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Building on a presentation made at the closing plenary of OIEC's World Congress in New York, this paper considers two trends affecting Catholic education globally and their potential implications for university research and programs in support of K12 schools. The first trend is the shift of enrollment in K12 Catholic education towards the global south and especially Africa in terms of the sheer number of students enrolled in schools. The second trend relates to the deepening learning crisis in K12 education affecting much of the developing world, and again especially Africa. These two trends have implications for university research and programs in support of K12 Catholic schools on the continent. The paper argues that apart from discussions related to Catholic identity, which are of course important, more attention should be placed by universities, including in the West, on the related but distinct issue of how to improve basic learning for students enrolled in K12 Catholic schools in the global south.

In developing countries as in developed countries, the COVID-19 crisis has led to near universal school closures that will affect children's ability to learn, especially in countries with limited infrastructure for distance learning. While most children are likely to return to school when they reopen, quite a few may drop out. In addition, the economic recession generated by the crisis will affect livelihoods, leading to higher rates of poverty and food insecurity. This also may have negative impacts on both Catholic schools and their students. This paper, the second in a set of two, looks at likely impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on Catholic Schools in developing countries, with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa, a vulnerable region given the comparatively weak performance of its education systems and the limited availability of resources for governments to protect education budgets (acknowledging that many Catholic schools in the region are public schools). How Catholic schools will be able to respond to the twin challenges of school closures and the economic downturn may affect their comparative advantage for the medium term. A key aim of the paper is to make Catholic school teachers and leaders aware of some of the discussions on how to respond to the crisis, and provide links to resources online that may be useful. [For Part I of the series, see EJ1278497.]

This paper is the second in a set of two on the extent to which Catholic and other faith-based schools are serving the poor well. Catholic and other faith-based schools reach millions of children who live in poverty, yet this does not necessarily mean that they are serving these children well enough. The paper considers two separate issues. First, beyond academic subjects, Catholic and other faith-based schools emphasise learning related to values and religion. Do they succeed in doing so? Based on small sample survey data and qualitative fieldwork, as well as broader data on parental satisfaction with schools, the paper provides a tentative and mostly positive answer to this question, at least from the view of parents. The second issue is where performance is weaker. Education systems are affected by a learning crisis in the developing world. All schools should ensure that students learn, but too often this is not the case. The second part of the paper documents this learning crisis and the fact that Catholic and other faith-based schools are not immune to it. This is done in part through a rapid review of the recent World Development Report on education's promise, and a companion piece for sub-Saharan Africa. Estimates of performance for selected African countries are also provided. The results are sobering: too many children are not learning while in school. Finally, the paper briefly summarises evidence from the literature on interventions that could improve learning, including in Catholic and faith-based schools. [For Part I of the series, see EJ1206878.]

Serving the poor is a prime component of the mission of Catholic and many other faith-based schools. Do the schools succeed in doing so? This paper and a companion paper focusing on learning aim to answer this question. In this paper, the focus is on schooling or enrolment in school. The paper considers first global and regional data on the number of students in Catholic preschools and nurseries, primary schools, and secondary schools. The data suggest that Catholic schools are located proportionately more in low-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. However, having schools in low income countries does not guarantee that they serve disadvantaged children. Relying on household survey data from Africa, the second part of the analysis suggests that while Catholic and other faith-based schools reach many children in poverty, they often serve children from better off households proportionately more. The last part of the paper considers the constraints faced by Catholic and other faith-based schools in reaching the poor. Some constraints are shared with other types of schools, but others are peculiar to Catholic and faith-based schools, especially in terms of the funding from households that they need to operate given no or only limited state support.

Particularly in low- and lower middle-income countries, petty corruption remains prevalent in service delivery, whether in schools, health centers, administrative services, or other institutions. In reference to Pope Francis' call to say no to corruption in his recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, this article measures the extent of corruption in schools in Africa using data collected by the Afrobarometer. More than one in four respondents have encountered problems to obtain the education services they need for their children and nearly one in five have had to pay bribes or do other favors for education providers. This proportion does not appear to have declined significantly over the past decade. Regression analysis suggests that different household characteristics are associated with the likelihood of having difficulty obtaining the services they need and the likelihood of being a victim of corruption. Interestingly for this special issue, while faith affiliation does not seem to affect the likelihood of providing favors to obtain services, religiosity does appear to matter—and therefore so may faith leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pope Francis has made the protection of our common home a central theme of his Papacy. This may be nowhere more important than in Africa, a continent that is already today highly vulnerable to climate shocks due in part to high levels of water stress in many countries, food insecurity, and forced displacement, among others. In this paper, we use household surveys from West African countries to explore the impact of covariate shocks (most of which are weather-related) and international migration as a potential response to shocks on educational outcomes for children of primary school age. The results suggest that shocks affect educational outcomes substantially, but that international migration may generate benefits for children of migrants. The paper also briefly discusses policy prescriptions on how to tackle climate change, arguing that education to sustainable development should be a priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on a presentation made at the closing plenary of OIEC's World Congress in New York, this paper considers two trends affecting Catholic education globally and their potential implications for university research and programs in support of K12 schools. The first trend is the shift of enrollment in K12 Catholic education towards the global south and especially Africa in terms of the sheer number of students enrolled in schools. The second trend relates to the deepening learning crisis in K12 education affecting much of the developing world, and again especially Africa. These two trends have implications for university research and programs in support of K12 Catholic schools on the continent. The paper argues that apart from discussions related to Catholic identity, which are of course important, more attention should be placed by universities, including in the West, on the related but distinct issue of how to improve basic learning for students enrolled in K12 Catholic schools in the global south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role and importance of legal nature of Islamic law shari'a in guiding legislation in Muslim societies to prohibit Female Genital Cutting (FGC) and end of child marriage. Topics discussed include new family code adopted by National Assembly of Mali to set the age of marriage and protection of the integrity of the human body, women's right in Islamic law, Qur'an as a source of Islamic law, FGC practiced across Africa, and risk of medical side effects due to FCG.

