Republic of Yemen SABER Country Report SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY 2015 Policy Goals Status 1. Autonomy in Budget Planning and Management The non-salary operational budget is mostly managed by central or regional governments in Yemen. The government has a policy of decentralizing public basic and secondary education expenditure management to the governorate level but not to the school level. In practice, the key responsibilities of personnel and operational budgets remain at the central level. School Committees are only responsible for executing a small portion of the operational budget that is allocated to the school for supplies or incidentals. 2. Autonomy in Personnel Management Public school teachers and non-teaching staff are hired by regional governments (governorates) according to the number of new hiring needs approved by the central government in Yemen. The governorates have the authority and responsibility for school director appointments and the deployment decisions for both teachers and non-teaching staff. Teacher evaluations are conducted by governorate and local authorities (district level) although communities and parents contribute to monitoring teachers’ presence. 3. Participation of the School Council in School Governance The Ministry of Education (MOE) has developed legislation and guidelines to govern and administer School Committees. The School Committees are elected and have term limits. While all schools should have School Committees, the MOE, through the support of development partners, has only been able to pilot participatory, school-based programs in a few governorates. The pilot programs have facilitated the School Committees to prepare and implement school improvement plans based on a school operational budget provided from the central level. They are responsible for executing the expenditures and coordinating with the community, and they retain the right to review the financial report and have a voice on some school inputs. 4. Assessment of School and Student Performance Yemen does not have school assessments, but it does have standardized student assessments that are conducted annually at grades 9 of basic education (transition to secondary) and 12 (grade 3) of secondary education (graduation). Tests scores are currently communicated at the student level on an individual basis, and no analyses or comparisons of aggregated student results are made among schools or over time. Thus, there is no basis available to judge if schools are doing well or if they can or should do better with the communities involved. Schools do not use student assessments to make pedagogical adjustments or to change school materials. 5. Accountability to Stakeholders No guidelines are in place for the use of results of student assessment, nor is the MOE required to conduct comparative analysis of student performance, leaving little room to use performance results to demand accountability for better delivery of education. Regulations have been established and implemented to increase compliance of school operation and financial management rules. Learning accountability at the school level is severely limited. REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 Introduction working on the streets and other marginalized groups in the big cities. In 2011, the World Bank Group commenced a multiyear program designed to support countries in systematically Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab region examining and strengthening the performance of their with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of education systems. Part of the World Bank’s new US$1,330 in 2013. Yemen is highly dependent on Education Sector Strategy, 1 this evidence-based declining oil resources for revenue. Petroleum accounts initiative, called SABER (Systems Approach for Better for roughly 25 percent of GDP and 63 percent of Education Results), is building a toolkit of diagnostics for government revenue. The Human Development Index examining education systems and their component (UNDP 2011) ranks the country 154th out of 184 policy domains against global standards, best practices, countries assessed. The country faces a wide range of and in comparison with the policies and practices of developmental challenges. Yemen has one of the highest countries around the world. By leveraging this global population growth rates globally, at 3 percent, which knowledge, the SABER tools fill a gap in the availability of increases the demand for educational and health data and evidence on what matters most to improve the services, drinking water, and employment opportunities, quality of education and achievement of better results. among other basic rights. Social development indicators, This report discusses the results of applying the SABER such as child malnutrition, maternal mortality, and School Autonomy and Accountability (SAA) tool in educational attainment, remain discouraging. The Republic of Yemen. population living below the national poverty line was 54 percent (In other words, 54 percent of the population Country Overview survives on fewer than US$2 dollars per day), with The Republic of Yemen occupies the southwest comer of poverty more widespread and persistent in rural areas the Arabian Peninsula between latitudes 12° and 20° and (MoPIC 2011). There are significant gender disparities, longitudes 41° and 54°. It is bounded on the north by with large gaps between men and women’s access to Saudi Arabia, the Gulf of Aden on the south, Oman on the economic, social, and political opportunities. As east, and the Red Sea on the west. The country is 555,000 indicated by its first and second Millennium km2 in size, and it has more than 100 sizable islands Development Goal (MDG) reports, Yemen is not scattered in the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the expected to meet any of the MDGs. Arabian Sea, the most notable of which are Soqattra in the Indian Ocean and Hunaish, Perim, and Kamaran in the Red Sea. The population of Yemen, estimated at 26.1 million in 2014, is growing rapidly. With a population growth rate of 3.1, Yemen still has one of the highest rates in the world. Yemen’s population is expected to reach 47 million by 2040, in a context of dependence on dwindling oil reserves for national revenue. The proportion of children and youth in the population is large, presenting a continued challenge for education expansion over the next few decades: In 2014, nearly 62.8 percent of the total population was less than 25 years old and more than one-third of those were aged 6–14 years, the age of basic education. Migration, particularly of the rural population, increases the prevalence of children living or 1The World Bank Education Sector Strategy 2020: Learning for All (2011), which outlines an agenda for achieving “Learning for All” in the developing world over the next decade. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 2 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 I. Education in Yemen Table 1: Yemen school system structure Education in Yemen is compulsory for ages six to 14 and Level of Education Ages Grade/Year is presently characterized by low enrollment rates Early Childhood 3–5 Preschool (ranging from 82 percent for preschool education to 95 Education percent for primary and 82 percent for secondary Basic Education 6–14 Grades 1–9 education) (National Statistical Institute 2013). Public General Secondary 15–17 Grades 10–12 Education schools serve the majority of Yemeni students, about 5.2 Vocational Secondary 15–16 Grades 10–11 percent of students attend private schools. Yemen’s Training public school system consists of 16,034 schools serving Technical Secondary 15–17 Grades 10–12 children in grades 1 through 12. During the 2012–2013 Training school year, 210,431 teachers and 5,338,408 students Postsecondary 18+ Technical/ were in the public school system. The average student Education and Training vocational schools, teacher ratio in Yemen is 25.4:1, varying considerably tertiary across different types of schools and types of Source: MOE Statistical Digest. communities. As seen in Table 1, the levels of education in Yemen Three ministries manage education in Yemen: the include early childhood education (ECE), basic, general Ministry of Education (MOE) manages pre-basic, basic, secondary, technical, and vocational secondary training, and general secondary education; the Ministry of and tertiary education and training, such as university Technical and Vocational Education and Training education and TVET, as well as informal learning after manages post-basic Technical and Vocational Education school. It is important to note that ECE is managed by the and Training (TVET) and postsecondary TVET; and MOE and is limited to main cities; it is mainly run by the university education is under the mandate of the private sector, and most of the provision is private. Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Children with special needs are included at all levels. The Literacy is the mandate of the Literacy and Adult basic level covers a nine-year cycle from grades 1 to 9, Education Organization, as supervised by the Minister of and is compulsory for children ages 6 to 14. Education, while the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, established in 1991, has the mandate to Since 2002, the government of Yemen has endorsed five develop country strategies and promote policies aiming major national strategies to address education issues at to improve the situation of motherhood and childhood the various levels: Basic, Secondary, Vocational and in Yemen. The Supreme Council for Education Planning, Technical Education, and Higher Education. In addition to chaired by the Prime Minister and including eight these five strategies, Yemen has an ongoing National ministers with leverage over education policies, has a Strategy for Literacy and Adult Education, which aims to coordination and oversight role and has been eradicate illiteracy in the population aged 14–40, and has instrumental in consolidating education data over recent prepared a National Strategy for Early Childhood years. Development. Each subsector strategy is intended to increase access and equity and to improve quality and The MOE statistical digest documents that the education efficiency of education delivery quite independently of system consists of two service providers: government what is happening in other education subsectors (World schools (94.8 percent) and private schools (5.2 percent). Bank 2010). The government’s MOE is the largest provider and consists of seven sectors: General Education Sector, Despite the many strategies, Yemen is missing one Curriculum and Supervision Sector, Girls Education coordinated vision for education. A national