Student Learning in South Asia : Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Priorities.
Title:
Student Learning in South Asia : Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Priorities.
Author:
Dundar, Halil.
ISBN:
9781464801617
Personal Author:
Physical Description:
1 online resource (440 pages)
Series:
Directions in Development
Contents:
Front Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- Abbreviations -- Overview -- Introduction -- The Quality Challenge -- A Closer Look at Student Learning in South Asia -- Priorities for Quality Improvement in South Asia -- Looking Ahead -- Notes -- Bibliography -- PART 1 Introduction -- Chapter 1 Why Look at Student Learning Outcomes in South Asia? -- Introduction -- Progress in School Participation -- Why Focus on the Quality of Education? -- How Student Learning Outcomes Are Analyzed -- Structure of the Report -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Chapter 2 What and How Much Are Students Learning? -- Introduction -- Levels of Student Achievement -- International Comparisons -- Variance in Student Achievement -- Changes in Achievement over Time -- Quality of Learning -- Geographical Variations -- Annex 2A: National Learning Assessments in South Asia -- Annex 2B: Bhutan: Grade 2 and 4 Students Who Attained Competency in Dzongkha and English, 2007 -- Annex 2C: Grade 9 Students Meeting TIMSS International Mathematics Benchmarks, 2003 -- Annex 2D: Rural Pakistan: Student Reading and Arithmetic Achievement, by Province, 2010 -- Notes -- Bibliography -- PART 2 Foundations for Learning: School Readiness -- Chapter 3 Learning Outcomes and Individual and Household Characteristics -- Introduction -- Gender -- Other Child-Specific Factors -- Parental Background -- Annex 3A: Bangladesh: Mastery of Learning Outcomes, by Subject and Sex, Grades 3 and 5, 2008 -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Chapter 4 Early Childhood Development and the Role of Preschool -- Introduction -- South Asia: Situational Analysis -- Skills Important for Schooling Success -- Early Childhood Development Policies and Interventions in South Asia -- Equity in Access to ECD Services in South Asia -- ECD Policies and Outcomes.
Policy Implications -- Notes -- Bibliography -- PART 3 Determinants of Learning Outcomes: School-Level Factors -- Chapter 5 Teacher Quality in South Asia -- Introduction -- Improving Learning by Enhancing Teacher Skills and Knowledge -- The Role of Remuneration in Motivating Teachers -- Uniform Pay Structure versus Performance-Related Pay and Career Promotion Schemes -- Teacher Accountability, Management, and Deployment -- Teacher Politicization -- Low Teacher Morale -- Policy Implications -- Annex 5A: Ratio of Teacher Salary to Per Capita Income (Rupees), by State, India, 2008 -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Chapter 6 Inside the Classroom: Teacher Effort and Practices -- Introduction -- Curriculum and Instructional Materials -- Teacher Availability and Instructional Time in Schools -- A Closer Look at Reading -- Addressing Challenges in Pedagogy and Classroom Processes -- Summary -- Notes -- Bibliography -- PART 4 Determinants of Learning Outcomes: Systems-Level Factors -- Chapter 7 Financing for Quality Education -- Introduction -- Has South Asia Been Short of Resources for Education? -- Would Investment in Inputs Improve Education Quality? -- Financing as a Tool to Improve Quality -- Policy Implications -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Chapter 8 Monitoring Learning Outcomes: Student Assessment Systems -- Introduction -- Types and Key Features of Student Assessments -- Public Examinations in South Asia -- System-Level Assessments in South Asian Countries -- Classroom Assessments in South Asia -- Policy Implications -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Chapter 9 Private Education: Fostering Choice and Competition -- Introduction -- Trends in Private Sector Engagement -- Types of Private Sector Engagement -- Do Private Schools Offer Better Quality Education? -- What Contributes to Greater Learning in Private Schools? -- Cost-Effectiveness of Private Schools.
Impact on Quality of Other Public-Private Partnership Structures -- Policy Implications -- Annex 9A: Total and Private Enrollment Rates of Different Socioeconomic Groups -- