Education finance and decentralization in cambodia sothea and thach
1. Education Finance and
Decentralization in Cambodia
Education Finance and Decentralization
in Asia: Implications for Service Delivery
Bangkok, Thailand, 3-5 November 2010
Presented by Mr. Lim Sothea and Mr.
Yoeun Thach
2. Contents
• Country Background
• Education Policies and Reform
• Education Financing and decentralization
• Challenge and lesson learned
• Possible way forward
3. Country Background
• Population: 14 Million (population census 2008, 80.5% rural, and
19.5% urban)
• GDP per capital: 792 US$ (2010)
• Agriculture based economy
• Life expectation at birth: 60.65 for men, 66.97 for women (2009)
• Gross and net admission rates (2009/10): 125.4% (122.6 for
girls), 95% (94.6%)
• Gross and net enrolment rate in primary (2009/10): 58.1%
(57.1%), 31.9% (33.8%)
• Gross and net enrolment rate in primary (2009/10): 32.3%
(29.2), 19.4 (19.4%)
• Primary completion rate: 88% (2010)
• Completion rate at grade 9: 53% (2010)
• Literacy rate (15-24 years olds): 89%
4. Public and Education Administration
Level Council of Minister/Ministry of
Interior
Education Administration
National Council of Administration Reform Ministry of Education, Youth
and Sport
FEA committee
Provincial N/A Provincial Office of Education
FEA committee
District N/A District Office of Education
FEA committee
Cluster School
Commune Commune Council EFA committee
Village Village School
5. Education Policies and Reform
• The MoEYS vision is to establish and develop human
resources of the very highest quality and ethics in order
to develop a knowledge-based society within Cambodia.
• MoEYS has the mission of leading, managing and
developing the Education, Youth and Sport sector in
Cambodia in responding to the socio-economic and
cultural development needs and the reality of
regionalization and globalization.
To realize the above objectives and vision, MoEYS has
defined three main policy priorities as follows:
– Ensuring Equitable Access to Education.
– Improving Quality and Efficiency of Education.
– Institutional and Capacity Development for educational staff for
Decentralization.
6. Sources of Education Finance
• At present, education finance is allocated by the
central level, through provincial and district offices of
education to schools, with limited decision making on
expenditure
• Its sounds equitable resource distribution, and
consultation with local education authorities
• Additional funds for the poor, through scholarship,
school feeding program, and other particular
interventions
• Development partner projects use their individual
funding modalities, except EC use budget support.
• Parents supplementary spend directly for their children
in form of clothes, transport etc.
8. Public Finance for Education
• PB (Program Budgeting)
– School Annual Operating Budget: (1 US$=4,200 Cambodia Riels)
Primary: 8,000 Riels for one student +700,000 Riels for one
school)
• Secondary: 17,000 Riels for one student + 1,500,000 Riels
for one school). One student scholarship 180,000 Riels
• Higher education. Most spending items by parents or
individual
– Supporting activities such as monitoring
– Textbook printing
– Scholarship for poor…
• Non-PB
• Personnel
9. Development partners support education sector:
Around 80 Million US$ a year
ODA by sub-sector in 2010
Primary/Basic
54%
School and Facilities
9%
Secondary Education
0%
Sector Policy
3%
Teacher
Training
2%
Tertiary, Vocational
and Higher
20%
SWAp / sector
budget support
10%
Other
2%
10. Development partners for education (cont.)
• Capital expenditure covered by Development
Partners/charity/community such School
Construction
• FTI and NGOs for disadvantaged provinces
(construction, scholarship/ feeding/strengthened
school management…)
13. Challenges
• Financial reform takes place when the reform at
Ministry of Economics and Finance:
Misunderstand
• Complicated procedure: School
principals/persons who are responsible for
accounting do not have background in budgeting
• Limited decisions on expenditure
• Late budget clearance make delayed budget
release and then low disbursement
• Academic year and physical year are different
14. Lesson learned
• Household cost at primary education have reduced through close-
to- home schools, better roads, increased learning material
provision, school breakfast program and ration. The MoEYS is
seeking to provide scholarship for higher grades of primary
education in order to cover opportunity costs, so that these students
can continue to study at secondary education.
• At secondary education, scholarships are provided to students from
poor families. Extend the numbers and amount will be beneficial to a
number of poor family students. Cost-sharing or loans will be
introduced for higher education students and scholarships for the
poorest.
• Increased efficient use of education budget through avoiding
program overlaps, transactional cost, and wastage in education
services provided (i.e. high repetition and drop out)
• Increased use of DPs budget for the poor, as top up to the budget
given by Government and/or increased use of budget support
modality among development partners.
15. Observation
• With existence of PB, involvement and direct contribution
from communities decreases
• Private sector investments for education increase for
urban general education and higher education
• Scholarships ideally help the poor, but the poorest are still
in need of more than scholarships
• Education and economic development are strongly
correlation
• Decentralization and non-public actors for financing
education- increased responsibility, authority,
accountability, and well need response
• Resource allocation, harmonized planning and budgeting
-source, use of funds, adequacy, efficiency, equity
16. Way forward
• Decentralization in education needs to be done in concert with other
major reforms of the government such as public administration
(PAR), decentralization and deconcentration (D&D), and public
financial management reform (PFMR)
• Government D&D strategic framework and national plan approved,
the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport is seeking some elements
to be delegated to local education authority:
– Providing early childhood education (0-under 6 years: Community kindergarten and
home based kindergarten)
– Providing informal education (Community education center: literacy class
and vocational training)
– Providing primary education
– Making sure that there are materials, equipment, furniture in public education
establishments.
– Ensuring that educational establishments abide by the authorized standard
by way of regular monitoring on non-technical work (kindergarten to
secondary education)
– Providing activities beyond national curriculum including life
skill (music, art...)
17. Way forward
• Through commune councils some education decentralization
aspects should be further implemented since commune
decentralization has experience ahead, integrated planning and
budgeting
• Should keep some education aspects at the central level for
decision making in order to maintain national standards such as
curriculum standards, teacher training, textbook design. ..etc.
• Should review policy choices and funding modalities and
mechanisms, and good policy based budgeting.
