Guinea-Bissau: Education Country Brief

January 2024
Guinea-Bissau flag
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Last update:1 February 2024

Background

This brief provides data and references to the literature on issues that matter for education in Guinea-Bissau. It is part of a series that provides a brief introduction to the state of education systems in Africa. The work was prepared for country pages on IICBA’s website and a digital repository of resources at the country, sub-regional, and continental level. The brief series also informs work conducted in the context of (i) the European Union’s Africa Regional Teachers’ Initiative and (ii) the KIX (Knowledge and Innovation eXchange) Africa 19 Hub for anglophone countries that promotes the use of evidence for policy making and benefits from funding from the Global Partnership for Education and Canada’s International Development Research Center. This brief and its associated webpage are meant to be updated as new information becomes available, at least on a yearly basis. 

Key resources: This brief provides the following resources: 

  • Educational outcomes: Estimates are provided for learning poverty (the share of 10-year-old children not able to read and understand a simple text), educational attainment and/or enrollment rates at various levels of education, the components of the human capital index, and human capital wealth as a share of national wealth. 
  • Selected literature: Links are provided to selected publications at the global, regional, and country levels with a focus on six themes: (i) learning assessment systems; (ii) early childhood education; (iii) teaching and learning; (iv) the data challenge; (v) gender equality; and (vi) equity and inclusion. 
  • Country policies: Links are provided to key institutions (including Ministries) managing the education system, selected policy and planning documents, and websites that aim to provide comparative data on policies across countries.
  • Knowledge repositories and other resources: Links are provided to a dozen digital repositories that collate publications and resources on education issues in Africa. 
  • Data: Links are provided to data sources that can help inform education policy.

This country brief provides a brief introduction to selected issues and research relevant to Guinea-Bissau’s education system and links to resources that may be useful to official of Ministries of Education and other education stakeholders. A special focus is placed on thematic areas from the KIX (Knowledge and Innovation eXchange) initiative for which UNESCO IICBA manages the Secretariat of the Africa KIX 19 Hub. Together with the associated webpages on UNESCO IICBA’s website, the brief is to be updated as new information becomes available, typically every year. The brief starts with a review of basic data on educational outcomes including learning poverty, educational attainment, and the human capital index. The focus then shifts to information related to the thematic areas of focus of the KIX Africa 19 Hub, namely: (i) learning assessment (ii) early childhood education; (iii) teaching & learning (iv) data challenge; (v) gender equality; and (vi) equity and inclusion. The brief also includes links to country documents and processes as well as a range of other resources and websites.

Educational Outcomes and Human Capital

The data on Learning Poverty, the share of children not able to read and understand an age-appropriate text by age 10, is unfortunately not available for Guinea-Bissau. However, according to UNESCO IIEP, in 2016 Guinea-Bissau was facing a high learning crisis. Almost half of children of compulsory school attendance age were absent from school. This was often due to the scarcity of schools offering the full curriculum, which leads to extensive dropout. Although recent data are not available from UIS, the latest data for 2010 showed a high drop off of children and gender gap as they transition from primary to secondary education. 

Other useful statistics are the Human Capital Index and the human capital wealth which recent data are also not available. This gap in information underscores the importance of assessing and addressing the barriers and challenges that exist within Guinea-Bissau's education system to promote equitable access and quality education for all.

Table 1 Guinea-Bissau
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Selected Literature

Supporting countries in using evidence for policymaking is an objective shared by many organizations and initiatives. Under the KIX initiative for which UNESCO IICBA manages the KIX Africa 19 Hub and collaborates with KIX Africa 21, the focus is on six themes: (i) learning assessment systems (ii) early childhood education; (iii) teaching and learning (iv) the data challenge; (v) gender equality; and (vi) equity and inclusion. For each topic, a link is provided to the GPE-KIX Discussion paper written at the start of the initiative in 2019 and additional publications that could be useful for policy. By necessity, to keep this brief short, only a few resources can be mentioned, but additional resources can be accessed through digital repositories listed below. A brief note on UNESCO IICBA research is also provided.

Learning Assessment Systems [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper]. Learning assessment tools and systems are essential to gauge and improve learning outcomes for students. A primer on large scale assessments from the World Bank provides guidance on such assessments, as does a review of learning assessments in Africa from UNESCO IIEP. Among regional assessments, PASEC (Programme for the Analysis of Education Systems) for francophone countries in West and Central Arica and SEACMEQ (Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality) for anglophone countries in East and Southern Africa are the best known. These instruments target primary schools. Also interesting is PISA for development which is being piloted in secondary schools in a few African countries. Guinea Bissau does not participate in these international assessments. The World Bank 2017 country report highlights the historical absence of regular assessments for school performance. The Education Sector Plan (2017 -2025) emphasizes the development of standardized national assessments, particularly in the first two cycles of basic education. This initiative focuses on assessing academic achievement in subjects such as French, Arabic, and mathematics.

Improving Teaching and Learning [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper]. How teachers and students interact and engage is key to improve learning outcomes. Cost-effective approaches pr ‘smart buys’ to improve learning in low-income countries are discussed in a World Bank report. Teaching is paramount, and therefore so are teacher policies to ensure that successful teachers make for successful students. Standards for the teaching profession were proposed by Education International and UNESCO with regional standards available from the Africa Union Commission, including a framework for standards and competencies. Access to education remains a challenge in Guinea-Bissau, as many children face barriers. UNICEF sheds light on the situation and the hurdles to learning access in the country. The World Bank's "Quality Education for All" Project (2018) aims to enhance the teaching and learning environment in grades 1 to 4 in specific schools. The Time to Teach study study by UNICEF supports the Ministry of Education in identifying factors influencing primary school teacher attendance, using this evidence to shape teacher policies.

