Description
Book SynopsisWith 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.
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Table of ContentsForeword Preface Part One: Diagnostics: Chronic Quality Deficit in South Asia’s Basic Education Introduction to Part One 1. Growth, Wellbeing and Basic Education 2. From “Education for All” to SDG4 3. Primary School Performance in Reading and Mathematics 4. Why Low Quality Persists in South Asia’s School Systems 5. The Sri Lanka Exception and Its Stubborn Challenges Part Two: Teachers: The Pivot of Educational Change Introduction to Part Two 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 Change Introduction to Part Three 11. Private Schools and Public Good 12. Toward a New Education Governance Paradigm 13. Political Economy of Education – Leveraging Change
