Despite heavy investment in education, Nepal is unlikely to achieve the Millennium Development Goal target of universal primary education for all children by 2015, a World Bank report said today.

In the first comprehensive study to analyse the performance of South Asian countries in education sector, the World Bank said the primary level completion rate rose from 65 per cent in 1999 to 85 in 2009 but it still trails the world average of 88.5 per cent which means that Nepal along with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan in South Asia are unlikely to meet the target by 2015.

The report noted that from 2000 to 2010, investment has increased students’ enrollment rate in the region’s primary schools from 75 per cent to 89 per cent, bringing the region closer to enrollment rates in Latin America and the Caribbean (94 per cent) and East Asia and the Pacific (95 per cent).

While the enrollment rate has improved, the retention rate continues to be poor. The report said that although the proportion of children who reach the final year of a given level has risen significantly through the 2000s, the retention rate at higher level remains low.

The report said that students’ achievement level is generally low throughout the region, except for Sri Lanka. The report further states that the poor quality of education in South Asia, as reflected in low learning level, traps many of its young people in poverty and prevents economic growth. “The governments in the region have recognised that they must now do more to improve the quality of education in schools, after having achieve tremendous progress in increasing children’s access to school over the past decade,” it said.

“Just spending time in school is not enough. There has to be a significant gain in skills that requires an improvement in the quality of education,” said Philippe Le Houérou, World Bank vice president for the South Asia Region, adding, “This will help countries in the region to reap the full expected returns on their investments and generate gains in productivity and economic growth.”

Yet, there are huge differences in access to school across South Asia as well as between different socio-economic and demographic groups within countries.

“Sri Lanka is a clear outlier, having achieved near-universal primary education decades ago. Afghanistan and Pakistan still lag significantly behind other South Asian countries.”

“The poor quality of education in South Asia is a major obstacle to the region’s future economic prospects,” said Halil Dundar, a lead education specialist at the World Bank and one of the authors of the report. “Raising education quality in South Asia is an urgent priority that could transform the region’s economic landscape.”

The report also recommended the governments to ensure that young children get enough nutrition, raise teachers’ quality, use financial incentives to boost quality, improve the measurement of students’ progress, encourage the private sector to invest in education, among others.

Poor report card
- Poor education quality has resulted in poor economy of the the region
- The enrollment rate has improved, but the retention of students at higher levels still remains low
- South Asian countries with a primary level completion rate of 85 per cent trail world average of 88.5 per cent

source: the himalayan times,1 july 2014