Burkina Faso
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Overview
Children in Bani, Burkina Faso.
© Rita Willaert
Burkina Faso is a landlocked low-income country in West Africa with a population of about 17 million. Between 2000 and 2010, Burkina Faso maintained an average annual economic growth rate of over 5%. The estimated Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita was US$ 664 in 2011. The poverty rate was at 46 % in 2009. Burkina Faso ranks 183rd out of 186 in the 2013 UNDP Human Development Report.
Burkina Faso joined the GPE in 2003 based on a 10-year plan which prioritized basic education. The main goal of the current 2012-2021 education sector plan is to improve the supply of quality education. The long-term vision is built around 4 strategic priorities: (i) increasing education and training; (ii) improving the quality of learning; (iii) accelerating literacy and strengthening non-formal learning for early childhood, teenagers, youths and adults; and (iv) improving the management and monitoring of the education and training system. Key issues addressed in the education plan are class size limitations, gender and geographical disparities, curricula and teacher training reforms.
The Government's commitment to education is reflected in its budget. While education spending of the national budget has dropped from 19% to 14 % between 2010 and 2012, spending for basic education increased from 59% to 64% between 2011 and 2012.
GPE and its partners worked actively with the government to develop the 2012-2021 Education Sector Plan which includes for the first time the entire education system. The plan is accompanied by a Three-Year Action Plan. Both documents were finalized by the Government and endorsed by the Development Partners' Group in February 2013.
Burkina Faso received a grant of $102 million in 2008. The World Bank was the Supervising Entity and used a general budget support mechanism. The funds were provided in three tranches to support sector policy reforms under the Basic Education Program Support Grants (BEPSG 1-3). The agreement for the first tranche in the amount of $ 22 million was signed in 2009. The agreement for the second tranche of US$ 45 million was signed in 2011. The third and final tranche of US$ 35 million was approved in September 2012.
In 2013, Burkina Faso has applied for a new grant in the amount of $78.2 million in line with the indicative allocation provided by the GPE Needs and Performance Framework. The grant will support 5 priority areas: (i) development of basic education from preschool to post-primary; (ii) reduction of disparities; (iii) improvement of the quality of education services; (iv) decentralization of the management of the education system; and (v) development of literacy and non-formal education.
Over the past 10 years, Burkina Faso has made significant improvements in the education sector: The primary school completion rate increase from 39% in 2008 to 55% in 2012. There are also more girls completing school. The gender parity index for primary school completion increased from 0.76 to 0.95 in the same period. The completion rate for lower secondary school also increased from 14% to 20% between 2008 and 2012.
The number of teachers rose from 32,000 to 43,000 between 2008 and 2012 surpassing the target of 39,000. Over the same period 12,000 classrooms were added.
However, not all children have access to primary education in Burkina Faso and there is still a long way to go in achieving universal primary education. Strong regional disparities remain: gross intake rate in the 43 underserved municipalities identified in the new Education Sector Plan is 35 percentage points lower than the national average of 88%. Beyond access to school, learning outcomes remain low and are one of the major challenges the system faces.
Education Indicators
Out-of-School Children (%)
Number of children of official primary school age who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school, expressed as a percentage of the population of official primary school age. This indicator is intended to measure the size of the population in the official primary school age range that should be targeted by policies and efforts to achieve universal primary education. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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Primary Completion Rate (%)
The Primary Completion Rate (PCR) is the percentage of pupils who completed the last year of primary schooling. It is computed by dividing the total number of students in the last grade of primary school minus repeaters in that grade, divided by the total number of children of official completing age. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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(Million)
Total Primary-School Students (Million)
Total population of pupils in primary school, regardless of age. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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(Thousand)
Total Primary-School Teachers (Thousand)
Persons employed in an official capacity to guide and direct the learning experience of pupils in primary school, excluding educational personnel who have no active teaching duties. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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Rate
Youth Literacy Rate
The number of persons aged 15 to 24 years who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life, divided by the population in that age group. Generally, 'literacy' also encompasses 'numeracy', the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. For further country-specific definition details please refer to the source of information, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS): www.uis.unesco.org
Source of information: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (www.uis.unesco.org). Please refer to its website for country-specific details on the specific national data sources and method used.
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| 39% | 2007 | |
for Primary Completion Rate
Gender Parity Index for Primary Completion Rate
Ratio of female to male values of Primary Completion Rate. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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| 0.95 | 2012 | |
| 0.89 | 2011 | |
| 0.86 | 2010 | |
| 0.83 | 2009 | |
| 0.76 | 2008 | |
| 1 | (Target) | 2015 |
| 1 | (Target) | 2014 |
| 1 | (Target) | 2013 |
Domestic Financing
as % of Total Public Spending
Public Spending on Total Education as % of Total Public Spending
Public expenses devoted to the education sector, including recurrent and capital expenditures and teacher salaries, expressed as a percentage of the total general government expenses. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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as % of Total Education Spending
Basic Education as % of Total Education Spending
Public expenses devoted to the basic education sector, including recurrent and capital expenditures and teacher salaries, expressed as a percentage of the public spending on total education. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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External Aid
Aid Disbursement for Total Education (US$ Million)
Sum of international concessional aid disbursed by reporting development partners (donors) to the total education sector in a specific developing country. Targets indicate the sum of the scheduled or projected aid. Accounted aid includes activities, projects, technical cooperation and sector and budget support (20%), as it was reported by donors to the Global Partnership for Education.
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AT A GLANCE
GPE FUNDING
Key Documents
Local Education Group
Local Education Group
A Local Education Group (LEG) is a forum of stakeholders within the education sector who develop, implement, monitor and evaluate education sector plans. All member countries of the Global Partnership have a LEG. They are led by the national government, and are composed of education development partners such as donors and development agencies, teachers' organizations, civil society organizations, and private education providers. Nonetheless, the specific composition, title, and working arrangements of a LEG vary from country to country.