On November 30, 2024, the Global Network Seminar was held online, and the seminar welcomed Dr. Bernard Yungu Loleka, Education Economist at the World Bank.

Under the theme “Analyzing Gabon’s Education System: Insights from the World Bank and SDG Alignment Using the Global Education Policy Dashboard (GEPD),” Dr. Loleka discussed how the World Bank uses the GEPD to analyze Gabon’s education system and inform education policy improvements. Dr. Loleka obtained his master’s and doctoral degrees under the supervision of Professor Keiichi Ogawa at Kobe University’s Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies.

Dr. Loleka began by explaining the objective of the GEPD, which is to measure and identify the main drivers of learning in Gabon’s education system. He emphasized four critical aspects of education: (1) supplies and infrastructure, (2) school management, (3) students, and (4) teaching. To collect data, the World Bank surveyed approximately 200 primary schools across Gabon, including school principals, teachers, and students. The results revealed that only about 10% of teachers demonstrated adequate content knowledge of the subjects they taught, while approximately 60% felt satisfied with their teaching skills. Other significant challenges included weaknesses in educational leadership and students’ preparedness for learning.

Dr. Loleka also highlighted disparities between urban and rural schools, as well as between public and private schools. Urban schools generally performed better in terms of teacher attendance, school management, and access to supplies and infrastructure, while rural schools lagged behind. He also explained that students in private schools demonstrated higher learning achievement than those in public schools, while shortages of teachers with adequate pedagogical skills and insufficient supplies and infrastructure affected learning outcomes in public schools. Despite Gabon’s status as a middle-income country, these disparities remain significant obstacles to achieving equitable education outcomes.

Moreover, policy indicators from the study pointed to weaknesses in evaluation, monitoring, and accountability, as well as a lack of standardization in school inputs. Political and bureaucratic capacity indicators also highlighted the role of national policies and institutions in shaping the quality of education. Dr. Loleka concluded by comparing Gabon’s education system with those of other African countries. While Gabon performs relatively well in some areas compared with many other countries, he emphasized that further improvements in education quality and equity are still needed.

Following the lecture, students raised a wide range of questions, which Dr. Loleka thoughtfully addressed. He also shared his own experiences and offered advice and encouragement to students aspiring to pursue careers in international organizations. The seminar provided a valuable opportunity for participants to deepen their understanding of how the World Bank uses tools such as the GEPD to analyze education systems and inform policy improvements, while also gaining insights into education policy and development work in international organizations.