vision that Sector, Training and Qualification Sector, Project and articulates the education and skills needs of the economy Equipment Sector, Technical Office, and Literacy and the society, as well as the choices that must be made program. to provide these skills, is greatly needed. The work for the development of such a vision is about to be completed by mid-2015, with support from the World SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 3 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 Bank and under the supervision of Ministry of Planning among 36 countries participating in the Trends in and International Cooperation. Mathematics and Science Study 2011 (EIA 2011), primarily because they could not read the narrative- Table 2: Selected Education Indicators based test questionnaire. In a study of learning Public Expenditure on Education (2012–2013) achievements carried out in 2012, 43 percent of pupils in As % of GDP 5.6 grade 2 and 25 percent of pupils in grade 3 could not read As % of Total Government Expenditure 16.1 a single word of text. A majority of pupils in grade 3 (61 Distribution of Public Expenditure per Level (%) (2013) percent) could not answer one correct reading Early Childhood Education 0.03 comprehension question (out of a total of six questions) Basic Education 60.9 (USAID-RTI 2012). General Secondary 17.1 Technical and Vocational Education 5.7 The government has now begun to focus more attention Tertiary and Other 16.02 on qualitative aspects of education, through teacher Literacy Program 0.03 training, fostering better community participation in the Net Enrollment Rate 83.6 management, and monitoring of schools. A new school Gender Gap for Basic Education 0.83 curriculum is in the process of being developed. Pupil/Teacher Ratio in Basic and Secondary 25.4 : 1 Percentage of Repeaters in Basic 8.0 The political unrest since 2011 has had various negative Basic to Secondary Transition Rate 77.8 Source: MOE Statistical Directorate 2012/2013, data prepared for EFA impacts in Yemen, via a sharp contraction of economic Report. activities, a deteriorated macroeconomic environment, and decreased public revenue collection. A deterioration Table 2 presents select indicators on the education in the delivery of education services includes (1) damage system. Public expenditure on education accounts for 5.6 to and occupation of school buildings; (2) inaccessibility percent of GDP and 16.1 percent of total government of some schools due to insecurity; (3) increased expenditure. Basic education receives 60.9 percent of absenteeism of teachers and administrative staff; (4) education expenditure. The net enrollment rate for basic failure to complete the curricula reform; and (5) delays education is 83.6 percent, and the average pupil-teacher in the delivery of school buildings, equipment, and ratio is 25.4 to 1. materials. Overall MOE institutional capacity was affected due to conflict-generated disruptions and Despite the government’s achievements in terms of severe budget constraints. increasing the enrollment rate and reducing the gender gap as a result of implementing basic and secondary II. The Case for School Autonomy and education strategies, quality remains the area where School Accountability progress has been most limited and faces major challenges. During the last few years, government efforts School autonomy and accountability are key have focused more on responding to the social demand components of an education system that ensure for expansion of education than on improving the quality educational quality. The transfer of core managerial of education. There is a risk that the planned expansion responsibilities to schools promotes local accountability; in enrollment could further reduce quality if not helps reflect local priorities, values, and needs; and gives adequately planned and resourced. Only about 40 teachers the opportunity to establish a personal percent of basic education teachers hold a bachelor’s commitment to students and their parents (Box 2). degree, and textbooks and other learning materials often Benchmarking and monitoring indicators of school do not arrive until close to the end of the school year, autonomy and accountability allows any country to leaving most teachers and students without and rapidly assess its education system, setting the stage for impacting on levels of literacy. Absenteeism is officially improving policy planning and implementation. estimated to represent up to 19 percent on average. Total annual hours of instruction for basic education School autonomy is a form of a decentralized education (grades 1–9) are set at 6,800, quite below international system in which school personnel are in charge of making standards. Yemeni grade 4 students ranked the lowest most managerial decisions, frequently in partnership SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 4 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 with parents and the community. More local control helps create better conditions for improving student Box 1: What are School Autonomy and Accountability? learning in a sustainable way, since it gives teachers and School autonomy is a form of school management in which parents more opportunities to develop common goals, schools are given decision-making authority over their increase their mutual commitment to student learning, operations, including the hiring and firing of personnel, and and promote more efficient use of scarce school the assessment of teachers and pedagogical practices. resources. School management under autonomy may give an important role to the School Council, representing the interests of parents, in budget planning and approval, as To be effective, school autonomy must function on the well as a voice/vote in personnel decisions. By including the basis of compatible incentives, taking into account national School Council in school management, school autonomy education policies, including incentives for the fosters accountability (Di Gropello 2004, 2006; Barrera, implementation of those policies. Having more managerial Fasih and Patrinos 2009). responsibilities at the school level automatically implies that a school must also be accountable to local stakeholders In its basic form accountability is defined as the acceptance as well as national and local authorities. The empirical of responsibility and being answerable for one’s actions. In evidence from education systems in which schools enjoy school management, accountability may take other managerial autonomy is that autonomy is beneficial for additional meanings: (i) the act of compliance with the rules and regulations of school governance; (ii) reporting to those restoring the social contract between parents and schools with oversight authority over the school; and (iii) linking and instrumental in setting in motion policies to improve rewards and sanctions to expected results (Heim 1996; student learning. Rechebei 2010). The progression in school autonomy in the last two decades has led to the conceptualization of School- Box 2: Different paths to School-Based Management are Based Management (SBM) as a form of decentralization fine as long as they allow for system closure in which the school is in charge of most managerial In many countries the implementation of SBM has increased decisions but with the participation of parents and the student enrollment, student and teacher attendance, and community through school councils (Barrera, Fasih and parent involvement. However, the empirical evidence from Patrinos 2009). SBM is not a set of predetermined policies Latin America shows very few cases in which SBM has made and procedures, but a continuum of activities and policies a significant difference in learning outcomes (Patrinos put into place to improve the functioning of schools, 2010), while in Europe there is substantial evidence showing allowing parents and teachers to focus on improvements a positive impact of school autonomy on learning (Eurydice in learning. As such, SBM should foster a new social 2007). Both the grassroots-based approach taken in Latin contract between teachers and their community in America, where the institutional structure was weak or service delivery was hampered due to internal conflict, and which local cooperation and local accountability drive the operational efficiency approach taken in Europe where improvements in professional and personal performance institutions were stronger, coincide in applying managerial by teachers (Patrinos 2010). principles to promote better education quality, but driven by two different modes of accountability to parents and the The empirical evidence from SBM shows that it can take community. One in Latin America where schools render many forms or combine many activities (Barrera et al. accounts through participatory school-based management 2009) with differing degrees of success (see Box 3). (Di Gropello 2004) and another in Europe where Unless SBM activities contribute to system closure, they accountability is based on trust in schools and their are just a collection of isolated managerial decisions. teachers, (Arcia, Patrinos, Porta and Macdonald 2011). In Therefore, the indicators of SBM that relate to school either case, school autonomy has begun to transform traditional education from a system based on processes and quality must conform to the concept of a system, in inputs into one driven by results (Hood 2001). which the presence or absence of some critical components within the system allow or preclude system closure. