J.5_MoE-Education_Statistics_2014.pdf

Government of the Republic of Liberia Ministry of Education

Education Statistics

National Statistical Booklet for the Republic of Liberia

Republic of Liberia Deputy Ministry of Planning, Research & Development, Research, EMIS, Statistics, and Demographics Department, Education Management Information Systems, Monrovia, Liberia www.moe.gov.lr © Ministry of Education 2014

This publication may be used as a part or as a whole, provided that the MoE is acknowledged as the source of information.

This publication has been produced with financial and technical support from the USAID Liberian Teacher Training Program.

For inquiries or requests, please use the following contact information:

Dr. Khalipha Bility / Deputy Minister of Planning, Research & Development/ kbility@moe.gov.lr Daniel Garway / Statistician / dgarway@moe.gov.lr Satiah Jipleh / Statistician / sjipleh@moe.gov.lr Tamba Johnson / Data Analyst / jtamba@moe.gov.lr Theophilus Wesseh / Data Analyst / twesseh@moe.gov.lr Kebeh Kennedy / Research Officer / kkennedy@moe.gov.lr Wilmot Corpee / Data Entry Clerk / wcorpee@moe.gov.lr Edward Davies / Data Entry Clerk / edavis@moe.gov.lr

Cover Photo Credits: William Vest-Lillesøe/IBIS, Amelia Snyder, Kristen Zozulin

This booklet is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of the Liberia Teacher Training Program and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Foreword Message from Minister Etmonia D. Tarpeh

It is with immense pleasure that I have the honor of presenting here the 2014/2015 Education Statistical Booklet produced by the Ministry of Education.

This booklet serves as a guide for the development of Liberia’s educational system.

It gives stakeholders a detailed overview of the present state of Liberia’s educational system in a way that is both accessible and detailed enough to inform decision making. A hard base of evidence is critical for planning budgets and monitoring outcomes in Liberia’s schools and learning institutes

This year Accelerated Learning Programs, Alternative Basic Education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training were included in the Annual School Census. This gives greater representation of the education system to enable a greater depth of understanding of just what is available for students and learners in Liberia. At the Ministry of Education, we are committed to guaranteeing a solid foundation of learning for the children and youth of Liberia. We need to know on a year by year basis how many qualified teachers we have, how many students are enrolled in our classes and where, which counties are underperforming and which counties are exceeding expectations, and whether students are making progress. This statistical booklet is not merely the presentation of information but it is a comprehensive tool to be used by the Government of Liberia and its education partners and stakeholders to address inequalities and challenges that pose a threat to our goal of education for all.

2015 is a key year for the Millennium Development Goals and this booklet serves to highlight what we have achieved and the distance that we still have to go before fully meeting the expectations of our own people and that of the international community.

But finally, let me give recognition to those who supported this effort: the production of this booklet would not have been possible without the dedicated and tireless work of the Ministry of Education staff and Education Officers at the county and district levels. I commend the exceptional work of principals and registrars who completed the questionnaires used to capture the data, they often travelled or walked miles to deliver their complete questionnaires to their Education Officers. I also thank partners who help strengthen the Liberian education sector; in particular USAID and LTTP (implemented by FHI360) for their technical support in producing this booklet.

Based on the information you will read in this booklet we will continue to push forward with the mission of the Ministry of Education to provide access to education for all. This plays a crucial role in helping us further demonstrate our commitment to meeting the education demands in Liberia.

Sincerely, Hon. Etmonia D. Tarpeh Minister of Education

Table of Contents

1.0. Acronyms

2.0. Introduction

2.1. Background and Context

2.2. About the EMIS Unit

2.3. Utilization of EMIS Data

2.4. EMIS Process

2.5. Approach to EMIS

2.6. About the Booklet

2.7. How to Read the Data in this Booklet

3.0. Methodology

3.1. Data Cleaning

3.2. Population Projections

4.0. Definitions

4.1. Indicators Used to Measure Access

4.2. Indicators Used to Measure Resources

4.3. Indicators Used to Measure Student Flow

5.0. Liberia 2014 EMIS Data Projection (with Estimation for Missing Schools)

5.1 Schools

5.2 Staff

5.3 Students

6.0. Overview of EMIS Data

6.1. Schools

6.2. Staff

6.3. Students

7.0. Early Childhood Education

7.1. Access

7.1.1. Enrollment

7.1.2. Overage students

7.1.3. Students with disability

7.2. Resources

7.2.1. Schools

7.2.2. Teachers

7.2.3. Classrooms

8.0. Primary Schools

8.1. Access

8.1.1. Enrollment

8.1.2. Overage students

8.1.3. New entrants

8.1.4. Students with disabilities

8.2. Resources

8.2.1. Primary schools

8.2.2. Teachers

8.2.3. Classrooms

8.2.4. Curriculum and instruction

8.2.5. Facilities

8.2.6. Management

8.3. Student Flow

8.3.1 Promotion rate

8.3.2 Repetition rate

8.3.3 Dropout rate

9.0. Secondary Schools

9.1. Access

9.1.1. Enrollment

9.1.2. Overage students

9.1.3. Intakes

9.1.4. Students with disability

9.2. Resources

9.2.1. Secondary schools

9.2.2. Teachers

9.2.3. Classrooms

9.2.4. Curriculum and instruction

9.2.5. Facilities

9.2.6. Management

9.3 Student Flow

9.3.1 Promotion rate

9.3.2 Repetition rate

9.3.3 Dropout rate

10.0. Accelerated Learning Program (ALP)

10.1. Access

10.1.1. Enrollment

10.2. Resources

10.2.1. Ownership

10.2.2. Teachers

10.2.3. Classrooms

10.2.4. Curriculum and instruction

11.0. Alternative Basic Education (ABE)

11.1. Access

11.1.1. Enrollment

11.2. Resources

11.2.1. Teachers

11.2.2. Classrooms

11.2.3. Curriculum and instruction

12.0. Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)

