Marshall Islands: Stakeholders Consulted in Educational Reform Project

A pilot project to improve education in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), points to the need for all segments of society to be involved in the reform process. The mid-term findings of the project, sponsored by Asian Development Bank (ADB) in cooperation with the RMI Ministry of Education, were releasd last month, in the briefing paper, "Issues and Options for Improving Education in the RMI."

The 2nd phase of the project is to go out to the communities and present our findings and get inputs from the community on how we can improve our education system in the RMI," said local consultant Ben B. Chutaro, who co-authored the report with ADB's Dr. J. Tim O’Meara. Included in the presentation are forty-six slides which graphically show the state of education in the RMI as well as issues and options for improving education. Report follows: PURPOSE OF THE BRIEFING PAPER: ISSUES AND OPTIONS FOR IMPROVING EDUCATION IN THE RMI

The purpose of this report is to brief people on the state of education in the RMI and on issues and options for improving education. The reason for the briefing is to prepare people to participate in consultations in July and August of this year.

The consultations are intended to develop broad government and public support for reform in general and to develop consensus on specific reform measures to improve education.

All recent national consultations have shown that education is the nation’s top priority. Reflecting that priority, education takes by far the largest share of public spending each year—about $38 million in total and about $3,000 per public school student in kindergarten through 12th grade. Operating costs alone (taking out capital expenditures) are about $2,000 per public school student—about the same as the most expensive private school in Majuro. Yet all available test results show that education outcomes are very poor.

The very poor state of education in the RMI is not just a recent problem, but one that has been developing over the last 20 years or more. The government of the RMI recognizes this as a very serious issue for individual students, for their parents and families, and for the nation as a whole.

Government is committed to act to improve the delivery of education in the RMI. The citizens of the RMI must be well educated if people are to achieve their personal and family goals and if the RMI is to exist as an independent and democratic country in the world today.

ORIGIN OF THE BRIEFING PAPER
This Briefing Paper was prepared in the Ministry of Education with the help of free technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as part of a pilot project in Civil Service Reform and Government Asset Rationalization. The government of the Marshall Islands requested this technical assistance from the ADB following broad stakeholder consultations carried out from December of 2003 through February of 2004 to update the strategy and program of assistance the ADB provides by request to the RMI. Those consultations included all government ministries and agencies as well as representatives of the private sector, NGOs, and other members of civil society.

The strong consensus of that consultation program was that the top priority for technical assistance was Civil Service Reform and Government Asset Rationalization. The education sector was chosen for the pilot project because:

Education is the nation’s #1 priority;
Education is the largest part of the public service;
Education touches the most families in the RMI at the most basic level;
Issues in education reform are relatively easy for the public to understand;
The Ministry of Education has already started a program of reform on its own; and the Ministry of Education offered to host the pilot project.

National government is not the only actor in education. Parents, teachers, communities, local governments, traditional leaders, private schools, churches, and students themselves all have very important responsibilities. Because this report is part of a pilot project in civil service reform, the Briefing Paper focuses mainly on issues and options that directly concern the way government carries out its responsibilities. The Briefing Paper thus addresses the important responsibilities of other stakeholders mainly through the way government relates to and encourages those other stakeholders. Also because this report is part of a pilot project in civil service reform, the Briefing Paper focuses on policy issues rather than on details of operations.

The goals of this report and of the consultations to follow are to raise people’s awareness of issues, help develop support for reform, and help government and other stakeholders decide what options to carry out to improve education in the RMI. Once government and other stakeholders decide what specific reforms to carry out, the RMI will be better able to solve the particular problems and poor outcomes that now result from inefficient and ineffective operations.

DECIDING WHAT THE ISSUES ARE AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM
This Briefing Paper and the broad stakeholder consultations to follow are intended to help local stakeholders decide for themselves what the issues are and what, if anything, to do about them. The role of the ADB is just to provide technical assistance to help clarify information on the current state of education in the RMI, on issues that might be addressed to improve education, and on options that might be chosen to deal with any or all of those issues.

The issues and options presented below were raised or endorsed by various local stakeholders during the preliminary consultations carried out to prepare this report. New issues and options were added to the list as people raised them. People differ in their opinions and preferences, but all the options presented below received significant support from some local stakeholders during the consultations. Many of the options are already under serious consideration, but no option can be taken to enjoy a clear mandate at this time. All the issues and options listed below are thus on the table for discussion.

