Education and the World Bank in India

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Education and the World Bank in India

• Sam Carlson
• Lead Education Specialist
• scarlson_at_worldbank.org

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Summary

• Primary education is a fundamental right in
  India, and at the international level an
  important Millennium Development Goal to which
  India and the Bank are totally committed.
• GOI and States increasingly recognize education
  as a critical input for human capital
  development, employment/ jobs, and economic
  growth, and are putting major financial and
  technical resources into this effort.
• Nevertheless, demand for education far exceeds
  supply, in terms of both access and quality, at
  all levels.
• Anxious to get YOUR views as to how the Bank can
  improve its impact on access, learning outcomes
  and reducing skills shortages.

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Basic Education

• Two decades of focused programs in basic
  education have reduced out-of-school youth to
  about 10 M (down from 25 M in 2003), most from
  marginalized social groups. Net enrollment rate
  is 85, with social disparities.
• Key challenge is to finish the access agenda
  and dramatically increase focus on quality, with
  more attention to classroom processes, basic
  reading skills in early grades, teacher quality
  and accountability, community/parent oversight,
  evaluation/assessment.

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Secondary Education

• Access and Quality remain big challenges.
• Gross enrollment rate of 40, with significant
  gaps between genders, social groups, urban/rural,
  such that most secondary students are urban boys
  from wealthier population groups.
• Private aided and unaided schools 60 of all
  secondary schools, and growing.
• Overloaded curriculum, poor teaching practices
  and low primary level quality affect secondary
  quality.

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Vocational Education and Training (VET)

• VET system is small, and not responding of needs
  of labor market lt40 of graduates find
  employment quickly.
• Insufficient involvement of industry and
  employers in VET system management, internships.
• Lack of incentives of public training
  institutions to improve performance.

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Technical and Higher Education

• Numerically huge 330 universities and 18,000
  colleges
• Substantial private provision in professional
  education.
• But just 11 of youth 18-23 are enrolled.
• Problems of capacity, quality, relevance, and
  public funding. Hard to retain qualified
  faculty. Limited research.
• Several world-class institutions.

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GOI Education Strategy

• Unprecedented priority to universal elementary
  education.
• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan aims to universalize
  elementary education by 2010, and improve
  learning outcomes.
• Education cess of 3 on income tax, corporation
  tax, excise and customs duties generates
  necessary resources
• Cost-Share was 50/50 (2007), moving to 65/35
  Center/State
• Estimate 11th Plan 07-12 60,000-70,000
  crores (US17 billion)
• Increased focus on quality and upper primary in
  phase II.

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GOI Strategy (continued)

• National Mission for Skills is being set up,
  looking at both VET and secondary education
• New centrally sponsored scheme to update all
  industrial training institutes (ITIs)
• Significant investments in higher education
  (including reforms and expansion) are expected

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Bank Strategy and Support

• IDA Lending 0, 35 years to repay with first 10
  years grace (no repayment)
• Since FY00 over US 1 Billion (Rupees 40
  billion) committed to sector.
• Over last 10 years eight State-level District
  Primary Education Projects
• US 500 M for SSA I Additional US500 M in
  November 2007 for SSA II
• Increased focus on quality in SSA II
• Partner with European Commission and UK DFID
• Still a small player Bank is less than 10 of
  GOI

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Bank Strategy and Support (continued)

• US 280 M for VET support 400 Industrial
  Training Institutes, for improved quality and
  relevance (June 2007)
• US 250 M for Technical Education and
  Engineering reforms in 128 competitively
  selected engineering institutions in 13 states to
  address skills shortages
• US 70 M for polytechnics in six remote states
  (possible 300 M additional)
• State education reforms in Orissa and AP

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Collaboration with Civil Society

• Over 7,000 NGOs participating as partners in SSA
• Alternative education programs bridge courses
• Monitoring of quality
• Capacity-building of VECs
• Reference Groups advising States, Districts and
  Blocs
• Contracting (e.g. MP with Pratham)
• Not surprisingly, varies greatly by State

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Bank Research

• Elementary Education
• Impact evaluation regarding
• Incentive payments and schooling inputs on
  student learning
• Dissemination of education information on school
  governance and student outcomes
• School characteristics and student outcomes
• Instructional time on task survey

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Bank Research

• Early Childhood Development focus on integrated
  (health/nutrition/education) approaches
• Will feed into US 450 M Integrated Child
  Development Services Project
• Secondary Education major analytical study
  related to expanding access, particularly for
  girls and marginalized groups, and to role of
  private sector
• Higher Education contribute to debate regarding
  how India can address skills shortages among HE
  graduates, linked to economic growth
  opportunities.

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Banks Limitations

• Engagement in Indian education is largely through
  centrally-sponsored schemes, while most
  implementation happens at the State level. Need
  to find ways to foster dialogue and technical
  assistance with States, and increase exchanges
  with civil society on substantive policy issues.

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Additional Issues for Discussion

• Access versus quality tradeoffs
• Role of public and private sectors in education
  financing and provision
• Prioritization of education levels (basic,
  secondary, VET, higher)
• Role of civil society in policy debates and
  project implementation

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Thank You