Executive Summary

Purpose of this Study

Education for All has led to a significant increase in the number of students completing primary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It has also created tremendous demand for secondary education. This “highway” between primary and tertiary education faces many challenges worldwide. Largely designed in the developed world in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and transported to the developing world, secondary education is not well aligned with 21st century needs and purposes. Economies that are increasingly “knowledgedriven” need workers with extensive knowledge, developed skills, and increasingly the creativity and flexibility of an entrepreneur. Governments worldwide are experimenting with different ways of tracing and dividing the secondary highway into shorter or longer routes,with a more or less academic or vocational emphasis,with more or less involvement from the private sector. No single solution prevails for balancing the requirements of this knowledge economy with equally legitimate concerns for educational equity and a high quality of education services.As greater numbers of SSA primary school leavers seek to make the transition to secondary education, SSA governments must evaluate their secondary education governance, management, and accountability practices to ensure they can meet student and societal needs.

Definition of Terms

Governance, defined in different ways in the literature, in this report will address: (i) the structure and function of the secondary systems as a whole, (ii) the legislative and regulatory framework for education provision and governance, (iii) the structure, roles, and responsibilities of the central education ministry and its decentralized offices, and (iv) the local steering mechanisms for secondary schools (for example, boards of governors and parent-teacher associations). Management covers the processes and practices established by legislation or through practice to realize educational objectives at the level of the school and the community. Accountability refers to the processes by which the education system holds itself responsible for delivering the appropriate services and meeting its goals for educating students.