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 5 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 As components of a managerial system, SBM activities Figure 1: The 3 A’S of School Autonomy and Accountability may behave as mediating variables: they produce an enabling environment for teachers and students, allowing for pedagogical variables, school inputs, and personal effort to work as intended. When do SBM components become critical for learning? The improper functioning of a school or a school system can be a substantial barrier to success. The managerial component of a school system is a necessary but insufficient condition for learning. One can fix some managerial components and obtain no results or alter some other components and obtain good results. What combination of components is crucial for success are still under study, but the emerging body of practice point to a set of variables that foster managerial autonomy, the assessment of results, and the use of the assessment to Source: Demas and Arcia 2015. Note: EMIS – education management information system. promote accountability among all stakeholders (Bruns, Filmer and Patrinos 2011). When these three In managerial terms it is clear that the point of contact components are in balance with each other, they form a between autonomous schools and their clients is “closed system.” primarily through the school council (Corrales, 2006). Similarly, school assessments are the vehicles used by Defining a managerial system that can achieve closure is schools to determine their needs for changes in conceptually important for school based management, pedagogical practices and to determine the training since it transforms its components from a list of needs of their teachers. Both, pedagogical changes and managerial activities to a set of interconnected variables teacher training are determinant factors of teacher that when working together can improve system quality (Vegas 2001). Finally, the role of EMIS on performance. If an SBM system is unable to close, are accountability has been well established and it is bound partial solutions effective? Yes, in a broad sense, in which to increase as technology makes it easier to report on schools can still function but their degree of indicators of internal efficiency and on standardized test effectiveness and efficiency would be lower than if the scores (Bruns, Filmer, and Patrinos 2011). system closes. In this regard, SBM can achieve closure when it enforces enough autonomy to evaluate its Results on the Programme for International Student results and use those results to hold someone Assessment (PISA) suggest that, when autonomy and accountable. accountability are intelligently combined, they tend to be associated with better student performance (OECD, This last conclusion is very important because it means 2011). The experience of high-performing countries 2 on that SBM can achieve system closure when autonomy, PISA indicates that: student assessment, and accountability, are operationally interrelated through the functions of the • Education systems in which schools have more school councils, the policies for improving teacher autonomy over teaching content and student quality, and Education Management Information assessment tend to perform better. Systems (see Figure 1). • Education systems in which schools have more autonomy over resource allocation and that 2Examples of high-performing countries that have implemented school- based management policies and frameworks include Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand among others. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 6 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 publish test results perform better than schools Latent Emerging Established Advanced with less autonomy.     Reflects policy Reflects Reflects good Reflects • Education systems in which many schools not in place or some good practice, with international compete for students do not systematically limited practice; some best practice score higher on PISA. engagement policy work limitations still in • Education systems with standardized student progress assessment tend to do better than those without such assessments. A Latent score signifies that the policy behind the indicator is not yet in place or that there is limited engagement in • PISA scores among schools with students from developing the related education policy. An Emerging different social backgrounds differ less in score indicates that the policy in place reflects some education systems that use standardized student good practice but that policy development is still in assessments than in systems that do not. progress. An Established score indicates that the program or policy reflects good practice and meets the minimum As of now, the empirical evidence from countries that standards but there may be some limitations in its content have implemented school autonomy suggests that a and scope. An Advanced score indicates that the program certain set of policies and practices are effective in or policy reflects best practice and it can be considered fostering managerial autonomy, assessment of results, on par with international standards. and the use of assessments to promote accountability. Benchmarking the policy intent of these variables using SABER can be very useful for any country interested in III. Yemen Performance: A Summary of improving the performance of its education system. Results SABER School Autonomy and Accountability: A summary of the results of the benchmarking exercise for Analyzing Performance Yemen are shown below, followed by a breakdown by policy goal. The SABER School Autonomy and Accountability tool assists in analyzing how well developed the set of policies Summary. The education system in Yemen comprises four are in a given country to foster managerial autonomy, levels of governance: central authority (Ministry of assess results, and use information from assessments to Education [MOE]), governorate level, district level, and promote accountability. There are five policy goals for school level. Budgetary autonomy is Emerging. The MOE school autonomy and accountability. Below are the main is responsible for allocating resources to schools. Schools indicators that can help benchmark an education have the authority to raise additional financial resources. system’s policies that enable school autonomy and Policies guiding personnel management are Emerging. accountability: Recruitment, deployment, transfer, and salaries for all 1. School autonomy in the planning and teaching and non-teaching staff are fixed and management of the school budget administered by the governorate level based on the 2. School autonomy in personnel management central guidelines. Overall, policies supporting 3. Role of the School Council in school governance participation by parents and the community at the school 4. School and student assessments level are rated as Established. Where they are functional, 5. Accountability the School Committee, which comprises the school principal and local community members, plays a role in Each of these policy goals has a set of policy actions that setting the school plans and in ongoing school operations. make it possible to judge how far along an education The MOE provides support to equip committee members system’s policies are in enabling school autonomy and with the requisite skills and competencies to perform their accountability. Each policy goal and policy action is duties effectively and efficiently. Policies that guide school scored on the basis of its status and the results classified and student assessment are Emerging. Although no as Latent, Emerging, Established, or Advanced: criteria are established by the MOE to assess schools, Yemen has standardized student assessments, which are SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 7 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 conducted annually. No analyses or comparison of up with parents and community members mandated to aggregated student results are made among schools or prepare the operational budget of schools. over time. Thus, no basis exists on which to judge whether schools are doing well or if they can or should do better In 2008, by cabinet decree, Yemen initiated a per capita with the communities involved. Accountability to financing mechanism for schools. This order from the stakeholders is Emerging as there are regulations in place Vice Prime Minister calculates the budget for all schools for complying with rules for accountability in school in Yemen based on the number of students and level of operations and finance. However, mechanisms are not education of school. Based on the number of students, established to disseminate and use information such as schools throughout Yemen are categorized into four assessment results to hold schools and the education groups in terms of operational budget. Furthermore, in system accountable for their performance to parents, 2013 the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Local communities, and the public. Authority approved the principles and criteria to distribute additional budget to the local authority. This 1. Autonomy in the planning and provides an additional YR 12,000 (about US$60) for basic management of the school budget is education and YR 14,000 (about US$70) for basic and Emerging secondary schools and secondary schools in remote rural This policy goal focuses on the degree of autonomy that areas. Up to now both the orders from the Vice Prime schools have in planning and managing their budgets. In Minister in 2008 and the Ministry of Finance and Ministry order to evaluate policy intent, the scoring rubric makes of Local Authority proposals have not been implemented clear which areas should be backed by laws, regulations, because of challenges related to the public budget in and/or official rules in the public record. School Yemen and the need for more discussion between the autonomy in the planning and management of the school MOE and MOF to agree on the process of transfer, budget is considered desirable because it can increase monitoring, and auditing the schools’ budget. the efficiency of financial resources, give schools more flexibility in budget management, and give parents the Yemen has piloted a grant transfer to schools assisted by opportunity to have more voice on budget planning and donor funds. Based on the pilot experience by BEDP1, execution. JICA, and UNICEF, the MOE prepared the School Development Program Reference Framework (SDPRF), The government has a policy of decentralizing basic and which was presented in the Joint Annual Education secondary education expenditure management to the Review (JAR) in 2013. The document outlines the governorate level but not to the school level. In practice, proposed process for school-based development. These the key responsibilities of personnel or operational processes are (a) transfer of the school budget directly budgets remain at the central level. The operational from the MOF to the school account, (b) preparation and budget for schools is decided and approved at the central implementation of the school plan by Schools level. Management of operational budget takes place at Committees with support on school-based development the regional level. District education offices also have from the District Education Office (DEO), (c) supervision some authority to execute operational budget relating to and auditing of school budget expenses by the DEO and infrastructure. The district level concentrates on building Governorate Education Offices as part of internal new schools or adding classrooms or other non- auditing duties, and (d) external auditing of all school classrooms to existing schools in addition to conducting expenses by the MOF office and Central Organization for renovations of existing schools within the district. The Control and Accounting Office (COCA) in the district. The district level has no authority over budget activities school budget and plans are