The issues and draft options presented below are intended to facilitate discussion and decision making. People are free to add to or amend any of the issues and options presented here. The listed options are not recommendations of MOE, the ADB, or the individuals who are facilitating the consultations. The government and people of the RMI together are responsible for coming to their own conclusions, making their own decisions, and living with the results.

THE CONSULTATION PROGRAM
Consultations will be held with a broad range of people in government and in the public. Consultations will begin in mid July and end in late August. Meetings are planned on Majuro, Kwajalein, Likiep, Wojte, and Mili Atolls. A preliminary schedule appears in Attachment 2.

The consultations will be conducted in the manner of town hall meetings. The facilitators will first present the information on the state of education in the RMI together with the list of draft issues and options that are currently on the table. Participants will then work among themselves to reach their own conclusions and prepare their own recommendations for action. In late August, a Round Table Meeting of stakeholder representatives will work toward a consensus on recommendations for action. The facilitators will then present a summary of all the consultations and the participants’ conclusions and recommendations to MOE, the Cabinet, and the Nitijela.

List and Links to Briefing Slides

Komol tata & Iokwe - Opening - (Closing slide in report)
Slide No. 1 - Introductory slide showing title of project
Slide No. 2 - EPPSO assessment of the state of K-12 education in the RMI
Slide No. 3 - Pie chart showing public spending on education
Slide No. 4 - Pie chart of public primary and secondary education staff
Slide No. 5 - Bar graph showing all high school entrance test scores
Slide No. 6 - Bar graph comparing public and private test scores
Slide No. 7 - Bar graph comparing Outer Island and urban test scores
Slide No. 8 - Bar graph comparing Assumption and Coop with US
Slide No. 9 - Bar graph of student absence at selected primary schools
Slide No. 10 - Bar graph of teacher absence at primary schools
Slide No. 11 - Bar graph comparing teacher test scores by area
Slide No. 12 - Bar graph of major HS placement test results at CMI
Slide No. 13 - Graph showing English placement of private schools at CMI
Slide No. 14 - Graph showing math placement of major high schools at CMI
Slide No. 15 - Graph showing math placement of other high schools at CMI
Slide No. 16 - Table of MOE teaching initiatives and their current status
Slide No. 17 - Table of MOE infrastructure issue, initiatives, and status
Slide No. 18 - Table of MOE management issues, initiatives, and status
Slide No. 19 - Table of other issues and options relating to MOE Act
Slide No. 20 - Table of other issues & options relating to PSC Regulations
Slide No. 21 - Scatter plot illustrating pay scale irregularities for teachers
Slide No. 22 - Table of MOE resource management issues and options
Slide No. 23 - Scatter plot of grant funds per student spent by public schools
Slide No. 24 - Scatter plot of student / teacher ratios in Outer Island schools
Slide No. 25 - Scatter plot of cost per student of academic staff
Slide No. 26 - Scatter plot of HS test scores at Outer Island public schools
Slide No. 27 - Scatter plot of cost per student by high school test score
Slide No. 28 - Scatter plot of student / teacher ratios at urban primary schools
Slide No. 29 - Scatter plot of student / teacher ratios at public high schools
Slide No. 30 - Table raising issue of enhancing MOE structure and function
Slide No. 31 - Organizational chart of current MOE structure
Slide No. 32 - Chart showing steps required to process an order for materials
Slide No. 33 - Matrix of assumptions underlying MOE teaching initiatives
Slide No. 34 - Bar graph showing average pass rates for CMI students
Slide No. 35 - Bar graph of English test scores of staff with HS diploma
Slide No. 36 - Bar graph of English test scores of staff with AA degree
Slide No. 37 - Bar graph showing status of MOE in-service staff at CMI
Slide No. 38 - Bar graph of English test scores of staff with Bachelor degree
Slide No. 39 - Bar graph of English test scores of staff with Masters degree
Slide No. 40 - Bar graph showing budget implications of TQE program
Slide No. 41 - Bar graph comparing teacher pay at MOE and private sector
Slide No. 42 - Table listing infrastructure planning issues and draft options
Slide No. 43 - Table of issues and options concerning community support
Slide No. 44 - Table of issues and option concerning support for reform
Slide No. 45 - Table of issues and options concerning literacy outside school


Midterm Report for ADB TA No. 4458
Republic of the Marshall Islands June 2005

VIEW Slide Presentation: Issue and Options for Improving Education in the RMI - includes 46 slides with charts and graphs

DOWNLOAD entire report HERE

RESPOND to the issues in the Virtual Town Hall for Educational Reform