The article discusses the assessment of the role of faith-inspired primary and secondary schools in Africa using evidence from multi-purpose household surveys. It suggests a market share for FISs for primary education of about 14 percent on average in the countries where information has been collected for the study. It also reveals that FISs serve the poor slightly less than public schools.

The article discusses the estimated percentage of market share of faith-inspired institutions (FIIs) in providing health care in sub-Saharan Africa. It explores the estimates on market share from data and listings of FII health facilities in providing support to HIV/AIDS patients through programs, activities, and community services. It reveals that FIIs in Africa has a 30 to 40 percent market share in health care provision.

The article discusses the impact of global budgetary constraints to the international funding provided for faith-based HIV/AIDS organizations in Africa. It explores the specific funding patterns and resourcing of nonprofit organizations engaged in supporting HIV/AIDS victims. It describes the dramatic differences between faith-based organizations that benefit from international donors and other fundings.

In the literature on the religious contribution to health and development, it is commonly stated that faith-inspired institutions (FIIs) provide from 30 to 70 per cent of all health care provision in Africa. This article tracks the sources of such statements back to the 1960s, highlighting a process of ‘broken telephone’ whereby estimates are passed on and frequently distorted by policy- and advocacy-oriented influences at both the national and international levels. This demonstrates how estimates are being wielded bluntly, often resulting in poorly substantiated claims to the detriment of more careful research, thereby weakening the empirical knowledge-base and improved practice. Jouer au téléphone arabe : évaluation de la prestation de services de santé par les institutions inspirées par la religion en Afrique Dans les écrits portant sur la contribution de la religion à la santé et au développement, il est souvent affirmé que les institutions inspirées par la religion (IIR) fournissent entre 30 et 70 pour cent de tous les services de santé en Afrique. Cet article remonte à la source de ces déclarations, qui date des années 1960, et met en évidence un processus de « téléphone arabe » par lequel les estimations sont retransmises et fréquemment déformées par des influences axées sur les politiques publiques et le plaidoyer, aux niveaux national et international. Cela démontre la manière dont les estimations sont présentées à la va-vite, entraînant souvent des affirmations non fondées, au détriment de recherches plus minutieuses, ce qui a pour effet d'affaiblir la base de connaissances empirique et l'amélioration des pratiques. Brincando de telefone sem fio: avaliando a provisão de serviço de saúde inspirado na fé na África Na literatura sobre a contribuição religiosa para a saúde e desenvolvimento, é comumente afirmado que as Instituições Inspiradas na Fé (FIIs) são responsáveis por 30 a 70 por cento de toda a provisão de serviço de saúde na África. Este artigo investiga as fontes de tais afirmações desde a década de 1960, destacando um processo de “telefone sem fio” em que estimativas são apresentadas e frequentemente distorcidas por influências orientadas por políticas - e defesa de direitos – no âmbito nacional e internacional. Isto demonstra como as estimativas estão sendo manipuladas sem rodeios, frequentemente resultando em afirmações sem fundamento em detrimento de pesquisas mais cuidadosas, enfraquecendo assim a base de conhecimento empírico e melhores práticas. Jugando al teléfono roto: evaluando los servicios de salud inspirados en la fe en África En lo que se ha escrito sobre la contribución de las organizaciones religiosas a la salud y al desarrollo, se afirma a menudo que las instituciones inspiradas en la fe proporcionan del 30 al 70 por ciento de la atención a la salud en África. Este ensayo sostiene que el origen de estas afirmaciones se remonta a los años 60 y que se produjo un proceso de “teléfono roto” porque, al trasmitirse las cifras, a menudo se tergiversaron por motivos políticos o de incidencia, tanto a niveles nacionales como internacionales. El ensayo demuestra que las cifras se manejan sin precisión, lo cual conduce a que a menudo se hagan acusaciones sin sustento que perjudican a las investigaciones más minuciosas y debilitan los conocimientos empíricos y las mejores prácticas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper analyzes the distributional impacts of recent debt relief initiatives among four groups of countries: the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPCs), the other IDA-eligible countries, the non-IDA developing countries, and the industrialized countries. The distributional impacts are subject to two major questions: (a) is debt relief additional to donors’ traditional aid budgets? and (b) will donors make reallocations of their traditional aid budgets to HIPCs due to debt relief provided to them? The paper’s analytical framework then establishes certain benchmark scenarios for the two previous questions which allows to approximate some realistic outcomes and to draw some policy recommendations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]