Recommendations from the feasibility study to transform book development.

1. Books for Every Child: The Global Book
Fund Part III
Bringing it all Together: Recommendations
from the Feasibility Study
Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) 2016 Conference
Wednesday, March 9, 2016

2. Agenda
▪ A brief background
▪ The findings
▪ Case for a Global Book Fund
▪ The Global Book Fund: recommendations and design
▪ Further areas of exploration and analysis
▪ Discussion questions
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3. A brief background
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4. Leveraging market dynamics and health funds expertise, an IEP-
R4D cross-team group was selected to:
Develop a business case for a “Global Book Fund”
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Results for Development Institute
Cross-team project at R4D – Education, Health,
Market Dynamics
International Education Partners
IEP has deep experience in curriculum review and
reform, as well as in teaching and learning materials
development.
A roster of senior experts in health and reading materials have
provided additional guidance and insight.

5. Story books,
information books,
or topic books …
provide reading
practice, and
facilitate a lifelong
reading habit.
Organized and
structured
course materials
that correspond to
an often year-long
subject syllabus.
Reading books in mother tongue languages that
correspond to LOIs play a key role in improving literacy.
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Teaching and learning
materials (TLMs)
▪ Teachers’ guides
▪ Information books
▪ Reference books
▪ Atlases
▪ Flash cards
▪ Wall charts
▪ Grammar books
▪ Textbooks
▪ Anthologies of stories and
poems
▪ Leveled and decodable
readers
▪ Reading books
Evidence shows a gain
in educational outcomes
when children learn in
languages they speak
and understand …
However, mother tongue
LOI adoption is hindered
by a lack of learning
materials and teacher
capacity.

6. Despite the link between books and learning, and numerous
initiatives to increase book availability, scarcity still persists.
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…Low availability still persists because of…
• Short-term project based approaches that are
unable to reach scale and instigate systemic
change
• Under-financing by governments
• Supply chain inefficiencies
• High levels of loss and damage in distribution
and school storage/ management
• Lack of coordination with other education
projects
“[TLMs] show the highest incidence
of impact for improving primary
school outcomes in many developing
countries”
- M. Boissiere, Determinants of primary education outcomes in developing
countries: Background paper for the evaluation of the World Bank’s support
to primary education.
TLMs – particularly textbooks and
reading books – are one of the most
cost-effective investments for raising
learning.
Evidence shows…
Even after millions of dollars in funding and
decades of TLM initiatives…

7. The findings
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8. Demand,
planning, and
financing
Procurement
and production
Supply chain
management
Usage
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1
The findings from the Global Book Fund feasibility study correspond to 4 key lines of
inquiry:
2 3 4

9. Demand, planning, and financing of books
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Lack of awareness of the
importance of reading
books to early grade
literacy contributes to
reduced demand from
governments, teachers,
and parents.
Lack of data on book provision
and learning outcomes hinders
assessing progress, identifying
inefficiencies, planning, and
mobilizing resources.
1 2
Low word count early grade reading books
are perceived to be of lesser quality by
parents.
International languages are more valued
by parents and MOEs.
MOEs place a higher value on textbooks
than reading books.
Teachers often lack an appreciation for the
use of reading books.
Essential EMIS data needs to
include:
✓ Up-to-date list of schools
✓ Grade-level enrollments
✓ TLM stocks and loss rates
✓ Annual budget for TLM
targets
✓ Location and grade-level
enrollment by language
GFATM’s requirement for procurement data
reporting has improved market transparency and
underpinned market-shaping interventions.

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Demand, planning, and financing of books
US$3.1 billion - US$3.9 billion
must be spent on reading
books and textbooks annually
by LICs and MICs.
However, a ~US$200 million gap in
financing for reading books and
textbooks exists in a combination of all
LICs and 5 LMICs.
Countries can be split into 3 categories:
1) Countries that do not spend
enough on reading books and
textbooks and cannot increase
spending,
2) Countries that have funding gaps
but can increase efficiencies to
counter gaps,
3) Countries without funding gaps.
3 4
5
• Funding must be increased in
these contexts
• Spending efficiency must also
be improved in the remaining
LMICs and all UMICs.

