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The Private Sector, Learning, and the Poor

David Lawrence's picture

When the words “private sector” and “education” come together, they conjure up the widening chasm between the rich and poor: elite education in private schools. An article in The New York Times, for example, describes a growing education gap as contributing to a “kind of cultural divide” in the United States. A smart kid growing up without access to good education, the argument goes, will be limited for life, regardless of how bright or motivated he or she is.

Is the school day too short in Latin America?

Peter Holland's picture

Also available in Español, Portuguese

Do longer classroom hours equal good grades? Spending more time in school is a subject currently being discussed as one solution to improving students' academic performance with the ultimate goal of making countries more competitive in the global economy.

This is true for emerging and advanced economies alike.

Seeing a child like a state: Holding the poor accountable for bad schools -- Guest post by Lant Pritchett

In the early 20th century Helen Todd, a factory inspector in Chicago, interviewed 500 children working in factories, often in dangerous and unpleasant conditions. She asked children the question: “If your father had a good job and you didn’t have to work, which would you rather do—go to school or work in a factory?” 412 said they would choose factory work. One fourteen year old girl, who was interviewed lacquering canes in an attic working with both intense heat and the constant smell of turpentine, said “School is the fiercest thing you can come up against. F

Surprises at the Annual Meetings!

Shaiza Qayyum's picture

Have you ever had the feeling of being overwhelmed because you got more, much, much more than what you were expecting? Well, I hadn’t, till I came for the World Bank and IMF Annual meetings.

Usually, any long, monotonous sessions would lull me to sleep, but somehow, I was wide awake in every session that I attended, despite being jet-lagged and sleep-deprived! Be it the youth capacity building session with the IMF officials, or getting a chance to mingle with the IMF sponsored youth leaders and CSOs, the learning only in the first 5 hours of the meetings was phenomenal. I must confess, my mind was boggled, and I felt a little dizzy, either due to sleep-deprivation or due to the information overload, I can’t truthfully say!

It wasn’t until the second day that things came back to normal. Maybe it was the jet lag wearing off; maybe it was the fact that all the other World Bank youth delegates had gelled in so well, as if we had known each other for ages, but there was something about the place that started feeling like home.

I want my children to go to this kind of school

Nugroho Nurdikiawan Sunjoyo's picture
Parents and community members are more willing to support a school from having full knowledge about the school's resources.

Available in Bahasa

Years and years ago, when I was still in school, the interaction my parents had with the school was only during report card day, and perhaps the odd times I got into trouble. That was it. Although my son is only a year and a half old, I’ve been on the lookout for a school and I would rather not have him study at the type of school I went to.

Learning under the trees in Ongiva

Cristina Santos's picture

I started working in Angola just before the peace treaty was signed in 2002. Luanda was a dangerous city at the time, and armed youths were a common sight on the street corners. Traveling within the country was almost impossible as roads were either destroyed or mined. The authorities had little control over service delivery, and in many provinces, the population had migrated and there were very few villages left. But now, nine years after the peace treaty, Angola is a very different country. It is about this new country that I want to tell you, about a school in one of the most remote villages in Angola, where a silent revolution is taking place – a learning revolution.Lucinda Alves with her students at the Caxila school in Ongiva

I must first introduce you to Lucinda Alves, a primary school teacher. Lucinda is 26 years old, and like many of her fellow villagers, returned to Ongiva, in the southern province of Cunene, after the war. After attending eight years of school, she is now a primary school teacher. She is one of about 70,000 new teachers who were recruited by the Ministry of Education between 2004 and 2008. Like many of her colleagues all over the country, Lucinda is an auxiliary teacher. This is a new teacher category that is supposed to include those with a minimum qualification of 12 years of schooling and no pedagogical training. The next category, teacher with a diploma, allows auxiliary teachers to upgrade their academic and pedagogical qualifications and develop their careers. All teachers in Lucinda’s school are auxiliary including the head teacher.

Of Literacy and Lying...

Saadia Iqbal's picture

Have you ever felt you're not learning much in school? I certainly had that problem, although I have to admit that was mostly because of an unfortunate tendency to daydream...the one thing I did learn was how to lie, but that's only because I went to a really strict school where you had to be quick with excuses for things like why you were late, or weren't wearing your school blazer and other such terrible misdemeanors.

Lessons from China for Africa – One more view

Philip E. Karp's picture

David Dollar and I have both posted recently about lessons from China for Africa.  Here is one more view, from Joe Remenyi who recently served a stint as Research Director for the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC).  IPRCC w

Lessons from China for Africa - my take

David Dollar's picture

Thirty African officials visited China for 12 days in May on a pilot South-South knowledge exchange organized by the Chinese government with assistance from the World Bank.  My colleague, Phil Karp, has written about the program, including the study tour around China that he accompanied.  I met the officials in Beiji

China-Africa learning on development -- lessons for and from all involved

Philip E. Karp's picture

I recently had the pleasure of accompanying a group of 15 senior officials from East and Southern Africa on a field visit to Guangxi Autonomous Region and Guangdong Province.  Prior to the field visit, the officials had spent three days in Beijing at a workshop on China’s development experience.