12.1. Access

12.1.1. Enrollment

12.2. Resources

12.2.1. Teachers

12.2.2. Classrooms

12.2.3. Curriculum and instruction

12.3. Student Flow

12.3.1. TVET center graduates

13.0. Missing Schools

13.1. Schools Missing from the Census

13.2. Methodology for Missing Data Estimation

13.3. List of Missing Schools

1.0. Acronyms

ABE Alternative Basic Education1 ALP Accelerated Learning Program2 ASC Annual School Census CEO County Education Officer DEO District Education Officer ECE Early Childhood Education EMIS Education Management Information System GER Gross enrollment rate GIR Gross intake rate GIS Geographic information system Global ED*ASSIST Global Education Automated Statistical Information System Toolkit GOL Government of Liberia HIPE (Global ED*ASSIST) High-Level Interactive Projections for Education LISGIS Liberian Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services LTTP Liberia Teacher Training Project MDG Millennium Development Goals MoE Ministry of Education NER Net enrollment rate NIR Net intake rate SCR Student-classroom ratio (also known as the pupil-classroom ratio (PCR)) SMC School Management Committee PTA Parent Teacher Association STR Student-teacher ratio (also known as the pupil-teacher ratio (PTR)) STextR Student-textbook ratio (also known as the pupil-textbook ratio (PTextR)) SCR Student-classroom ratio (also known as the pupil-classroom ratio (PCR)) TTI Teacher Training Institute TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training USAID United States Agency for International Development

1 ABE does not follow the formal curriculum and condenses six years of schooling into three years.

2 ALP follows the formal curriculum and condenses six years of schooling into three years.

2.0. Introduction

“To provide all Liberians with the opportunity to access and complete affordable education of a quality, relevance and appropriateness that meets their needs and that of the nation.”

Mission Statement for the Liberian Ministry of Education

2.1. Background and Context

Two civil wars (1989-1996 and 1998-2003) rendered educational opportunities in Liberia scarce. During this time, the development of basic service delivery systems was non-existent and accessing the little infrastructure that did exist was difficult. The Government of the Republic of Liberia’s (GOL) Ministry of Education (MOE) has established as its goal the provision of equal access to educational opportunities and facilities for all citizens to the extent of available resources, regardless of age, disability, and gender.3

Figure 1. Liberia formal education ladder Year Age

23 25 22 24

20 22

Tertiary (Bachelor’s to Doctorate)

Teacher training*

17 19 16 18

Senior Secondary (Grades 10 to 12) Technical & Vocational Education

14 16 13 15

Basic Education (Grades 1 to 9)

11 13 10 12 9 11 8 10 7 9 6 8 5 7 4 6

Early Childhood Education (ages 3 to 5)

2 4 1 3

* As per the Education Reform Act 2011, the Grade C teaching certificate is for teaching primary school (grades 1-6) only and requires 1 year of training (two semesters). The Grade AA teaching certificate (equivalent to an associate’s degree) is for teaching both primary and junior high secondary only (grades 6-9) and requires 2 years of training. The Grade B teaching certificate (equivalent to a bachelor’s degree) is for teaching secondary school (grades 6-12) only and requires 2 years of training. The teaching certificate to teach in Colleges of Education requires 2 years of training in teaching and a Master’s degree.

To meet this goal, the MOE has constructed parallel formal and non-formal educational systems. The formal education ladder comprises a 6-6-4 system—that is, 6 years of primary education, 6 years of secondary education (3 years of junior secondary and 3 years of senior secondary), and 4 of tertiary education (see Figure 1 above). Teacher training and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) are included in the formal system. In the non-formal system, the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) compresses 6 years of formal primary education into 3 years. In addition, Alternative Basic Education (ABE) offers a three year non formal educational program in which learners participate in literacy, numeracy, and livelihood skills training. ALP and ABE accommodates children, youth, and adult learners.4

2.2. About the EMIS Unit

The MOE’s EMIS Unit operates under the Ministry of Education’s Department of Planning, Research, and Development (See Figure 2, below) and is part of the Research, EMIS, Statistics, and Demographics Unit. Within EMIS there is:

- Demographer

- 3 Research Officers

- Data Quality Supervisor

- Database Administrator

- 3 Data Analysts

- 3 Data Entry Clerks

3 Government of the Republic of Liberia. (1984). Constitution of the Republic of Liberia. http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---ilo_aids/documents/legaldocument/wcms_126725.pdf 4 The Ministry of Education and Partners. (2008). The development and state of the art of Adult Learning and Education (ALE).

http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/INSTITUTES/UIL/confintea/pdf/National_Reports/Africa/Africa/Liberia.pdf

- 2 Statisticians

2.3. Utilization of EMIS Data

EMIS gives an overview of the education system and gives a snapshot of how this system is performing. It facilitates decision-making and the formation of policies by providing information on the current condition of the system. Data gathered from the EMIS plays a crucial role in determining educational needs so authorities may decide how to best allocate limited resources in the face of competing priorities. EMIS can be used also for:

i. Monitoring and evaluating progress;

ii. Identifying challenges; and

iii. Strategizing possible solutions at the national, county, district and school levels.

It is equally important to recognize that EMIS is merely a tool; it does not give definitive answers to challenges. Consistent updates are necessary to ensure its continued accuracy and appropriate use.

2.4. EMIS Process

The EMIS process consists of four major (4) steps:

1) Data Collection:

- Refining the ASC questionnaires and subsequent EMIS software;

- Retrieving an up to date listing of all administratively identified schools by District Education Officers (DEO) and County Education Officers (CEO);

- Training of administratively identified schools on questionnaire completion;

- Distribution of questionnaires to principals during training and also to the DEOs and CEOs for the schools that did not attend the census training;

- Retrieval of completed questionnaires, verifying the data through the District Education Offices and County

Education Offices, and receiving verified questionnaires at central MoE.