not included in the process related to general operational costs or educational of budget preparation for the district and governorate materials to improve the quality of education. Schools plan. rely on contributions from parents to cover operational costs such as small maintenance activities. Parents with In the pilot schools in Yemen, the School Committee has daughters in grades 7–12 and sons in grades 5–12 are the legal authority to execute the school’s operational required to pay up to US$1 per year to contribute to this budget according to the SDPRF. Each school is required operational fund. No consultation process has been set to develop and implement an annual plan, which reflects SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 8 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 priority activities and includes how operational budget to help improve scientific assimilation of children, pupils, and other resources are to be used. To ensure and students. collaboration and include active engagement with parents, the community, and other stakeholders, the Currently, no provision exists to allow for the school level school committee is responsible for the preparation and to propose a school budget to the national or implementation of the school plan. subnational level as a request for funding. So national and/or subnational authorities are not mandated to use In pilot schools, the School Committee oversees the the proposed budget submitted by the school level. management of the financial system and the annual operational budget expenses, reviews and authenticates 1. Legal authority over planning and management of the monthly financial reports and accounts, and sends school budget is Emerging financial reports and accounts to parents’ councils for Indicator Score Justification approval, according to the mechanism described in the Operational budget is Legal authority Reference Framework, which considers the guidelines prepared and over management Latent for execution of the operational budget of schools. managed by central of the operational  government for Parents and community members, represented by the budget nonpilot schools. Father and Mother Council, participate in all processes of Legal authority planning, implementation, and monitoring, and over the Regional level sets evaluation of operational budget execution in pilot Emerging non-teaching staff management of schools.  salaries using central non-teaching staff guidelines. salaries In Yemen, the regional level has legal authority over both Legal authority Regional level sets teaching and non-teaching staff salaries. The over the Emerging teaching staff salaries governorate level uses central guidelines to set the salary management of  using central for staff based on the jobs, wages, and salaries system teacher’s salaries guidelines. and its executive regulation, which organizes the system Father and Mother of jobs, wages, and salaries in Yemen. Based on this Councils can raise Legal authority to funds from regulation, the salary of both teachers and non-teachers Established parents/community raise additional is decided according to qualifications and number of funds for the members, private  years of service. No consultation process takes place with school business, and/or parents and community members over non-teacher nongovernment salaries. organization. Budget planning and Collaborative Schools can request additional funds from the following Latent preparation remains budget planning sources: parents/community members, private business,  centralized in and preparation and/or non-government organization. The Father and nonpilot schools. Mother Council Regulations provide legal authority to the Father and Mother Council to raise additional funds 2. School autonomy in personnel for the school. Fundraising is considered to be one of management is Emerging their primary tasks as stated in Father and Mother This policy goal measures policy intent in the Council Regulations article 22, tasks 4 and 7. Task management of school personnel, which includes the number 4 requires the Father and Mother Council to principal, teachers, and non-teaching staff. Appointing support the educational and teaching process in the and deploying principals and teachers can be centralized school, developing and providing it with diverse funding at the level of the MoE or it can be the responsibility of sources through encouraging self-efforts of individual regional or municipal governments. In decentralized institutions and charitable associations and those who education systems schools have autonomy in teacher can provide support. Task 7 of the Regulations requires hiring and firing decisions. Budgetary autonomy includes the council to provide financial and moral support for giving schools responsibility for negotiating and setting school activities (scientific, cultural, social, and the like) SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 9 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 the salaries of its teaching and non-teaching staff and The responsibility for the performance evaluation of using monetary and non-monetary bonuses as rewards school principals rests with the Executive Office in the for good performance. In centralized systems, teachers district based on the Regulations for the Law of the Local are paid directly by the MoE or the MoF under union or Authority (Republican Decree No. 269). Although the law civil service agreements. As a result, in centralized gives the district level responsibility for evaluation of systems schools have less influence over teacher school principals, this does not happen at the district performance because they have no financial leverage level, and in practice, transfers and removals are over teachers. Inversely, if a school negotiates teachers’ implemented by the governorate level. salaries, as private schools routinely do, it may be able to motivate teachers directly with rewards for a job well 2. School autonomy in personnel management is Emerging done. Indicator Score Justification Regional government has In Yemen the offices of the Ministry of Civil Service Autonomy in legal authority to appoint (MECS) and MOE at regional (governorate) level have teacher Established teachers under civil legal authority to appoint, deploy, and transfer both appointment and service agreements. teaching and non-teaching staff to schools based on the deployment  Appointments are Regulations for the Law of the Local Authority. decisions subject to final review by central authorities. The appointment of teachers is subject to final review by Autonomy in non- Regional government has teaching staff the central level. According to the appointment system Emerging legal authority to appoint appointment and in the civil service, the name and data for all new deployment  non-teaching staff under teaching and non-teaching staff should be entered in the civil service agreements. decisions government database at the MECS, and all newly Principals are appointed appointed staff must get a national financial number to Autonomy in and deployed by regional school principal Established include their salaries in the payroll list, which can only be authorities, who also appointment and allocated by the MECS.  have the authority for deployment determining transfer or decisions. Since both teaching and non-teaching staff members are promotion. considered public servants, their appointments and deployments are made under civil servant agreements 3. Participation of the School Committee in based on an advisory (Fatwa) issued by the Office of the school governance is Established MECS at the governorate level. The advisory (Fatwa) is The participation of the School/Parent Committee in considered to be an agreement between the new school administration is very important because it employee and the MECS that assigns the employee a enables parents to exercise their real power as clients of career level, main function group, functional category, the education system. If the committee has to cosign and wages. payments, it automatically has purchasing power. The use of a detailed operational manual is important in this The appointment and deployment of school principals is area, since it allows school committee members to within the authority of the regional (governorate) level adequately monitor school management performance, according to the Law of the Local Authority. The regional help the principal with cash flow decisions, and become level has the authority to oversee all matters pertaining a catalyst for seeking additional funds from the to a school principal’s recruitment, promotion, community. The use of such manuals by the school adjustment, transfer, retirement, and perks such as a car committee is thus a good vehicle for promoting and loans. 3 increased accountability and institutionalizing autonomy. 3The Regulations for the Law of the Local Authority direct all powers and functional groups within second to fifth group, to which all teaching and non- authorities regarding affairs of employment and civil service employee teaching school staff belong, to the local level (governorate and district). SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 10 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 Change management studies also have provided Box 3: School Committee core responsibilities evidence that bringing stakeholders together to plan and implement meaningful activities contributes to 1. Promote school-level leadership development program among school staff and community in participatory behavioral change in institutions, including schools. manner. Collective school planning activities can provide a mutual 2. Conduct a self-assessment of the school in alignment vision and shared accountability of what parents and with the existing mechanism, forms, and areas school staff can commit in terms of support to the school. approved, and schedule support from teaching staff These processes provide an enabling environment for and school management. better governance. 