, and school- level factors correlated with pupil achievement? 

The research was conducted in Central Region, which provided a sufficient numbers of private schools (17 out of the 55 total schools). The study examined the variation in NEA test scores between government and low-fee private schools, and between rural and urban areas. 

While results for private schools were marginally better than public schools, the general performance across both has been low and therefore requires targeted interventions at all levels in both settings. In addition, when looking at low-fee private schools where the test scores were slightly better, a pupil from the poorest quintile could expect to achieve an English score that is 5.24% lower than a peer from the richest quintile, when other factors are equal. This reinforces the need for the government to implement policies that do not deepen existing inequalities but rather support all children within all educational settings to achieve at least the minimum nationally-set learning outcomes.
 

Insights from this research can be found in our policy brief on Rethinking Basic Education in Ghana: Key Issues for Stakeholer Action, read here.

This research by Associates for Change (AfC) was conducted in two parts: a pre-reopening assessment took place between November and December 2020, followed by a post-reopening assessment between March and April 2021 to assess the impact that school closures had on the financial and operating stability of low-fee private schools (LFPS) in Ghana.

Some key findings of the report are:

·      Covid-19 school closures had a major impact on the stability of LFPS - prior to reopening in January 2021 65% of proprietors from the schools assessed in November/December 2021 felt that they were at risk of closing down, while 15% had closed or were in the process of closing and only 20% felt that they would be able to open despite external support.

·      LFPS are resilient thanks to determined proprietors dedicated to providing educational services to their communities - after a few months of being open 91% of proprietors from the schools assessed in March/April 2021 felt confident that they were able to keep their schools open, despite 58% of them reporting low cash flow capacity with the average revenue from school fees being significantly lower than before the pandemic.

·      Support for these schools during closures was lacking - 40% of school assessed applied for the government stimulus package, with 15% having been approved.

·      Enrollment dropped significantly on reopening, causing additional financial strain, however started to increase within a few months of reopening signifying demand is still high - on reopening 50% of schools assessed experienced low enrollment, while 6 months after reopening 60% of schools had enrollment back up to 80%, while 91% of schools were at 50% enrollment or above.

·      Teacher attrition was a significant challenge for proprietors due to inabilities to pay salaries - during the school closures 52% of teachers were forced to seek other work with many finding higher paying jobs or pursuing higher education with many proprietors reporting difficulties in hiring new staff

·      Learning loss was significant due to a lack of access to technology and schools being ill-prepared for remote learning - of the schools assessed head teachers expressed only 5% of their pupils were able to access the government’s online learning website, while 11% could access the radio channel and 18% the TV channel.

For more insights from the report read our blog on the essential needs of LFPS due to Covid-19 school closures here.

Insights from this research can also be found in our policy brief on Rethinking Basic Education in Ghana: Key Issues for Stakeholer Action, read here.

In quick response to the emerging issues caused by the Covid-19 school closures throughout 2020, IDP Foundation and our partner, Sinapi Aba Savings & Loans (SASL), dispersed needs assessed grants to low-fee private schools to aid in their reopening. In order to ensure support was received as quickly as possible SASL conducted an assessment in December 2020 to highlight the most vulnerable schools, using a ranking system, and identify the specific needs that could impede them from reopening in January 2021, and staying open.

The results of this assessment lead to the disbursement of grants across 9 regions of Ghana, meaning over 42,000 pupils were able to return to school. This report highlights the approach of the assessment, the tools used and a summary of the findings.

For more information read our blog: How IDP Foundation COVID-19 Relief Program Is Supporting Vulnerable Low Fee Private Schools in Ghana To Remain Open During These Difficult times

For aditional insights read our policy brief on Rethinking Basic Education in Ghana: Key Issues for Stakeholer Action, here.