The education system in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will play an important role in building the country's political institutions, in promoting economic growth, and in redressing inequalities. The country is emerging from a prolonged economic and political crisis which has had serious negative impacts on the education system. The main purpose of this report is to assist the DRC identify the priorities for education policy, and present options in order to assist the government in developing an education strategy. This is necessary for preparing the government's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper and a program of assistance for the education sector by external donors. This Country Status Report is structured in six chapters covering the recent trends and current status of educational coverage, expenditures and financing at all levels of instruction in DRC, issues relating to quality in primary and secondary education, and specific issues relating to higher education. It also presents the expenditure requirements under various policy options which can be used to begin a more detailed planning for the sector. Financial simulations were undertaken for four scenarios of educational expansion in order to determine total expenditure requirements, the composition of expenditure, and the shares of different financing sources. These simulations also suggest some key policy choices which could contribute to further containing costs. The foregoing analysis suggests critical policy questions, i.e. setting goals for quantitative coverage; determining strategies for achieving the goals within each sub-sector; determining the costs of implementing the strategies; and, identifying key reforms in governance and education administration. In developing educational policy and strategy, an iterative approach will need to be adopted in order to gauge the feasibility of different options.

This publication examines key issues related to the development of the education sector in Democratic Republic of Congo, focusing on the primary and secondary levels. Topics discussed include: background context, structure of the education system, education finance, learning outcomes and conditions, and educational quality aspects; as well as a chapter on the organisation, quality and financing of the higher education sector.

The Democratic Republic of Congo faces the challenge of providing universal primary education and expanding opportunities for post-secondary education and training for its youth, ages 12 to 24. This study analyzes the current educational attainment and school enrollment status of youth, as well as the formal and informal post-secondary educational and training opportunities available to them. The study uses the results of a simulation model that incorporates enrollment in alternative education programs and considers alternative scenarios for developing the post-primary sector. Each scenario is evaluated for the impact on the human capital accumulation of young people and the sustainability of public expenditures. The report offers policy options for rapidly raising the educational attainment of young people who will be entering the labor force in the next two decades, including expanding opportunities for alternative education and training for out-of-school children, the extension of primary education, and the reorganization of secondary and technical/vocational training to reduce early specialization.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) faces immense challenges in delivering education services to all children of school age in the country, let alone ensuring that those adults who were deprived of an education have the opportunity to remedy that loss. Dictatorship, economic decline, more than a decade{u2019}s civil war and endemic corruption have unsurprisingly left an education system that is catastrophically failing the nation{u2019}s children, with consequences for the national economy as well as for the individuals concerned. To overcome this educational deficit, a massive increase in the education budget will be necessary to pay for the expansion of teacher training, the development and distribution of teaching materials including books, the construction of new schools and the improvement of the conditions of work for teachers, especially those in remote areas of the country. But the findings of the report on which this paper is based (Effective Delivery of Public Education Services) suggest that the government must even more importantly act to ensure that additional funds will be correctly spent.

Although labor is usually the unique asset upon which poor people can make a living, little is known about the functioning of labor markets in Sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this volume is to contribute to the building of knowledge in this area. In this book, the authors use a unique set of identical and simultaneous labor force surveys conducted in seven capitals of Western Africa, as well as in some other African countries (Cameroon, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo) in the 2000s. They present innovative and original results on how people are faring in these labour markets, using up-to-date econometric and statistical methods. Because so little is known about labor markets in the region, each chapter starts with detailed descriptive statistics that aim to shed light onto specific aspects of African urban labor markets. Comparisons between the ten cities are systematically carried out. Descriptive sections are followed by in-depth analyses on various issues. The book is divided into four parts that examine 13 topics. Part I presents the main stylised facts, which are investigated further in a more analytical way throughout the volume. Part II focuses on job quality and labor market conditions, such as unemployment and underemployment, vulnerability, and job satisfaction. Part III explores the many dimensions of labor market inequalities through various lenses, such as returns on education, segmentation, life-cycle inequality (with a particular focus on old age), inter-generational mobility, time related inequality, and gender and ethnic earnings discrimination. Part IV addresses some key coping mechanisms and private responses, with a focus on migration and child labor. The book concludes with recommendations for future research.