11. Procurement and production of books
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6 Inadequate supply of appropriate
reading book titles due to low
demand, limited authorship
capacity, and lack of content
sharing arrangements.
Public sector book procurement is
not optimized for cost, quality, and
sustainable supply.
Low availability of reading
books in classrooms was
consistent across all 13
country case studies
undertaken by R4D and IEP,
although some countries
have recently made
improvements.
Factors hindering content sharing:
x Lack of coordination between donors,
NGOs, and MOEs
x Poor digital archiving practices
x Cumbersome IP arrangements
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Procurement inefficiencies include:
x Unpredictable demand
x Inadequate budgeting
x Insufficient planning
x Small print run sizes
x Lack of transparency
x Use of uneconomical printers
x Inefficient book specifications
x Fluctuating payment practices

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Procurement and production of books
8
1
0
Provision of digital reading
materials is about 20-60
times more expensive than
that of print reading books.
High technical barriers to
the adoption of digital
reading materials include
insufficient infrastructure
and high IP-related
transaction costs.
Operational challenges
constraining uptake of
digital materials include
education policy, content
availability, and utilization.
9

13. Supply chain management of books
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1
1
1
2
1
3
Common supply chain
challenges include weak
demand forecasting, poor
management systems, and
loss of books.
The effectiveness of distribution
models varies by context.
Key considerations include:
• Type of model (e.g. centralized,
decentralized)
• Responsible actor (e.g. public,
private, NGO, mixed).
• Accountability mechanisms
Citizen accountability
mechanisms to monitor
distribution have been used
successfully in some countries
and could help reduce corruption
in sub-Saharan Africa.
Requirements for effective book
distribution:
✓ Adequate, timely, and predictable
financing
✓ Reliable data on school location,
enrollment, and book requirements
✓ Appropriate transportation facilities
✓ Effective computerized management
systems
✓ Robust monitoring and accountability
mechanisms
✓ Reliable and adequate storage in
warehouses and schools

14. Usage of books
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1
4
1
5
1
6
Book provision does not equal usage. Many teachers are unaware
how to appropriately use books
in classrooms and how to set
up and run school and
classroom libraries.
Research varies on best
practices and ideal number of
titles children need to achieve
literacy; complementary,
effective reading programs are
also needed.
A 2013 World Bank Uganda study reported that
despite the presence of textbooks in public
schools, no textbooks were used by students in
86% of the classes.

15. Case for a Global Book Fund
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16. A new mechanism is needed to raise awareness on the high
returns to books at the global and country level as well as mobilize
funding.
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A new mechanism is warranted for
three reasons:
➢ Harmonizing current funding in
books and ensuring greater
effectiveness of funds.
➢ Breaking away from the
traditional donor-project
approach and instead playing a
system-strengthening role.
➢ Financing needs in this area are
substantial and although it may be
difficult, a new mechanism could
possibly mobilize dedicated
funds.
However, there are risks..
• Increased fragmentation
• Added transactional costs
• Reducing or replacing
domestic resource mobilization
• Low political appetite for a new
global fund
To help guard against the risks, we
propose the GBF be hosted within
an existing entity and careful
attention be paid to its design.

17. The Global Book Fund: recommendations
and design
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18. The Global Book Fund could play 4 key global and country level
functions to support increased access and provision of all books.
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Global Country level
1
2
3
4
Develop and disseminate
knowledge and best
practices
Fund technical
assistance
Advocate and promote
policy dialogue
Fund reading books
and over time,
textbooks

19. At the global level, the Global Book Fund could develop
and disseminate knowledge and best practices in four
ways.
Function 1
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Serving as a locus
of technical
expertise on the
book chain
Coordinating donor
efforts
Facilitating content
sharing
Convening diverse
stakeholders
1 2 3 4
• Repository and
information
generator
• Guidance on
procurement best
practices, book
specifications, etc.
• Improve synergies
and alignment
• Holding place for
all books related
activities
• Increase
collaboration
• Facilitate dialogue
across the book
chain
• Increase content
availability
• Support content
sharing platform, e.g.
Global Reading
Repository
PROPOSED

20. At the global level, the Global Book Fund could also play
an advocacy role and spur long-term policy dialogue.
Function 2
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Instilling the importance of reading books and raising
demand for books
Creating long-term policy
dialogue
Function 2 supports two key purposes:
“Early grade readers
don’t have many words
and so are not
perceived [by parents]
as ‘sophisticated
enough’ for their
children.”
- Robbi Cahjadi,
ProVisi Education
“The importance of a good
supply of reading books in
improving reading and literacy is
not widely appreciated by lower
primary teachers...”
- India Case Study
“A key issue is the need to
convince the state ministry of
education of the importance of
reading books in class.”
- India Case Study
PROPOSED