2) Data Processing:

- Entering of data into a common database and merging of all data;

- Micro and Macro data cleaning;

3) Data Dissemination:

- Analysis and production of tools for use in planning and budgeting.

- Key tools include the Annual Education Statistical Booklet, the High-level Interactive Projection for Education

(HIPE) (Simulation) Model, education dashboards, thematic mapping and more analysis upon demand.

4) Data Utilization:

Data Collection Data Processing Data Dissemination Data Utilization

Figure 2. Liberia MoE organizational chart

- Ongoing training and practice that guides the national, county and district education agencies and their partner organizations in the application of EMIS data in building short, mid, and long-term strategic plans and budgets.

Each step requires extensive planning and coordination with stakeholders at the county, district and school levels.

2.5. Approach to EMIS

This year represents the third year of a highly monitored EMIS effort. The CEOs provided an up-to-date list of all the schools in their respective counties (4,460), of which 2,483 schools have been verified during the 2013 GIS mapping exercise. Of the 4,460 schools, 3,363 were trained on the completion of the Annual School Census Questionnaire in 2014. For the schools that did not attend the workshop, questionnaires were distributed to the schools via the CEO and DEO. From the questionnaires that were distributed in 2014: 4038 (90.5%) of the schools returned questionnaires to their CEOs to ensure participation in the census, while 422 (9.5%) did not. This booklet makes data estimations for the schools that did not return their questionnaires. See Section 12.0 Missing Schools from Census for a breakdown of the response rate by county as well as methodology for missing data estimation.

2.6. About the Booklet

EMIS data for 2014 was collected for all levels for March of this year: early childhood education (ECE), primary, junior high, senior high, accelerated learning program (ALP), alternative basic education (ABE) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Data from all schools classified as public, private, religious/mission or community owned were collected. This contrasts with 2012 during which data for ONLY public schools were collected, and 2013 during which data for ONLY ECE, primary and secondary were collected.

2014 represents the first time the decentralized ASC data has been collected for two consecutive years in public schools. As such, education indicators and student flow rates are compared across 2012-2014 for ONLY public schools.

Two (2) types of data were used in the compilation of this booklet: 1) 2014 ASC outputs and 2) population projections based on the 2008 population data from the Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS); 2010 World Bank estimates for Liberia by age and gender5, and estimates of the total population by year from the IMF6.

This ASC Booklet is a reference document for government and other relevant organizations, agencies, and individuals. Its purpose is to display what was reported by individual school principals and registrars and verified by their respective District Education Officer (DEO) and County Education Officer (CEO).

The electronic copy of this booklet is accessible online at www.moe.gov.lr. Education dashboards, thematic maps and other web based interactive statistics can be accessed via the same ministry website allowing users to compare and contrast key statistics by county.

5 http://data.worldbank.org/country/liberia 6 http://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/index.php?excelExport&goals=79940

2.7. How to Read the Data in this Booklet

The booklet displays information in three ways: 1) tables, 2) graphs with numbers, and 3) graphs with percentages. There are only two types of graphs: 1) bar graphs and 2) pie graphs/charts. The various aspects of data presentation are illustrated below for improved understanding and interpretation of the numbers.

Number of primary school students by county and grade, 2014 County Total Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Bomi 12,968 3,254 2,542 2,515 1,824 1,606 1,227 Bong 30,829 7,983 5,967 5,296 4,629 3,779 3,175 Gbarpolu 8,736 2,312 1,827 1,606 1,289 974 728 Grand Bassa 24,531 6,707 4,841 4,331 3,653 2,745 2,254 Grand Cape Mount 14,847 3,786 2,945 2,617 2,249 1,797 1,453 Grand Gedeh 12,861 3,188 2,471 2,180 1,965 1,640 1,417 Grand Kru 10,385 2,727 2,054 1,765 1,510 1,259 1,070 Lofa 33,303 8,205 6,583 5,708 4,890 4,256 3,661 Margibi 35,215 7,558 6,725 6,146 5,676 4,893 4,217 Maryland 19,169 4,688 3,905 3,346 2,877 2,372 1,981 Montserrado 130,272 25,926 22,376 21,847 21,121 19,954 19,048 Nimba 64,481 15,216 12,221 11,074 9,933 8,373 7,664 River Cess 7,348 2,128 1,553 1,326 983 782 576 River Gee 10,258 2,691 2,050 1,824 1,509 1,238 946 Sinoe 11,426 3,000 2,287 2,029 1,746 1,301 1,063 Total 426,629 99,369 80,347 73,610 65,854 56,969 50,480

Number of primary school students by grade and gender, 2014

% of primary school students by county and gender, 2014

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6

Male Female

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

100%

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Total

Male Female

TITLE OF GRAPH

describes the indicator, unit of disaggregation, and the year the data represents.

ALL UNITS OF DISAGGREGATION are always listed alphabetically, with the TOTAL represented at the bottom.

The LABEL specifies the number or percentage the bar represents.

Refer to the LEGEND to identify what the color represents. In these two graphs, blue bars represent males and yellow bars represent females.

FIELD HEADING always begins with the TOTAL, followed by the unit of disaggregation.TITLE OF TABLE describes the indicator, unit of disaggregation, and the year the data represents.

Bar graphs presenting percentage always include national average on the far right.

All bar graphs represent data from the greatest to the least. For instance, Nimba has the largest male enrolment. Hence, it stands all the way on the left. On the far right is River Cess which has the least male enrolment.

3.0. Methodology

3.1. Data Cleaning

In order to ensure that the data collected can be analyzed and displayed in a clear and presentable format for the booklet, a number of data cleaning steps were taken. These involved detecting, adjusting (or removing) corrupt or inaccurate records from the database, therein ensuring that the data set is consistent with other similar data sets in the system.

