Education and the World Bank in India

							Education and the
World Bank in India
       Sam Carlson
     Lead Education Specialist
     scarlson@worldbank.org
                    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.
                                                           2
            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.
                                                        3
       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.
                                                   4
    Vocational Education and
        Training (VET)

• VET system is small, and not responding of
  needs of labor market; <40% 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.

                                                       5
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.

                                                  6
    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 (US$17
  billion)
• Increased focus on quality and upper primary in phase II.
                                                           7
   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


                                                 8
 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 US$500 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 $

                                                              9
  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
                                                   10
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

                                                    12
              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.

                                                             13
        Bank’s 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.



                                                14
       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
                                                    15
Thank You



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