3. Prepare the annual school development plan following participatory approach based on the outputs of self- The MOE’s School Regulation, signed by the Minister of evaluation within the development areas. Education in 1997, states that each school must have a 4. Sign the school development program and abide by the School Committee that consists of at least nine terms and conditions set with the development team of the district. members. The Father and Mother Council is the 5. Form subcommittees (parents, teachers, students, organization that involves parents and community Finance Committee), in accordance with the regulations members in school management. The head of the Father and mechanisms, models, and approved standards, and and Mother Council serves as the Vice Head of the School ensure transparency and accountability. Committee. The Internal Financial Auditor in addition to 6. Oversee management of the financial system and two or three members of the School Committee are annual operational budget expenses. Review monthly members of Father and Mother Council. According to financial reports and accounts, and provide article 3 of the Father and Mother Council Regulation, authentication to parents councils for approval. the objective of the Councils is to create effective 7. Participate in the implementation of the school partnerships with the local community in the educational development plan in an integrated manner and find solutions to the difficulties in implementation and process. Article 7 of the same regulation states that completion, according to the executive program and membership of the Father and Mother Council is based schedule. on the number of students enrolled in the school, 8. Mobilize local efforts to contribute to the support and ranging from a minimum of 15 to a maximum of 21. implementation of the school development plan. Article 11 in Chapter 8 of the SDPRF describes the 9. Promote a culture of quality among school personnel authority of the School Committee in planning, and students, parents, and the community. implementing, and evaluating school plan activities. The 10. Give more attention to professional development for 10 core responsibilities of the School Committee are teachers and school staff to raise their efficiency and outlined in Box 3. practical skills. Source: The School Development Program Reference Framework 2013. In pilot schools, further to the description in Policy Goal 1, the School Committee plays an active role in the execution of expenditures of the operational school Even in pilot schools the School Committee does not budget. According to the SDPRF, “the controlling have legal authority on matters pertaining to personnel authority of the school is the School Committee, which management, such as appointment and deployment, performs its responsibilities on behalf of the which is conducted by the Office of Education at the village/district community and the MOE.” The School governorate level. However, article number 22 of the Committee has the legal authority to have a voice on Father and Mother Council bestows on them the budget expenditure, but the MOE has legal oversight on responsibility to notify the Education Department about determining the amount of school budget. During the level of the school management and teachers’ execution, the School Committee is responsible for compliance with the official working hours and their approving expenditures within the guidelines of the implementation of educational decisions and SDPRF, but both the MOE and MOF provide final financial regulations. oversight. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 11 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 Beyond the role of School Committees, communities are • Supervising the formation of councils expected to be active contributors to their local school. • Preparing, implementing, and evaluating At a minimum, the MOE’s Father and Mother Council training programs for council members Regulations outlines community responsibilities to • Monitoring and evaluating council activities include four categories: (1) general tasks such as preparing, implementing, and evaluating the school plan 3. Role of the School Council in School Governance is and learning process within the school; (2) improving Established learning, such as following up on their children’s learning Indicator Score Justification results, and supporting activities to enhance student School Council has a voice achievement; (3) relations with school administration in the planning and Participation of and teachers, such as solving any problems facing preparation of the the School Council Emerging teachers and school administration and conducting nonsalary budget items at in budget  regular meetings with them, in addition to following up the school level, but final preparation on issues with the relevant authorities; and (4) tasks responsibility falls on government authorities. related to school building, furniture, maintenance of School councils have legal equipment, and improving the school environment. standing as an The MOE establishes the curriculum for all core subjects, Participation in Advanced organization, legal which the School Committee is responsible for enforcing. financial authority to have a voice, The MESC recommends appropriate classroom inputs oversight.  and legal oversight (such as textbooks), from which the School Committee authority on budget has discretion to select and use. The School Committee issues. has autonomy over non-core subjects, as well as teaching School councils have no Participation in and learning materials. Latent legal right or voice in Personnel  teacher appointments, Management transfers, and removals. There are legal provisions for the open election of school There are formal council members. Articles 18 and 19 in the Father and instructions, manuals, and Mother Council Regulations describe the process for Community Advanced mandates for organizing forming the Father and Mother Council, which consists participation in school activities  volunteers to plan, of three phases: (1) preparations for the formation implement, and evaluate process, (2) steps during formation of the Father and activities. Mother Council, and (3): steps after formation of the School councils have legal Father and Mother Council. Community authority to voice an Emerging participation in opinion, but no legal  The Father and Mother Council Regulations mandate learning inputs oversight on learning scheduled elections of school council members every inputs to the classroom. two years. The Father and Mother Council Regulations Provisions for regularly scheduled elections of do not provide any limit regarding the number of years Transparency in Advanced school council members that an individual can be on the council. Any person who Community and defined term limits wants to continue working can nominate himself as a Participation  exist. There are also candidate and if selected can be a member of new guidelines for calling council without any term limitation. general assemblies. Article 43 of the Regulations states that the Father and Mother Councils should receive support and training 4. Assessment of school and student from the government. The task of providing capacity performance is Emerging building to these councils belongs to the Girls Education School assessments can have a big impact on school Sector, the Curriculum and Guidance Sector, and the performance because it encourages parents and General Education Sector within the MOE. Their teachers to agree on scoring rules and ways to keep track responsibilities include: of them. Measuring student assessment is another SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 12 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 important way to determine if a school is effective in of tertiary schools. The two national exams conducted improving learning. A key aspect of school autonomy is every year for all students at the final grade of basic the regular measurement of student learning, with the education (grade 9) and final grade of secondary intent of using the results to inform parents and society, education (grade 12). As a result of adjustments to the and to make adjustments to managerial and pedagogical level of difficulty of the exams from year to year, the practices. Without a regular assessment of learning results are not comparable across years. outcomes school accountability is reduced and improving education quality becomes less certain. Schools are not obligated to use standardized student assessments to make pedagogical, personnel, and Schools in Yemen are not assessed using MOE criteria. operational adjustments. No one is mandated to receive Schools are supervised for compliance by the Regional standardized student assessments results and and Central Education Supervision authorities of the recommendations, because the MOE and its offices at MOE. When supervisors visit schools they do not assess governorate and district level do not conduct an analysis the school as a whole, they assess each teacher of student results for the national exams in the final individually. There is no specified frequency of school grade of basic and secondary education to obligate supervision, and since school supervision focuses mainly schools to use the results to make pedagogical, on compliance rather than performance, supervision personnel, and operational adjustments. The only results are not a key contributor to the pedagogical, examination report prepared at the national level is the personnel, or operational adjustments to improve the analytical report for the Secondary Education General learning environment. Examinations process, which is conducted at the end of grade 12 (grade 3 of the secondary education). In terms of student assessment, two primary methods of assessment are used in Yemen: school-based assessment According to the Yemeni General Regulations for and standardized student assessment. School-based Examinations, the Assessment and Evaluation assessment is conducted every year for all students in Administration within the MOE is responsible for grades 1–8 of basic education and grades 1–2 of managing and distributing standardized student secondary education. The school-based assessment uses assessment results. the MOE roles and regulations set out in the General Regulations for Examinations issued in 2005. According No policy is in place obligating schools to use the results to this document, the objectives of the assessment are of standardized student assessments to make to assess student achievement and report student pedagogical, operational, and personnel adjustments. results to their families, help monitor the education Each school receives their results from the standardized system and program effectiveness, and evaluate schools. student assessment exam, and results are distributed to Schools prepare and administer the exams. They also individual students through a website. The MOE does not correct the exams and announce the results. Another use provide aggregated results based on district or of the school-based assessment is to identify students governorate levels. who will be promoted to the next level and those who will not be promoted. The second method for assessment is a standardized student assessment at the basic level, which is the Yemeni Basic Education Certification Assessment. It informs basic school graduates’ potential for secondary and technical or vocational training. At the secondary level, national