1) Questionnaire Screening: All questionnaires were screened upon entry to the central ministry by the CEOs. If errors were found within the questionnaire, they were returned to the CEO. The CEO was then responsible for returning the questionnaire back to the DEO and eventually the school for rectification. The questionnaires were then corrected and resubmitted.

2) Data Entry Correction: Once all data entry is conducted, the questionnaires were rechecked against the data entered by the EMIS statisticians for data entry errors. All errors were reviewed and rectified.

3) Use Error Checking Module: A program was developed to identify invalid or missing information entered into the database from the 2014 ASC questionnaire. These are errors which may have been overlooked during the questionnaire screening or data entry correction processes. Reports were then generated to identify the errors for both micro and macro data cleaning.

4) Micro Data Cleaning: Using the error checking module to identify the errors, data summation errors were rectified.

This applied to general enrollment figures, new entrants, repeaters and students with disability. Referring to the original questionnaires, it was possible to determine if there was a data entry error or a summation error on the questionnaire.

The error was then adjusted to ensure that the totals were equaled the sum of its parts. Teachers who did not indicate their level of teaching were designated to either ECE, primary or secondary based on their type of certificate and enrollment figures. Invalid years of birth, years of establishment or the school starting/ ending times were rectified.

5) Macro Data Cleaning: In some areas micro data scrubbing was not sufficient and macro data cleaning was required.

Students. Student data is reported by grade. The total number of male and female students at the grade is taken as the baseline. These numbers are presumed the most likely to be accurate because they can be arrived at by counting rather than calculation, and therefore avoid arithmetic errors.

Repeaters, new entrants to grades one and seven, and students with disabilities are each checked to insure they are not larger than the total number of students; if they are larger, they are set to be equal to the number students. Because a student could have more than one type of disability, each disability was considered separately. For primary grade 1, entrants with early childhood education are adjusted so that they are not greater than the total number of entrants.

In addition, for grades one and seven, repeaters plus new entrants should equal total students. Where this was not the case, repeaters and entrants were adjusted. The majority of these cases occurred where no data was reported for entrants or repeaters. In that case, total students were distributed such that approximately 80% were considered new entrants and the remainder repeaters. The 80% is an estimated figure; roughly consistent with previous experience.

As a special case, there were some instances wherein repeaters plus entrants did not equal total students, but repeaters plus entrants plus entrants with ECE did. The conclusion was that the respondent misunderstood the instructions, and instead of total entrance, reported entrants with ECE and entrants without ECE separately. In these cases, entrants were adjusted to be the sum of the reported entrants and reported entrants with ECE.

Students by Age. Respondents were asked to report the total male and female students by age for each grade. Two discrepancies arose here: the calculated total of students for individual ages did not sum to the reported total; or the reported total students for the grade was not the same as that reported in the Students item. Again, the majority of the latter cases were those in which no data was reported for individual ages.

In these cases, the data were adjusted by first copying the totals from the Students data so that the total number of students would remain the same. Then, data for individual ages was adjusted so that the sum would match the total.

The good data, i.e. those without discrepancies, were tabulated to find the percentage of students by age for each grade.

These percentages were then used to adjust the difference between the reported total and the calculated sum. Because of rounding, the calculated sum may still be off from the total by a maximum difference of three (observed result), and in the majority of cases the difference of one. This remaining difference was resolved, in the case where the total was greater than the calculated sum, by increasing the ages with the highest percentages of students (e.g. difference equals three, then increase the three highest percentage ages by one); or in the case where the calculated sum is greater than the total, decreasing the highest ages by one.

New Entrants to Grades 1 and 7. Entrants were handled similarly to Students by Age. Respondents were asked to report the total male and female New Entrants by age for grades one and seven. Two discrepancies arose here: the calculated

Questionnaire Screening

Data Entry Correction

Develop and Use Error Checking Module

Micro Data Cleaning

Macro Data Cleaning total of students for individual ages did not sum to the reported total; or the reported total students for the grade was not the same as the reported new entrants (intake) in the Students item.

In these cases, the data were adjusted by first copying the totals from the New Entrants (Intake) item under Students.

Then, the data for individual agents was adjusted so that the sum would match the total. The good data, i.e. those without discrepancies, were tabulated to find the percentage of entrants by age. These percentages were then used to adjust the difference between the reported total and the calculated sum. Because of rounding, the calculated sum may still be off from the total by a maximum difference of three (observed result), and in the majority of cases the difference of one. This remaining difference was resolved, in the case where the total was greater than the calculated sum, by increasing the ages with the highest percentages of entrants; or in the case where the calculated sum is greater than the total, decreasing the highest ages. An additional condition was imposed such that the entrants at a particular age could not be greater than the total students in that grade at that age.

New Entrants to Grade 1 with Early Childhood Education. A final adjustment was made such that, for a given age, ECE students are not greater than total entrants.

3.2. Population Projections

Population figures are a requirement in calculating enrollment rates and intake rates.

The available population statistics for Liberia come from the 2008 Housing and Census data from LISGIS; and from the 1984 Census. Because of the span of time between the two, and the civil conditions during this period, projections based on rate of change between the two were not considered desirable.

Population estimates are based on projections published by the World Bank. The World Bank publishes population estimates for 5-year age groups at five-year intervals. Estimates for 2014 for each 5-year age group were calculated through a linear interpolation.

The 2008 Census figures were aggregated into the same 5-year groups, and a rate of increase between the 2008 Census and World Bank projections was calculated for each age group. The corresponding rate was then applied to each age from the 2008 Census to produce an estimate of total population by age. This total population was distributed by County according to the percentages reported in the 2008 Census.

Finally, estimates by age were re-aggregated into the corresponding early childhood education, primary and secondary school age population.

