Education matters

Description

This policy review discusses the policy on basic education and development cooperation by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the period 1999-2009. During the major part of the evaluation period, the education portfolio belonged to the Ministry's fifth policy objective: "Increased human and social development", and more specifically under operational objective 5.1: "All children, both boys and girls, should have the chance to go through a full cycle of basic education, and all young people and adults should have the opportunity to increase their levels of literacy and participate in better basic vocational education." The report is based on different studies; (1) an analysis of the Ministry's expenditure on basic education, (2) a systematic literature review of the impact of investments in basic education, (3) a review of external evaluations of six Dutch NGOs co-financed by the Ministry, and last but not least, (4) six evaluations in four Dutch education partner countries Bangladesh, Bolivia, Uganda and Zambia. Basic education has been narrowly defined as formal and non-formal primary and lower secondary schooling for children roughly between the age of five and fifteen (or older in the case of delays). This demarcation of the scope is justified given that by far the largest share of Dutch expenditure has been devoted to primary education (77% of bilateral education expenditure).

Subjects

Series Statement

• IOB evaluation -- no. 353