Strengthening Early Childhood Care and Education [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper]. Experiences children undergo in early childhood can affect their entire life. Nurturing care is essential. Essential interventions in early childhood include pre-primary education.  Yet less than half of young children in Africa benefit from pre-primary education according to the Global Education Monitoring report 2021.  The Office of Research at UNICEF maintains a webpage with useful links to organizations working on child-related themes organized by subject, including early childhood. Early Childhood Care and Education has received limited attention in Guinea-Bissau due to challenges in education, poverty, and health indicators. The Ministry established the Preschool Inspection Directorate in 2017, and by 2019, the Guide to Minimum Criteria for the Operation of Preschool Services was approved. The nurturing care profile provides more data on early childhood development in Guinea- Bissau. 

Achieving Gender Equality In and Through Education [GPE-KIX Discussion Paper]. The cost of gender inequality is massive, as is the cost of not educating girls, including in Africa. When girls lack education, this affects their earnings in adulthood, the number of children they will have and their health, as well as their agency, among others. When girls are not in school, they are also at higher risk of child marriage, with again high costs for them, their children, and society. In Africa, the African Union’s International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa supports member states on girls’ education. A UNICEF study on Out-of-School Children in Guinea Bissau shows that while young boys and girls initially have similar school participation rates, female attendance decreases in early adolescence, impacting educational attainment.

Data Management Systems Strengthening [GPEKIX Discussion Paper]. Education management information systems (EMIS) are key for management. They can also support evidence-based policymaking. In Africa, the African Union’s Institute of Education for Development supports member states on EMIS. In addition to EMIS data, other data sources including household surveys, school surveys, student assessments, and impact evaluations of pilot interventions are essential to inform policy. The Guinea-Bissau National Education profile update is available on the Education Policy and Data Center. Schools emphasizes quarterly evaluations on standardized subjects under the Ministry of Education's supervision.

Equity and Inclusion/Leaving No One Behind [GPEKIX Discussion Paper]. Equity and inclusion are major challenges for education systems. Gender, disability, ethnicity, indigenous status, poverty, displacement, and many other factors may all lead some children to lack access to education. In Africa especially, gaps in educational outcomes between groups may be large, as illustrated in the case of disability. Equity must be at the center of education policy on the continent. The UNESCO GEM Report provides insights into strategies, policies, and projects aiming to improve inclusive education in Guinea-Bissau. Schools in the country often lack training on inclusive education and equity, particularly for children with disabilities and girls. Barriers to inclusive education for children with disabilities include inadequate infrastructure and a lack of trained teachers. For girls, insufficient sanitation facilities in schools pose significant challenges. Recently, the country has adopted the National Strategic Plan for Inclusive Education (2022 – 2028). 

Note on UNESCO IICBA Research. IICBA recently launched a new program of applied research on teacher and education issues in Africa. This includes studies, discussion papers, training guides, reports, knowledge briefs, data briefs, event summaries, and interviews. Several of those publications focus on Guinea-Bissau. All publications are available on IICBA’s website. 

Country Policies 

Information on Guinea-Bissau’s education system and policies is available on the website of the Ministry of Education which covers all levels of education. The country’s Education Sector Development Programme covers the period from 2017 to 2020. While some African countries have an independent Teacher Service Commission, Guinea-Bissau does not. 

A few organizations aim to capture education policies on specific themes across countries, including Guinea-Bissau. UNESCO’s Profiles Enhancing Education Reviews (PEER) covering the themes of the Global Education Monitoring reports, including: inclusion in education (2020 Report), non-state actors in education (2021/22 Report), technology in education (2023 Report) and leadership in education (2024/25 Report, forthcoming). PEER also covers additional topics on key SDG 4 issues, including financing for equity, climate change communication and education, and comprehensive sexuality education. Another example is the World Bank’s Education Policy Dashboard.

Knowledge Repositories

Only a few links to the literature on education by theme for Guinea-Bissau, Africa, and globally were provided earlier to keep the brief short, but repositories of digital resources facilitate access to the literature. A few of those repositories are listed below by alphabetical order:

Many organizations maintain websites that include country pages with useful information. Examples include the GPE Guinea-Bissau Country Page; UNICEF Guinea-Bissau Country Page; World Bank Country Page; UNESCO IIEP Country Page. Many organizations also maintain blogs on education issues, often with stories on Africa. Examples include Education for All (Global Partnership for Education), Education for Global Development (World Bank), Education Plus Development (Brookings Institutions), and World Education Blog (UNESCO). Beyond blogs focusing on education, blogs on Africa more generally may also provide useful resources. This includes Africa Can End Poverty and Nasikiliza (the World Bank’s two blogs for sub-Saharan Africa ) and  Arab Voices (the Bank’s blog for the Middle East and North Africa).

Data

While education data are available on the website of the Ministry of Education, it is often useful to download data for Guinea- and other countries from multi-country databases. The largest database on development, including education data, is the World Bank’s World Development Indicators (WDI). The World Bank also maintain the Education Statistics (EdStats) database. Both World Bank databases rely in part for education on data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics. UNESCO also maintains the Global Education Observatory and the World Inequality Database in Education (WIDE), as well as a wide range of other databases. Specific estimates are occasionally maintained by other agencies. For example, UNICEF provides data on out-of-school rates, adjusted net attendance rates, completion rates, foundational learning skills, information communication technology skills, youth and adult literacy rates, and school-age digital connectivity. Another useful reference is StatCompiler which provides data at various levels of aggregation from Demographic and Health Surveys across countries and over time. For comparison purposes, data from the OECD for member and partner countries (including South Africa) can be useful.

References

References are available through the links provided in this brief.