4.0. Definitions

4.1. Indicators Used to Measure Access

4.1.1. At-age students refer to students whose age is the official age for a grade level. In Liberia, the official age is 3 to 5 for early childhood education, 6 to 11 for grades 1 to 6 in primary school; and 12 to 17 for grades 7 to 12 in secondary school.

A grade 1 student at the age of 6 is considered “at-age”; a student at the age of 5 is considered “underage”. Schools may enroll underage students when there is a shortage of schools that accommodate to appropriate (i.e. higher) grade levels.

4.1.2. Overage students refer to students whose age is above the official age for a grade level. In Liberia, the official age is 3 to 5 for early childhood education, 6 to 11 for grades 1 to 6 in primary school; and 12 to 17 for grades 7 to 12 in secondary school. A student who is in grade 1 at the age of 6 is “at-age”; a student who is in grade 1 at the age of 7 is considered “overage”. Schools may enroll overage students when students have previously missed schooling or there is a shortage of schools that accommodate to appropriate (i.e. lower) grade levels.

4.1.3. New entrants/intakes refer to new students of any age entering grade 1 (new entrants) or grade 7 (new intake) for the first time in a school year. New entrants/intakes include first time grade 1 or 7 students who have transferred from one school to another during the school year. Students who have left school but returned to school in grade 1 or 7 in the same year are also considered new entrants/intakes. Students who attended grade 1 or 7the previous year are NOT new entrants/intakes; they are considered “repeaters” (further defined below). This count is used to calculate the gross intake rate (GIR) and net intake rate (NIR) (also further defined below).

“Am I a NEW ENTRANT?”

YES I’m attending grade 1 for the very first time.

NO I was in grade 1 last year.

“Am I a NEW INTAKE?”

YES I’m attending grade 7 for the very first time.

NO I was in grade 7 last year.

4.1.4. Gross intake rate (GIR) indicates the general level of access to primary education. It also indicates the capacity of the education system to provide access to grade 1 for the official school entrance age population. This rate can be over 100%, when the number of over-aged and under-aged children in grade 1 is excessive, relative to the children of the right age of admission. The “official primary school entrance age” in Liberia is age 6. The formula for GIR is:

GIR =

Total number of new entrants of all ages in grade 1 X 100%

Population of all age 6 children

4.1.5. Net intake rate (NIR) shows the level of access to primary education of the eligible population of primary school-entrance age. A high NIR indicates a high degree of access to primary education for children of the official primary school entrance age. For countries wanting to achieve the goal of universal primary education, an NIR of 100% will be a necessity. The “official primary school entrance age” in Liberia is age 6. The formula for NIR is:

NIR =

Total number of new entrants of age 6 in grade 1

Population of all age 6 children

GIR and NIR are useful when used in combination, as the difference between these two (2) ratios indicates the rate of deviation from the official age intake.

4.1.6. Gross enrollment rate (GER) is used to show the general level of participation in a given level of education. A GER value of 100% indicates that a country is, in principle, able to accommodate all of its school-aged population. The “official school-age” for primary education in Liberia is 6-11, and secondary education 12-17. The formulas for primary GER and secondary GER are:

Primary GER =

Total number of students of all ages in primary school

Population of ages 6-11 children

Secondary GER =

Total number of students of all ages in secondary school

Population of ages 12-17 children

4.1.7. Net enrollment rate (NER) shows the proportion of children of school age who are enrolled in school. NER applies only to children of official school age. NER below 100% provides a measure of school age children who are not enrolled in school.

NER only accounts for students of “official school-age”, it is always less than or equal to GER. The “official school-age” for primary education in Liberia is 6-11, and secondary education 12-17. The formulas for primary NER and secondary NER are:

Primary NER =

Total number of students in school of ages 6-11 X 100% Population of ages 6-11 children

Secondary NER =

Total number of students in school of ages 12-17

Population of ages 12-17 children

4.2. Indicators Used to Measure Resources

4.2.1. Student-teacher ratio (STR), also known as the pupil-teacher ratio (PTR), measures the level of human resources input in terms of number of teachers in relation to the number of students. A high STR suggests that each teacher is responsible for a large number of students. In other words, the higher the STR, the lower the relative access students have to teachers.

It is generally assumed that a low STR signifies smaller classes, which enables the teacher to pay more attention to individual students, which will likely result in a better performance of the students in the long run. The formula for STR is:

STR =

Total number of students

Total number of teachers

4.2.2. Student-classroom ratio (SCR), also known as the pupil-classroom ratio (PCR), measures the level of basic facilities available in terms of number of classrooms in relation to the size of the student population. The higher the SCR, the lower the relative access of students to classrooms. It is generally assumed that a low SCR signifies an environment more conducive to learning, likely in the long run to result in a better performance of the students. To support the education reform towards providing all students with stable learning spaces, this report counts only solid and semi-solid classrooms in the calculation.7 The formula for SCR is:

SCR =

Total number of solid and semi-solid classrooms

4.2.3. Student-Textbook Ratio (STextR), also known as the pupil-textbook ratio (PTextR), measures the level of learning materials available in terms of number of textbooks in relation to the number of students. The higher the STextR, the lower the relative access to textbooks by students. It is generally assumed that a low STextR signifies a condition more conducive to learning, likely in the long run to result in a better performance of the students. The formula for STextR for each subject’s textbooks is:

STextR =

Total number of textbooks

4.3. Indicators Used to Measure Student Flow8

4.3.1. Promotion refers to students who have moved on to the next grade level from one year to the next, ending up in one grade level higher from the previous year. By convention, a student in grade 3 in year 1 should be in grade 4 in year 2. If a student has moved on to grade 4 for this year, the student is considered promoted. The diagram below illustrates this scenario (see Figure 3 below).