21. At the country level, the Global Book Fund could fund
technical assistance to improve development,
procurement, and distribution of books.
Function 3
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Require a country-
driven needs
assessment to
determine gaps
Fund, but not
directly provide,
technical
assistance
Accompany
technical
assistance with
flexible program
funding
1 2 3
With the use of flexible
program funding,
CHAI’s UNITAID
increased sites for infant
HIV/AIDS testing, with
trained staff from 200 to
4,600 in 4 years.
• May require GBF
assistance or may
align with national
education sector
plans
• Would form the basis
for proposals to the
GBF
RMNCH Trust Fund
spends ~50% of trust
fund resources funding
training and technical
assistance (TA), but not
direct provision of TA.
PROPOSED

22. At the country level, the Global Book Fund could fund
reading books – and over time, textbooks – in mother
tongue languages that correspond to LOIs.
Function 4
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Limited to countries that both
demonstrate financial need and
country commitment
Providing multi-year funding to increase
demand predictability
Engage and build local publishing
capacity
Directly procure books from publishers in
emergencies or where government
procurement capacity is absent
Require governments to provide
financial contributions and/or adopt
certain management and operational
best practices
Require / support pooled
procurement at the national level to
increase efficiencies
*
*
Initial focus on funding pre-primary and primary reading books that correspond
to mother tongue LOIs given their link to improving literacy.
Over time, the GBF might also move to fund the provision of textbooks.
PROPOSED

23. Five structural and operational considerations also need to
be carefully assessed.
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Funding and
implementation model
Country eligibility,
graduation, and allocation
across countries
Country co-financing
Monitoring and evaluation
Institutional structure and
governance

24. We propose that the GBF provide
cash grants and fund technical
assistance in response to country
proposals.
.
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Proposal development process
• Who will develop the proposal?
• MOE? Local Education Group?
Other?
Actors eligible for support
• Will actors besides national
governments be eligible?
• Under what circumstances?
Alignment with existing channels
• To what extent will the GBF align
with existing initiatives?
Funding and
implementation model
Questions that need further analysis and resolution include…
Method of technical assistance
provision
• Will the GBF provide TA itself in
certain circumstances?
Scope for results-based financing v.
innovative financing
• As there is limited scope for
innovative financing, to what
extent and how should RBF be
used?

25. Country co-financing should be a
central part of the Global Book Fund
strategy.
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Considerations:
• Country ability to pay
• Timeframe for replacing external
with domestic resources
• Reforming country budgetary
processes
Countries receiving support for
book purchase should be
required to contribute a
meaningful share of the cost to:
• Build national ownership and
• Prepare countries for
assuming full responsibility for
funding.
Gavi and GFATM require recipient countries to co-finance vaccine and program costs respectively.
Country co-financing

26. Hosting the GBF within an existing
institution will enable cost savings,
greater integration with existing
efforts, and alignment with the Accra
accord.
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A variety of host institutions were
considered…
• Multilaterals
• Bilateral aid agencies
• NGOs
• Private institutions
…and weighed against criteria including:
• Neutrality
• Geographic scope
• Education focus
• Alignment with mission and current activities
• Appetite for a new mechanism
• Level of autonomy within host institution
Institutional structure and
governance
GPE, UNICEF, and the
World Bank may be
possible hosts.
Preliminary consultations
revealed…
➢ GPE is eager to further
explore alignment with its
mission and current
activities.
➢ UNICEF is particularly
interested in synergies with
its Supply Division.
➢ The World Bank’s current
restructure may make it
difficult to focus on a new
Fund.
Governance structure would have to
be determined accordingly.

27. Country eligibility and graduation
criteria may vary based on type of
support and grouping.
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Considerations:
• Variation of criteria for Group 1-3
countries
• Timeframes of support
• Proposal prioritization mechanism
The GFATM uses an allocation system, in which country envelopes account for country income
level and disease burden.
Country eligibility criteria for
technical assistance should be
broad.
Eligibility for direct funding may
be more limited and should
consider need, government
commitment, and income level.
Country eligibility,
graduation, and allocation
across countries

28. The GBF will need to have its own
robust M&E system, and will also need
to support country M&E systems.
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The GBF may need to…
• Provide technical assistance to countries
to develop M&E systems and capacity
The GBF M&E will also need to…
• Align GBF M&E indicators to existing
country indicators to reduce high
transaction costs
• Maintain flexibility of its M&E framework
to track multiple activities
Using a tiered M&E approach, Gavi gathers existing and new data from routine program monitoring,
targeted studies, and full country evaluations.
Monitoring and evaluation
Robust country level M&E data will help…
✓ Ensure quality
✓ Safeguard against fund diversion
✓ Demonstrate project effectiveness and
efficiency
✓ Evaluate country performance
✓ Determine phase out, country graduation,
and grant allocations
✓ Serve as a global public good