examinations are administered at grade 12, which is the third and final year of secondary education in Yemen. The grade 12 exam, known as the Yemeni Secondary Education Certification Assessment, is used to determine student eligibility for different types SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 13 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 4. School and student assessment is Emerging As mentioned in Policy Goal 4, the guidelines for the use Indicator Score Justification of results of student assessments are provided through No set frequency of the General Regulations for examinations issued in 2005. school supervision is Section 10 (articles 14–17) focuses on reporting and Existence and Latent specified, and no set utilization of assessment data, which includes reporting frequency of school  MOE criteria for assessments to students, parents, school community, and others. assessing school These articles are not implemented in all schools in performance exist. School supervision Yemen because the regulations alone are not enough to focuses on compliance implement it. The need exists to build the capacity of rather than schools and education staff in how to analyze and use the Use of school results to improve learning. Also, no follow-up is done by performance, and assessments for Latent results are not a MOE, and its offices in the governorate and district do making school  adjustments contributor to not enforce implementation of this article because they adjustments to follow other chapters within this regulation. improve the learning environment. According to policy, the assessment system does not Annual standardized have formal provisions that mandate comparative Existence and student assessments frequency of Advanced are administered at analysis of student assessment results over time or with standardized the basic and other schools or regions. Also, these types of analyses  student assessments secondary school and comparisons are not implemented at the central levels. level using data from the standardized national Use of standardized assessment. The statistical yearbook does not include No policy obligates student assessments data related to exam results, by school, district, or schools to use student for pedagogical, Latent governorate level. assessment results to operational, and  motivate adjustments personnel The general regulations for examinations are available in for improving learning. adjustments education offices at the governorate or district level, and Schools receive the parents may request them from the school or results of their student population and Government Education Office or DEO. The Father and individual students can Mother Councils can use the general regulations for Publication of Emerging examinations to demand accountability. One of the access their scores on student assessments  general tasks of the Councils is to review developments a website, but no aggregated results are and resolutions taken by the ministry and present these shared by district or to the school community during general assemblies to governorate level. keep it informed of the decisions taken by school management. Because the results of student 5. School accountability to stakeholders is assessments are not analyzed, the impact of Emerging improvement measures in education is not known. There are no consequences to the school if it does not respond Accountability is at the heart of school-based to demands for accountability. management. The systemic connection between budgetary and personnel autonomy, parent In the area of financial accountability rules and participation in the financial and operational aspects of a regulations exist to guide spending and ensure school, and the measurement of learning outcomes are transparency at the central, governorate, district, and all aimed to reinforce accountability. Only by being school level. The central level is tasked with defining accountable to parents can educational quality be regulations for financial management and transparency sustainable. The following indicators below address that apply to all levels and tiers of the public budget, aspects of accountability that can be implemented including reporting to the entity with financial oversight, within the framework of school-based management. according to Law No. (8) of 1990 on financial law as SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 14 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 amended by Law No. (50) for the year 1999, and released to the public and be simplified and explained. Ministerial Decree No. (70) for the year 1991 on the The student results communicated to parents are limited regulation of financial law. Most school budgets are part to the grades that students received in the exam without of the district budget. As such, they are subject to any simplification and explanation. There is also no supervision by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the collective body by which parents and the community can Central Organization for Control and Accounting (COCA). voice their opinions or concerns to hold the school For governorate schools, all rules and regulations related responsible for delivering a quality education. to governorate budgets are also applicable to the school budget. The school is required to implement and comply The MOE at the central level has legal authority to with all national and local laws, rules, and regulations choose all textbooks, decide which courses are offered, related to financial management and transparency. and set the school calendar for all schools. The school level has the legal authority to determine teaching and The local authority at the governorate level has to report learning materials for schools and to determine course to the MOF monthly, quarterly, and annually. Based on content for non-core curriculum. The MOE does not the Local Authority Law, the districts within each provide any textbooks related to non-core curriculum governorate prepare the final accounts at the district such as physical education, art education, or music. The level. The district final financial reports are reviewed by content of these courses is determined by the schools the governorate and are used to prepare the that introduce these courses. governorate final financial account. Once approved, one copy of the governorate final budget account report is 5. Accountability to stakeholders is Emerging sent to the MOF and another copy to the COCA. Based Indicator Score Justification on the financial law, the MOE at the central level is Guidelines for There are guidelines for obligated to report on its budget account to the MOF and the use of the use of results of Emerging COCA. No regulations have been established for linking results of  student assessments, but rewards and sanctions to compliance. However, in student these are not practice, school budget supervision entails assessments implemented or enforced. consequences if there is spending on activities outside of No provisions for the comparative analysis of the school plan, if financial rules are not followed, or if Analysis of student assessment documents required by the financial systems are not school and Latent results for different types provided. student  of schools, across regions, performance and for previous years In line with the Father and Mother Councils Regulation exist. (2009), schools are required to comply with the rules of MOE central level reports school operations and to report to those with oversight Degree of to the MOF and COLA. authority at either the district or governorate for matters financial Rewards and sanctions pertaining to school operations, such as school accountability Established are not linked to management and teacher compliance with official at the central,  compliance. The working hours and their implementation of educational regional and governorate reports to school levels the MOF quarterly and decisions and regulations. The school plan in the pilot annually. schools funded by donors is an accountability tool Degree of Schools are required to designed to hold school operations and activities accountability Established report to district or accountable to parents and community members. The in school governorate offices on  plan will be used as a tool for accountability in all schools operations school operations. in Yemen in the future as outlined in the SDPRF. There is no mandate for Degree of Latent simplifying and explaining learning Although a school plan can be an effective mechanism  results of student accountability for parents to make informed decisions, they must be assessments to the public. equipped with sufficient information. In Yemen, no mandate requires student assessment results to be SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 15 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 IV. Enhancing education quality: Policy process to ensure that the school level—the stakeholders that best know the cost of education in recommendations for Yemen their community—has a formal voice in the approach As mentioned earlier, the interrelations between and allocation through the School Committee. autonomy, assessment, and accountability can be compared to a “closed-loop system,” or one in which Since Yemen has generated some knowledge through feedback constantly informs output. In a closed-loop the piloting of the School Development Program, we system, all elements in balance are critical to achieving recommend comparing experiences between success. In this regard, school-based development can governorates. These comparisons should help highlight achieve closure of the loop (balance) when it allows lessons learned, particularly for (1) refining mechanisms enough autonomy to make informed decisions, evaluate to improve administrative efficiency in fund transactions, its results, and use that information to hold someone and (2) monitoring and advising schools and accountable (Demas and Arcia 2015). communities on school improvement plans. Such mechanisms should also develop the institutional ca- In recent years, Yemen has increasingly bestowed pacity of communities to participate in school gover- responsibilities for operation of education on the school nance and increase their access to school information, level. The following section uses results of the roles, and voices for improving student learning op- benchmarking of school autonomy and accountability to portunities and outcomes. highlight areas for potential policy change to empower schools to make decisions that reflect their local context To improve transparency and accountability of school and lead to improved learning outcomes. resources transferred through the per capita financing formula, the MOE can post, on its website, the