4.3.2. Promotion rate measures the number of students from a cohort moving up a grade, and largely determines the internal efficiency of education systems. It is one of the key indicators for analyzing and projecting student flows from grade to grade within the education cycle. The promotion rate ideally should approach 100%; a low promotion rate signals problems in the internal efficiency of the education system. Decreasing promotion rates serve as an early warning that the system is experiencing teaching or learning challenges. When compared across grades, the patterns can indicate specific grades for which there is lower promotion, hence requiring more in depth study of causes and possible remedies.

Promotion Rate = Grade (i+1) enrollment in year + 1 – Grade (i+1) repeaters in year +1 X 100

Grade i enrollment in year

4.3.3. Repeaters refer to students who have not been promoted to the next grade level from one year to the next, ending up in the same grade in the current year as the previous year. A student in grade 3 in year 1 should be in grade 4 in year 2. If the student has stayed in grade 3 for year 1, the student is considered a repeater. The diagram below illustrates this scenario (see Figures 3 and 4 below).

7 Solid classrooms refer to those constructed of bricks or cement. Semi-solid classrooms refer to those constructed of mud block.

8 All indicators used to measure student flow are UNESCO formulas.

Figure 3. Student promoted to next grade, 2013-2014 Figure 4. Student repeating a grade 2013-2014 2013 2014 2013 2014

Grade 4 Grade 4 Grade 4 Grade 4

Grade 3

Grade 3 Grade 3

Grade 3

4.3.4. Repetition rate measures the number of students from a cohort repeating a grade, and the effect on the internal efficiency of education systems. It is one of the key indicators for analyzing and projecting student flows from grade to grade within the education cycle. Repetition rate should ideally be 0%; a high repetition rate signals problems in the quality of the education system. An increasing repetition rate serves as an early warning that the system is experiencing teaching and or learning challenges. When compared across grades, the patterns can indicate specific grades for which there is higher repetition, hence requiring more in depth study of causes and possible remedies.

Repetition Rate =

Grade i repeaters in year +1 X 100

Grade i enrollment in year

4.3.5. Dropouts refer to students who have withdrawn (for any reason) from the school system. The distinction between dropouts and repeaters is that repeaters remain in system while dropouts do not.

4.3.6. Dropout rate monitors education system coverage and student progression by measuring the proportion of students in a given cohort dropping out of—or leaving—the system altogether. The formula for dropout rate is:

Dropout Rate =

100 - (Promotion rate + repetition rate)

5.0. Liberia 2014 EMIS Data Projection (with Estimation for Missing Schools) The section below lists a number of tables and graphs that present Liberia EMIS data with inclusion of data estimation for missing schools. Out of the 4,460 schools targeted for the 2014 Liberia EMIS data collection, 4,038 returned the questionnaires while 422 did not. As a result, data estimation are made for the 422 missing schools. These estimates are important since the school coverage rate is now 90.5%. By estimation, the 422 missing schools have 127,792 students as well as 5,722 teachers in total. Data estimation for missing schools helps present data in a more realistic manner.

The list of missing schools by county is listed below. For a detailed explanation of methodology for missing data estimation, see Section 12.

County Total

Bong 38 Gbarpolu 1 Grand Cape Mount 1 Grand Gedeh 3 Grand Kru 1 Lofa 20 Margibi 4 Montserrado 328 Nimba 26 Total 422

5.1 Schools

Number of physical schools by county and number of school levels offered, 2014

County Physical Total ECE Primary Junior High Senior High ALP ABE TVET

Bomi 144 139 137 21 7 9 2 2 Bong 333 291 292 85 20 9 23 4 Gbarpolu 125 121 117 22 4 0 1 0 Grand Bassa 280 268 272 44 13 2 11 2 Grand Cape Mount 167 158 158 25 10 0 1 2 Grand Gedeh 147 127 130 35 13 1 0 0 Grand Kru 136 111 108 39 4 0 0 0 Lofa 336 302 306 81 23 2 23 3 Margibi 262 237 251 104 33 1 4 2 Maryland 165 135 149 38 15 6 1 1 Montserrado 1,323 915 950 517 228 7 21 17 Nimba 623 568 574 178 47 16 33 8 River Cess 119 118 117 12 1 1 0 0 River Gee 106 99 104 13 2 0 0 0 Sinoe 194 190 192 41 10 2 0 1 Total 4,460 3,779 3,857 1,255 430 56 120 42

Number of physical schools by ownership and number of school levels offered, 2014

Ownership Physical total ECE Primary Junior High Senior High ALP ABE TVET Public 2,577 2,332 2,377 520 120 41 111 14 Private 1,170 852 869 453 178 9 7 20 Religious/Mission 472 383 396 230 122 3 1 7 Community 241 212 215 52 10 3 1 1 Total 4,460 3,779 3,857 1,255 430 56 120 42

Out of the 4,460 schools in Liberia, 84.7% offer ECE level of education, and 86% offer primary education level. 28%, or 1,255 schools offer junior high education, and less than 10% of the schools have senior high level of education. ALP, ABE, TVET schools all make up less than 3% of the total schools.

Montserrado County has the largest number of schools, 1,323, or 30% of the total schools nationwide.

More than half of the total 4,460 schools are public schools, followed by 26% that are private.

5.2 Staff

Number and % of teachers by county and levels taught, 2014

County Total ECE Primary Junior High Senior High ALP ABE TVET Bomi 866 312 507 137 72 33 11 6 Bong 2,749 726 1,708 567 227 35 76 15 Gbarpolu 611 247 393 122 32 0 1 0 Grand Bassa 1,702 579 1,085 273 133 8 35 17 Grand Cape Mount 877 355 576 141 72 0 3 12 Grand Gedeh 1,175 293 741 232 138 1 0 0 Grand Kru 792 284 519 218 26 0 0 0 Lofa 2,880 712 1,850 632 254 9 107 7 Margibi 3,004 658 1,531 730 416 1 14 94 Maryland 1,397 376 808 293 170 18 1 1 Montserrado 19,592 4,515 9,066 5,025 3,320 22 104 66 Nimba 5,328 1,392 3,254 1,197 437 57 109 27 River Cess 599 241 420 69 9 2 0 0 River Gee 639 300 524 86 12 0 0 0 Sinoe 1,131 411 765 215 69 2 0 17 Total 43,342 11,401 23,747 9,937 5,387 188 461 262

*“Teachers” also include trainers that deliver instruction in classrooms.

