The lower the income level of countries, the worse the learning outcomes in basic education.​

Share of students achieving at least minimum proficiency levels in reading and mathematics by country income level​

Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics, September 2023​

Investment, system capacity, and political commitment are necessary to achieve learning outcomes.​

Brazil, Kenya, and Viet Nam had Strong System Capacity and Consistent Financial and Political Commitment to Learning for All​

Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics, September 2023​

The World Bank is the single largest source of external financing (lending and grants) for the education sector. ​

During Fiscal Years 2012–22, the World Bank committed $25 billion for 236 basic education operations in 91 countries.​

Source: Independent Evaluation Group portfolio review.​
Note: Color coding represents the number of projects, excluding COVID-19 operations, for fiscal years 2012–22. This map has been cleared by the World Bank Group cartography unit (IBRD48078; July 30, 2024).​

Almost half of all operations were approved in FY19–22, with a spike in FY21 in response to the COVID-19 crisis.​

Basic Education Project Approval during Fiscal Years 2012–22​

Source: Independent Evaluation Group portfolio review​

South Asia region has the largest share of basic education projects by level of commitment and average project size, while Africa region has the highest share of projects by number. ​

Regional Distribution of All Projects and COVID-19 Support​

Source: Independent Evaluation Group portfolio review.​

Education sector projects are among the best performing of all World Bank projects, but the achievement of their objectives is typically defined and measured in terms of outputs (e.g., number of teachers trained) and not by learning outcomes.​

Performance of education sector projects relative to all other World Bank projects​

 Source: IEG Implementation Completion and Results Report database​

Key challenges remain in the basic education portfolio.​

Challenges of most concern in project appraisal documents​

Challenges 2012–17 2018–22
Rank Incidence (%) Rank Incidence (%)
Weak learning outcomes

1

 81 2

78
Learning inequity

2

 78 1

81
Inadequate teaching quality

3

 74 3

62
Weak education system: governance, accountability, and institutional oversight

4

 69 3

62
Source: Independent Evaluation Group portfolio review.​

 

Across most country types, World Bank operations tend to support similar inputs, regardless of context - a more tailored approach is needed.​

World Bank project support of inputs in areas related to basic education (percent)​

Source: Independent Evaluation Group portfolio analysis.​
Note: FCS = fragile and conflict-affected situation​
Note: Out of a total of 236 basic education projects during the evaluation period, 62 were in FCS countries and 174 were in non-FCS countries.

A third of portfolio operations specify learning outcomes in their project development outcomes, while two-thirds support learning assessment. Most projects have indicators covering gender, but coverage of broader equity is less well developed - suggesting a need for stronger monitoring and evaluation.​

Projects targeting specific groups with indicators on the target group​

Source: Independent Evaluation Group portfolio analysis.​

Recommendations​

  • Develop country-specific education engagement plans that include systems-based improvements to the teaching framework to enhance learning outcomes.​

  • Collaborate with global and country partners to close data gaps on learning outcomes and track progress in ending learning poverty with particular focus on countries lacking such data.

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