The Political Economy of Education in South Asia: Fighting Poverty, Inequality, and Exclusion

Description

With the exception of Sri Lanka, South Asian countries have not achieved quality basic education – an essential measure for escaping poverty, inequality, and social exclusion. In The Political Economy of Education in South Asia, John Richards, Manzoor Ahmed, and Shahidul Islam emphasize the importance of a dynamic system for education policy. The Political Economy of Education in South Asia documents the weak core competency (reading and math) outcomes in government primary schools in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, and the consequent rapid growth of non-government schools over the last two decades. It compares the training, hiring, and management of teachers in South Asian schools to successful national systems ranging from Singapore to Finland. Discussing reform options, it makes the case public good and public priorities are better served when both public and non-government providers come under a strong public policy and accountability framework. The Political Economy of Education in South Asia draws on the authors' broad engagement in education research and practice in South Asia, as well as analysis by prominent professors of education and NGO leaders, to place basic education in a broad context and make the case that universal literacy and numeracy are necessary foundations for economic growth. Cover Half-title page Endorsements Title page Copyright page Contents List of Figures, Tables, Boxes, and Appendices Foreword Preface Biographies Part One: Diagnostics: Chronic Quality Deficit in South Asia’s Basic Education 1 Growth, Well-Being, and Basic Education 2 From “Education for All” to SDG4 3 Assessing Primary School Performance in Reading and Mathematics 4 Why Does Low Quality Persist in South Asian Schools? 5 The Sri Lanka Exception and Its Stubborn Challenges Part Two: Teachers: The Pivot of Educational Change 6 The Education Workforce – Numbers and More 7 Who Should Be Teachers – Features of a High-Quality Education Workforce 8 How Teachers Can Be Professionals – Preparing and Orienting the Education Workforce 9 Governance and Management of the Education Workforce 10 Ethics and Values Education and Teachers Part Three: The Political Economy of Educational Reform 11 Private Schools and Public Good 12 Toward a New Education Governance Paradigm 13 Political Economy of Education – Leveraging Change References Index