Number and % of teachers by county and gender, 2014

Male Female

Count % total Count % total Bomi 866 699 80.7% 167 19.3% Bong 2,749 2,273 82.7% 476 17.3% Gbarpolu 611 531 87.0% 80 13.0% Grand Bassa 1,702 1,388 81.6% 314 18.4% Grand Cape Mount 877 724 82.6% 153 17.4% Grand Gedeh 1,175 938 79.8% 237 20.2% Grand Kru 792 680 85.9% 112 14.1% Lofa 2,880 2,563 89.0% 317 11.0% Margibi 3,004 2,300 76.6% 704 23.4% Maryland 1,397 1,060 75.9% 337 24.1% Montserrado 19,592 13,851 70.7% 5,741 29.3% Nimba 5,328 4,044 75.9% 1,284 24.1% River Cess 599 528 88.1% 71 11.9% River Gee 639 530 82.9% 109 17.1% Sinoe 1,131 938 82.9% 193 17.1% Total 43,342 33,312 76.9% 10,030 23.1%

*“Teachers” also include trainers that deliver instruction in classrooms.

According to data estimation, there are 43,342 teachers in Liberia nationwide. More than half (55%) of them teach primary education, and 26% teach ECE. As is the trend with the school levels of schools, the number of teachers for ALP, ABE and TVET schools is significantly fewer than other education levels.

At the county level, Montserrado has the largest number of teachers – almost 20,000. On the other hand, counties such as Bomi and Gbarpolu have fewer than 1,000 teachers.

Nationwide, 77% of the teachers are male, 23% are female. Montserrado has the largest percentage of female teachers, 29%, followed by Nimba (24%) and Maryland (24%).

5.3 Students

Number of students by county and school levels offered, 2014

County Total ECE Primary Junior High Senior High ALP ABE TVET Bomi 34,647 15,587 12,968 2,394 1,270 982 617 829 Bong 89,089 40,740 34,251 7,582 3,687 998 1,548 283 Gbarpolu 22,124 11,921 8,806 1,041 264 0 91 0 Grand Bassa 61,146 28,558 24,531 4,337 2,279 283 785 373 Grand Cape Mount 37,420 19,236 14,936 2,086 736 0 94 331 Grand Gedeh 29,560 11,162 13,129 3,225 2,034 11 0 0 Grand Kru 21,851 9,286 10,462 1,657 445 0 0 0 Lofa 83,509 32,402 35,411 8,084 4,827 358 2,255 171 Margibi 83,348 26,191 35,761 9,981 6,087 70 571 4,688 Maryland 41,992 15,194 19,169 4,068 2,823 511 165 62 Montserrado 421,327 117,149 173,216 69,554 50,428 682 3,057 7,241 Nimba 162,565 67,308 67,289 15,220 7,761 973 2,219 1,796 River Cess 17,304 9,207 7,348 519 152 78 0 0 River Gee 20,887 8,423 10,258 1,617 589 0 0 0 Sinoe 26,546 12,088 11,426 1,723 863 98 0 348 Total 1,153,316 424,452 478,962 133,089 84,246 5,044 11,401 16,122

According to the data estimation, there are 1,153,316 students in Liberia in 2014. About 37% of the students study in ECE schools, and 42% in Primary schools. In terms of secondary school students, junior high school students make up 12% of the total students, and senior high 7%.

Montserrado county has the largest number of students – more than 420,000, which is more than one third of the entire student population nationwide.

6.0. Overview of EMIS Data

6.1. Schools

Number of physical schools by county and school levels offered, 2014 *See textbox

County Physical Total ECE Primary Junior High Senior High ALP ABE TVET

Bomi 144 139 137 21 7 9 2 2 Bong 295 291 292 85 20 9 23 3 Gbarpolu 124 121 117 22 4 - 1 - Grand Bassa 280 268 272 44 13 2 11 2 Grand Cape Mount 166 158 158 25 10 - 1 2 Grand Gedeh 144 126 129 35 13 1 - - Grand Kru 135 111 108 39 4 - - - Lofa 316 302 306 81 23 2 23 3 Margibi 258 237 251 104 33 1 4 2 Maryland 165 135 149 38 15 6 1 1 Montserrado 995 913 949 516 228 6 20 17 Nimba 597 567 573 177 47 16 33 8 River Cess 119 118 117 12 1 1 - - River Gee 106 99 104 13 2 - - - Sinoe 194 190 192 41 10 2 - 1 Total 4,038 3,775 3,854 1,253 430 55 119 41

Number of physical schools by county, 2014

Number of physical schools by ownership and school levels offered, 2014

Ownership Physical total ECE Primary Junior High Senior High ALP ABE TVET Public 2,500 2,330 2,375 519 120 40 111 13 Private 902 850 868 452 178 9 6 20 Religious/Mission 415 383 396 230 122 3 1 7 Community 221 212 215 52 10 3 1 1 Total 4,038 3,775 3,854 1,253 430 55 119 41

% of schools by ownership, 2014

For planning purposes, a school represents a building or an entity as opposed to the level of schooling under operation. Taking this into account, many levels of schooling co-exist within the same building/compound. Hence, the total number of schools does not equal the sum of early childhood education, primary, and secondary schools.

