Quality, skills necessary for productivity gains, higher economic growth
An IBT Report
The poor quality of education in South Asian countries including Bangladesh prevents faster economic growth and more broadly shared prosperity, observed a recent World Bank report. Students are found to be poorly prepared in practical competencies such as measurement, problem-solving, and writing of meaningful and grammatically-correct sentences.
One quarter to one third of those who graduate from primary school lack basic numeracy and literacy skills that would enable them to further their education, the report pointed out. ‘With so many skills important in the work world missing from what is taught in schools, it is no surprise that employer surveys confirm that inferior education systems and the shortage of skills are constraining private sector investment.’ Terming the poor quality of education a major obstacle to the region’s future economic prospects, Halil Dundar, one of the report’s authors, said, ‘Raising education quality in South Asia is an urgent priority that could transform the region’s economic landscape.’
Also the Asian Development Bank, in its recent publications, emphasised that South Asia needs to invest more in education and skills training to improve economic opportunities for its growing youth population. ‘South Asian countries need to invest significantly in human capital to reap the benefits arising from the limited window of demographic dividend from a growing young population in the next 3-4 decades and to move up the value chain,’ said the ADB.
The WB report noted that many governments in South Asia had invested heavily in education to achieve the MDG targets and the investment resulted in an increase in the net enrollment rate in primary schools from 75% to 89% from 2000 to 2010. Yet, it added, there are large differences in schooling access across the countries of South Asia as well as between different socioeconomic and demographic groups within countries.
At present, said the ADB, the potential for e-learning in South Asia is limited by poor broadband access outside urban areas and by student deficiency in English. The Asian aid agency mentioned that in 2012, only 5% of Bangladeshis had internet access, and this market is growing slowly. Nepal was marginally better off with 9% of the population enjoying access.
To address the education challenges, the World Bank recommended engaging the private sector as South Asian governments cannot afford to improve educational quality by themselves. ‘The private sector is already playing a major role in education, and governments should encourage greater private-sector participation by easing entry barriers and encouraging well-designed public-private partnerships,’ said the report.
Private higher education, a comparatively recent phenomenon, now accounts for 28% of enrollments in South Asia and 35% in East Asia, according to the ADB.
Moreover, little is spent on technical and vocational education and training as a percentage of education ministry budgets or of total government spending: 2.6% of the Ministry of Education (MOE) budget in Bangladesh, 1.2% of the MOE budget and 0.2% of total government spending in Nepal, and 0.4% of total government spending in Sri Lanka.
