CAIRO: Despite increased funding, education standards in the Middle East and North Africa get a failing grade and are falling behind those in other developing regions, according to a new World Bank report. While cash has been funneled into building schools, recruiting teachers and developing curricula, the current educational scheme offers little reward for students and doesn't hold teachers and policymakers accountable, the report states. "Something isn't working, says the report's author Ahmed Galal, an adviser with the World Bank. The report, entitled "The Road Less Traveled: Educational Reform in MENA, was unveiled at a seminar at The Cairo Capital Club on Thursday. It shows that despite spending a larger chunk of gross domestic product percentage on education than both Latin American and East Asian countries in 2003, most MENA countries fell below the international average in grade 8 achievement tests in math and science. While Galal explains that the region has made significant strides over the past three decades in terms of literacy rates, class enrollment and gender equality, there's been little payoff in economic growth and job creation. "Despite the progress, we haven't kept up with Latin America and East Asia. For the time being, the only region we're beating is sub-Saharan Africa, he says. The educational levels have a serious impact on everything from curbing explosive population growth to reducing poverty and increasing foreign investment, the report says. "We live in a globalized world, and nobody gives a damn about how far the region has come in the last 30 years, he explains. "What they care about is where the country is now. The good news is that since 1970, gross enrollment in primary and secondary schools has jumped from approximately 70 percent to 95 percent, and from around 25 percent to more than 70 percent, respectively, the report states. Still, at around 20 percent of the general population, college entrance remains low, the report finds. Plus, Galal describes a system which has failed to adapt to the current labor market, meaning that many college and university graduates are left unemployed, or remain underemployed in the hopes of scoring a job working in a bloated bureaucracy. "It's almost like we're building assets and then throwing them in the sea, he says. "I think many of us in the region - Egypt included - are barking up the wrong tree. A big part of the problem lay with teachers, according to Galal, who are often underpaid, have little incentive to engage their students and rely on private tutoring sessions to make ends meet. "[The teacher] isn't motivated to go to school to teach . he's motivated to go to school to pick kids for private tutoring, says Galal. What's worse, he explains, is that the lack of accountability in the classroom extends upward. "When policy makers fail to provide incentives . there is a disconnect, says Galal, adding that school systems have focused too much attention on bricks and mortar and have all but ignored a system of rewards and incentives, which are crucial. "They're missing the point. "You need to give the citizens a voice. That's the only way you get policy makers somewhat responsible, he says. To help curb the educational slide and bring the region back up to speed, MENA countries should reduce public employment, make labor markets more flexible and emphasize post-secondary education, according to Galal. Naela Refaat, a field representative with the Canadian International Development Agency, says that the school system in Egypt resembles a "chicken farm. "I think one of the problematic things is we have an absence of political vision of where we want to go and what we want [students] to look like, she said, adding that she went to school in Egypt and also has children in school here. "Where is our map? Dr. Maha El Said, a project field director with the Egyptian Primary Schooling Project, said in an interview that the problems for teachers in Egypt and other regional countries are exacerbated by a lack of social prestige and massive class sizes. "There's no social class for teachers who make LE 70 a month and have a class of 114 and have to pay attention to every student, she says. According to the report, Jordan, Kuwait, Tunisia and Lebanon have been the best at meeting educational objectives. Egypt falls in sixth place, with Iraq, Yemen and Djibouti being the worst.