list of all 1. Autonomy in the planning and schools with basic indicators such as the number of management of the school budget students by gender and per teacher by using the annual (Emerging) education surveys. The MOE should also promote and distribute the school list to local administrations that do The authority over the design and management of the not yet have online access and encourage them to operational budget including the Yemeni School Budget discuss the information with schools. Grant Scheme is concentrated at the central level The per capita financing formula for school operating 2. Autonomy in personnel management costs proposed by the government in 2008 and (Emerging) supplemented in 2013 should be implemented and Yemeni schools do not have any autonomy in personnel provided to schools as a first step to implement the management. The regional level (governorate) has legal SDPRF. Following implementation of the formula, the authority to appoint, deploy, and transfer teachers and MOE, in consultation with the school level, should non-teaching staff. To ensure good quality education, evaluate and readjust the financing formula to ensure it newly appointed teachers should complete a is adequate, especially for poor rural communities, to probationary teaching year in which they should pass a avoid creating or widening a gap in learning between certificate of good performance for the school level rural and urban areas. before their status as a teacher is made final. It is Although the school also has the ability to raise funds recommended that the MOE provide standards for through the community or other sources, anecdotal teacher certification, and the district and school director evidence suggests that rural schools may be at a would be responsible for evaluating teacher disadvantage due to their inability to raise funds locally performance against the certification criteria. New to cover excess operating costs and capital teachers who do not pass the certification should be improvements. Providing a sufficient budget for all given specific plans for improvement. To support this schools is key for inclusive development and economic improvement, districts should arrange for teachers who growth. The review of the per capita financing formula have not gained certification to receive additional in- would allow the MOE to build participation into the service training and a chance to be certified at the end of the next academic year. The MECS should cancel the SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 16 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 appointment of new staff who do not have the certificate further reach out-of-school children; (2) monitoring of good performance after two years or transfer them to teachers’ actual placements and daily attendance to noneducation sectors. reduce the number of ghost teachers and absenteeism; (3) linking the records of teacher placements and atten- Another recommendation is to expand the range of dance to the actual salary payments and providing the stakeholders involved in the selection, attestation, and needed rewards for difficult areas in a transparent way; performance review of school directors since this (4) improving supervision to assess and guide schools; (5) process is limited, in practice, to the governorate level. A improving records and information on teachers who selection and appointment mechanism that involves could receive professional development and in-service governorate, district, and school and parents is an option training to give priority to teachers who need it the most; worth considering. More participation at the school level and (6) facilitating the roles of parents and communities may help to eliminate political influence and retain a in monitoring the attendance of school directors and focus on professional qualities and performance of the teachers. school director since parents and the school council are likely to be concerned with the quality of schooling that Given the likely displacement of teachers during the their children receive. The government may further crisis, districts and schools could be allowed some voice improve the human resource aspects of the system by on teacher staffing needs. Yemen has some experience strengthening the framework for training and with this gained through the Rural Female Teacher qualification of school directors, with a focus on Contracting Scheme piloted through World Bank– instructional leadership skills, working with parents, financed projects in recent years. As a result of this performance management, and the use of assessments locally voiced need for teachers, more female teachers for short- and long-term plans for school improvement. were recruited in underserved rural areas. This has In this respect, exploring examples of good quality head contributed to higher enrolment and retention of girls. It teacher accreditation schemes may be helpful for is recommended to build on this experience of allowing strengthening the school leadership programs in Yemen. for a local level response to locally voiced needs for teachers. For non-teaching staff, each school has its own local 3. Role of School Committee on school characteristics that may influence non-teaching personnel needs. The MOE could consider decentralizing governance (Established) management to the school director and School Yemen’s approach to school-based development reform Committee, and provide them with the authority to hire was far reaching in terms of providing autonomy to or remove non-teaching staff within guidelines and civil schools in the area of planning and management of the servant pay rates set by the MECS. This could be an easily school process. Although the MOE laid the policy implemented step that would be beneficial for meeting foundation for the program to be implemented in all local school needs and unburdening the central authority schools nationwide, in practice, the implementation of from handling the details of non-teaching staff school-based development is limited to pilot schools that appointments. receive funding from development partners. The government of Yemen should accelerate Teacher management policies need to be strengthened implementation based on the SDPRF. This will improve and implemented by all the stakeholders, including the policy environment to enable parents and administrators, schools, and communities, to ensure that community members to influence better learning all students, including those from disadvantaged areas, outcomes and to take a more active role in what happens learn from motivated teachers, who fully teach the at schools, all of which can be beneficial for transparency intended curriculum in a reasonable class size. Specific and accountability. policy measures especially critical for the post-conflict environment could include the following: (1) micro-plan- Considerable responsibility is bestowed to the School ning and implementation of teacher deployment to Committee. While policy mandates the existence of urban and rural schools, with a greater attention paid to School Committees and Father and Mother Councils, the current and potential variations of class sizes to they function in only a small number of schools due to SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 17 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 financial and capacity constraints. To ensure their full Based on the SDPRF, Yemen has a system in place for functioning, it is recommended to provide funds (grant school self-evaluation. This system has not been transfers or operating costs through formula funding) implemented yet nationwide, and without it, the central directly to schools. Additionally, the MOE should ensure authority does not have data about school achievement the selected candidates for school committees have the levels. It is a missed opportunity to do cross-school necessary competencies and skill sets to fulfill their analysis to identify common trends and provide duties as committee members. Based on continuous additional specialized instruction or training for common feedback, tailored training programs could be developed problems. In the current approach, it is difficult to ensure to address skill deficiencies and allow school committees consistency across schools, and the information may not to fulfill their roles. Areas for capacity building could be comparable from school to school. It is recommended include bookkeeping and creating school improvement that the MOE strongly consider developing a policy that plans focused on learning, reporting, and monitoring. supports an approach enabling data to be aggregated at Technical assistance paired with simplified guidelines, the system level for further evaluation and analysis to management tools, and direct allocation of some inform system-wide trends and nuances on school operational funds to schools will enable schools to plan, performance. As a first step, the MOE could consider make decisions, implement, and monitor stated goals for providing a more structured school self-evaluation improvement and align them with the MOE goals for framework to schools to guide the design and better delivery of education services. implementation of their schoolwide assessment and self- evaluation. 4. School and Student Assessment (Emerging) Student assessment: Currently the Directorate of Exams In general, policies on school and student assessment in and Educational Evaluation is responsible for the Yemen are emerging. Schools are not assessed using the management and implementation of student exams and MOE criteria. When supervisors visit schools, they do not distribution and approval of the results. Since the results assess the school as a whole; instead they focus on of student assessment are not analyzed and documented assessing individual teachers. The SDPRF was presented over time, the utility and consistency of the student in JAR 2013 as a framework to advise and assess Yemeni results to improve education performance is not schools. It is recommended to improve the policies and realized. The MOE should consider implementing a policy practices supporting the use and dissemination of to achieve better use of standardized student assessment results. assessment data. Specifically, the policy should clearly stipulate that analysis of results must be used to inform School assessment: A census-based assessment at each pedagogy, school operations, and personnel decisions. educational stage that is comparable across time is 5. Accountability to Stakeholders (Emerging) necessary for providing local stakeholders, including parents and municipal officials, with information about The government of Yemen could consider developing performance of individual schools. To use school and implementing a more rigorous accountability assessment data to parse out what component of system. This could include the following: student achievement is due to the efforts of the school 1. Improved dissemination of information to or teacher and what component is due to the student’s empower parents to make informed decisions household or background, the government could and demand accountability. perform value-added analysis of assessment results. 