29. Further areas of exploration and analysis
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30. Next steps and further analysis could include…
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Refine operational and governance
structures
Balance between autonomous and current host
structures, and creation of decision making and
participation processes
Refine the model for fund
disbursement
Details on co-financing, frequency of disbursement,
proposal submission and renewal, etc.
Consultations to generate political
buy-in for a new mechanism
Building political support through extensive
consultations with global and national stakeholders
Analyze the feasibility and provision
of reading materials to targeted
populations
Focus on the specific needs of children in distinct
contexts
Test and explore specific
approaches to demonstrate proof of
concept
Small-scale pilots in a select number of countries to
refine the model
1
2
3
4
5

31. Thank you! For questions:
Nick Burnett: nburnett@r4d.org
Shubha Jayaram: sjayaram@r4d.org
Nick Read: nick.read@icon4ed.com
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32. Discussion questions
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33. Discussion questions
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▪ What steps can be taken to ensure that the new mechanism / entity
is a break from business as usual?
▪ Do these arguments for the creation of a new mechanism outweigh
the risks? How can we further mitigate the risks?
▪ What can be done to ensure the 4 proposed functions of a Global
Book Fund are well-integrated with current efforts?
▪ What are next steps needed to operationalize the concept of a
Global Book Fund?

34. Annex
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35. Summary of findings
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Line of inquiry Finding
Demand, planning, and
financing of books
1: Lack of awareness of the importance of reading books contributes to reduced demand.
2: Lack of data on book provision and learning outcomes limits the ability to assess progress, identify inefficiencies, and mobilize
appropriate resources. A GBF could play a role in a) providing funding or technical support to implement improved in-country data
systems, b) making country-level data collection a requirement for GBF book funding; or c) hosting or supporting an online data
sharing platform.
3: To meet a theoretical minimum book standard for all pre-primary and primary students, low and middle-income countries need
to spend between US$3.1 billion - US$3.9 billion yearly. However, research is needed to understand a more realistic current
addressable market size.
4: Analysis of primary education spending reveals an underfinancing of books, including textbooks and reading books. To meet
minimum book standards, 18 countries face significant budget gaps that total nearly US$200 million. However, improving
spending efficiency, rather than raising absolute funds, is a priority for half of LMICs and all UMICs.
5: There are three distinct categories of countries exhibiting different financing needs, requiring different types of support from a
GBF:
∙ Group 1 countries do not spend enough on both textbooks and reading books and do not have the capacity to increase
spending.
∙ Group 2 countries also have significant funding gaps but improved efficiency could help counter some of the gap.
∙ Group 3 countries do not face funding gaps.

36. Summary of findings
Line of inquiry Finding
Procurement and production
of books
6: There is an inadequate supply of appropriate reading book titles due to low demand, limited authorship capacity, and lack of
content sharing arrangements. Given these challenges, the GBF could, at the global level, serve as or support a content repository
to expand access to published titles, and at the country level, support the growth, sustainability, and quality of local publishing
industries as needed.
7: Public sector book procurement is not optimized for cost, quality, and sustainable supply. A GBF could play a role in a)
disseminating and incentivizing use of procurement best practices, b) improving the consistency and predictability of demand,
and/or c) promoting centralized pooled procurement at the national level to lower book costs.
8: The provision of digital reading materials is about 20-60 times more expensive than that of print reading books.
9: There are high technical barriers to the adoption of digital reading materials, including a lack of sufficient infrastructure to
support device use, and high intellectual property-related transaction costs.
10: Operational challenges also constrain the uptake of digital materials, and include challenges related to education policy, content
availability, and utilization.
Supply chain management of
books
11: Supply chain and distribution issues vary by country, although common challenges include weak demand forecasting, poor
management systems, and loss of books.
12: Distribution can take place through centralized or decentralized methods, with the public, private, and NGO sectors playing a
mix of roles. The effectiveness of the distribution model varies by context and influenced by accountability measures and the
capability of the responsible actor.
13: Citizen accountability mechanisms to monitor distribution have been used successfully in some countries – for example, India
and the Philippines – and may hold valuable lessons to reduce corruption in sub-Saharan Africa.
Usage of books 14: Although data on reading books is limited, research on textbooks reveals that book provision does not equate with usage.
15: Many teachers are unaware how to appropriately use books in classrooms and how to set up and run school and classroom
libraries. Usage can therefore be optimized through ensuring pedagogical quality of books, teacher training on how to incorporate
books in lessons, establishment of classroom libraries, and advocacy campaigns.
16: Some research exists on how best children can practice reading and the number of titles needed per student, but uncertainties
on cost-effectiveness of reading programs persist due to lack of data.
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