4,038 school units participated in the annual school census in 2014. The majority of the schools provide ECE or primary level education, while significantly fewer schools provide the other education levels.

Montserrado has the largest number of schools among all counties – about one fourth of the total schools in Liberia

– followed by Nimba and Lofa counties.

About two thirds of the schools nationwide are public schools. Private schools make up approximately one fifth of all schools.

Public schools make up 60% or more of the schools for ECE, Primary, ALP and ABE levels. It is noteworthy that private schools account for 40% or more of all senior high and TVET schools.

1,000

1,200

Physical Total

Public 62%

Private 22%

Religious /Mission

10%

Community 6%

6.2. Staff

Number and % of teachers by county and gender, 2014

Male Female

Count % total Count % total Bomi 866 699 80.7% 167 19.3% Bong 2,445 2,022 82.7% 423 17.3% Gbarpolu 606 527 87.0% 79 13.0% Grand Bassa 1,702 1,388 81.6% 314 18.4% Grand Cape Mount 872 720 82.6% 152 17.4% Grand Gedeh 1,151 919 79.8% 232 20.2% Grand Kru 786 675 85.9% 111 14.1% Lofa 2,700 2,403 89.0% 297 11.0% Margibi 2,960 2,266 76.6% 694 23.4% Maryland 1,397 1,060 75.9% 337 24.1% Montserrado 14,672 10,373 70.7% 4,299 29.3% Nimba 5,094 3,866 75.9% 1,228 24.1% River Cess 599 528 88.1% 71 11.9% River Gee 639 530 82.9% 109 17.1% Sinoe 1,131 938 82.9% 193 17.1% Total 37,620 28,914 76.9% 8,706 23.1%

*”Teachers” include trainers that deliver instruction in classrooms.

Number of teachers by county and gender, 2014

Gender breakdown of teachers by county, 2014

There are 37,620 teachers in Liberia nationwide reporting in 2014. Male teachers dominate the teaching force, making up 77% of the total teacher population. The percentages of male teachers remain fairly consistent across counties, ranging from 89% in Lofa to 71% in Montserrado.

About 40% of the teachers in the entire country are concentrated in Montserrado county. The counties that report the second and third largest numbers of teachers are Nimba (5,094) and Lofa (2,700).

2,000

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Number and % of teachers by county and levels taught, 2014 County Total ECE Primary Junior High Senior High ALP ABE TVET Bomi 866 312 507 137 72 33 11 6 Bong 2,445 652 1,528 531 207 29 73 11 Gbarpolu 606 245 390 122 32 - 1 - Grand Bassa 1,702 579 1,085 273 133 8 35 17 Grand Cape Mount 872 353 572 141 72 - 3 12 Grand Gedeh 1,151 287 723 226 138 1 - - Grand Kru 786 281 514 218 26 - - - Lofa 2,700 674 1,736 597 243 9 103 7 Margibi 2,960 646 1,507 716 404 1 14 94 Maryland 1,397 376 808 293 170 18 1 1 Montserrado 14,672 3,311 6,875 3,835 2,495 16 76 48 Nimba 5,094 1,342 3,129 1,149 419 54 106 27 River Cess 599 241 420 69 9 2 - - River Gee 639 300 524 86 12 - - - Sinoe 1,131 411 765 215 69 2 - 17 Total 37,620 10,010 21,083 8,608 4,501 173 423 240

*A Teacher may teach multiple levels, hence the sum of teachers by levels taught does not equal the total number of teachers.

Number of teachers by levels taught and gender, 2014

Gender breakdown of teachers by levels taught, 2014

More than half (56%) of the teachers nationwide teach for primary education, and around 27% of them teach ECE level. ALP, ABE, and TVET programs all report fewer than 500 teachers.

In terms of the percentage of male versus female teachers by education level, it is noteworthy that ECE teachers are divided almost equally into male and female teachers – 52% (female) versus 48% (male). The same applies to ALP where male and female teachers both make up 50% of the teaching force. For other education levels, however, at least 80% of the teachers are male.

4,000 6,000 8,000

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ECE Primary Junior High Senior High ALP ABE TVET

Male Female

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ECE Primary Junior High Senior High ALP ABE TVET Total

Number and % of teachers teaching multiple levels by county, 2014

County Total Single level Multiple levels*

Count % total Count % total Bomi 866 663 76.6% 203 23.4% Bong 2,445 1,900 77.7% 545 22.3% Gbarpolu 606 426 70.3% 180 29.7% Grand Bassa 1,702 1,289 75.7% 413 24.3% Grand Cape Mount 872 600 68.8% 272 31.2% Grand Gedeh 1,151 933 81.1% 218 18.9% Grand Kru 786 539 68.6% 247 31.4% Lofa 2,700 2,095 77.6% 605 22.4% Margibi 2,960 2,556 86.4% 404 13.6% Maryland 1,397 1,139 81.5% 258 18.5% Montserrado 14,672 12,807 87.3% 1,865 12.7% Nimba 5,094 4,015 78.8% 1,079 21.2% River Cess 599 458 76.5% 141 23.5% River Gee 639 360 56.3% 279 43.7% Sinoe 1,131 797 70.5% 334 29.5% Total 37,620 30,577 81.3% 7,043 18.7%

* Many teachers deliver instruction across numerous levels within a school.

Number of teachers teaching multiple levels by county, 2014

% of teachers teaching multiple levels by county, 2014

At the national level, the majority of the teachers only teach one education level. Only 19% teach multiple levels of education.

At the county level, in counties such as Montserrado, Margibi and Maryland the percentages of teachers teaching single levels is consistent with national trend while in counties such as River Gee, Grand Kru and Grand Cape Mount more than 30% of teachers teach multiple levels.

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Single Level Multiple Level

Number and % of non-teaching staff by county and gender, 2014

County Total Male Female

Count % total Count % total Bomi…