2. Better instruments to hold the school director England provides a good example of this kind of analysis. accountable for learning outcomes. Using the value-added scores (and not the absolute 3. Greater monitoring of school performance by assessment scores) will ensure that publicity of results parents and the school councils. does not stigmatize schools, especially where the 4. Real consequences for poor performance. absolute scores are low because of the socio-economic characteristics of students. First, the MOE should issue necessary policies to obligate schools to analyze standardized student assessment results. Then the MOE should develop clear guidelines SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 18 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 and provide technical training to schools on how to identify strong characteristics and best practices that can analyze standardized student assessment results to be shared across the education system. ensure that schools are utilizing the results from assessments to optimize the learning environment. Doing so would increase consistency in quality and opportunity across the country, while also providing schools with autonomy to respond to their local environment and educational needs. Second, the MOE could empower education stakeholders in the community and enhance accountability mechanisms. The MOE could improve in this area by adopting a strategy that involves analyzing student results at an aggregated level and widely distributing performance results at the national level, to districts, schools, and the public. The process could be gradual. The MOE could initially make results available at the district level and eventually accessible for comparison across schools. The results should include analysis that is both articulated and simplified, enabling all stakeholders the opportunity to understand the strengths and areas for improvement identified through analysis of standardized student assessment results, and to compare school performance across districts and over time By implementing a layered approach, it allows the MOE to gradually expand public knowledge on student performance from the national to the school level, thereby empowering citizens to hold the system more accountable both locally and nationally. Third, the MOE could consider developing and implementing sanctions and incentives into its accountability system. This approach would reward and encourage high-performing schools, as well as identify schools that are not performing well and provide opportunity for the schools to develop and implement improvement plans. It is important to recognize that implementation of a holistic incentive system should be implemented gradually. For instance, the system could focus on one area (such as school infrastructure) and expand to include aspects of school operations. An auxiliary benefit of an effective incentive system is that it recognizes where there is good performance that can be used to improve information sharing of effective attributes and strategies across the education system. Conversely, it will identify where attention should be given to improve compliance with standards. Rewarding and encouraging high-performing schools would serve to both motivate schools as well as enable the MOE to SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 19 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 Acknowledgments References This report was compiled by Hamoud M. Al-Seyani, Arcia, Gustavo, Kevin Macdonald, Harry Anthony Education Policy and Planning Consultant and Advisor to Patrinos, and Emilio Porta. April 27, 2011. “School the Ministry of Education in the Republic of Yemen, Autonomy and Accountability.” Systems Approach for under the supervision and guidance of Angela Demas, Better Education Results (SABER). Human Development Senior Education Specialist, Global Education and Network, World Bank, Washington, DC. Knowledge Unit of the World Bank. Mr. Al-Seyani provided country expertise and technical input to this Arcia, Gustavo, Harry Anthony Patrinos, Emilio Porta, and report. He coordinated and carried out data collection, Kevin Macdonald. 2011. “School Autonomy and benchmarking of the policies, and formulating Accountability in Context: Application of Benchmarking recommendations. The author is grateful to the Ministry Indicators in Selected European Countries.” Systems of Education for their input, support, and validation of Approach for Better Education Results (SABER), Human data. The report also benefited from the data reviews Development Network, World Bank, Washington, DC. and editing executed by Wenna Ross Price, Consultant. Data cited in this report are based on reviews of official Barrera, Felipe, Tazeen Fasih, and Harry Patrinos, with laws, regulations, decrees, and other policy documents. Lucrecia Santibáñez. 2009. “Decentralized Decision- The World Bank team extends special appreciation to Making in Schools. The Theory and Evidence on School- Mr. Al-Seyani for his professional efforts and dedication Based Management.” World Bank, Washington, DC. to completing this report under difficult circumstances. For further information on the SABER Initiative and Bruns, Barbara, Deon Filmer, and Harry Anthony SABER SAA, see http://saber.worldbank.org/index.cfm. Patrinos. 2011. Making Schools Work: New Evidence on Accountability Reforms. Washington, DC: World Bank. Acronyms Corrales, Javier. 2006. “Does Parental Participation in Schools Empower or Strain Civil Society? The Case of COCA Central Organization for Control and Accounting Community-Managed Schools in Central America.” Social DEO District Education Office Policy & Administration 40 (4): 450–470. ECE Early Childhood Education JAR Joint Annual Education Review Demas, Angela, and Gustavo Arcia. 2015. “What Matters MDG Millennium Development Goal Most for Autonomy and Accountability: A Framework MECS Ministry of Civil Service Paper.” World Bank, Washington, DC. MOE Ministry of Education MOF Ministry of Finance Di Gropello, Emanuela. 2004. “Education SAA School Autonomy and Accountability Decentralization and Accountability Relationships in SBM School-Based Management Latin America.” World Bank Policy Research Working SDPRF School Development Program Reference Paper 3453, World Bank, Washington, DC. Framework TVET Technical and Vocational Education and ———. 2006. “A Comparative Analysis of School-Based Training Management in Central America.” World Bank Working Paper No. 72, World Bank, Washington, DC. Eurydice. 2007. School Autonomy in Europe. Policies and Measures. Brussels: Eurydice. Heim, Michael. 1996. “Accountability in Education: A Primer for School Leaders.” Pacific Resources for SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 20 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 Education and Learning, Hawaii Department of ———. 2000. Republican Decree No. (269) on the Education, Honolulu. Regulations for the Law of the Local Authority. Hood, C. 2001. “New Public Management.” In N. J. ———. 2006. The Executive Regulation of Law No. (43) Smelser and P. B. Baltes, eds., International Encyclopedia of 2005 on the jobs, wages and salaries system, issued by of the Social and Behavorial Sciences. Amsterdam: Republican Decree No. (99) of 2006. Elsevier. OECD. 2011. “School Autonomy and Accountability: Are MOE. 1997. School Regulation. They Related to Student Performance?” PISA in Focus. Office of Cabinet. 2006. Cabinet Decree Number (149) ———. 2005. Ministerial Decrees, General Regulations for the year 2007 on Appointment System in Public for Examinations issued in 2005. position. ———. 2005–2015. The Annual Achievement Report for ———. 2007. Cabinet Decree Number (149) for the year the Implementation of the National General Education 2007 on Appointment System in Public Position. Development, report prepared for Joint Annual Review Patrinos, Harry Anthony. 2010. “School-Based conducted each year since 2005. Management.” In B. Bruns, D. Filmer, and H. A. Patrinos (2011), Making Schools Work: New Evidence on ———. 2010. The Father and Mother Councils Accountability Reforms. Washington, DC: World Bank. Regulation, October. Rechebei, Elizabeth. 2010. “Accountability and Reality: ———. 2012. The Medium-Term Result Framework Who Should Do What? and Who Should Be 2013–2015. Accountable?” Research into Practice Series, Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, Hawaii ———. 2013. School Development Program Reference Department of Education, Honolulu. Framework, The Eighth Joint Annual Review for the Implementation of the National General Education Vegas, Emiliana. 2001. “School Choice, Student Development, May 27–28. Performance, and Teacher and School Characteristics: The Chilean Case.” Development Research Group, World ———. 2013. The Statistical Year Book for the Academic Bank, Washington, DC. Year 2012/2013. ———, MOE web site. Ministerial Decree No. 423 of 2014 on the school calendar for the academic year 2014/2015. ———. 2015. The Annual Progress Report on MTRF Implementation for 2013, Ninth Joint Annual Review for the Implementation of the National Strategies for General Education Development, January 11–12. MOF. 1991. Ministerial Decree No. (70) Regulation of Financial Law. Ministry of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs. 1999. Law No. (8) of 1990 on financial law as amended by Law No. (50) for the year 1999. ———. 2000. Law No. (4) Concerning Local Authority, August 2000. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 21 REPUBLIC OF YEMEN ǀ SCHOOL AUTONOMY AND ACCOUNTABILITY SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2015 www.worldbank.org/education/saber The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiative collects data on the policies and institutions of education systems around the world and benchmarks them against practices associated with student learning. SABER aims to give all parties with a stake in educational results—from students, administrators, teachers, and parents to policy makers and business people—an accessible, detailed, objective snapshot of how well the policies of their country’s education system are oriented toward ensuring that all children and youth learn. This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of School Autonomy and Accountability. This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 22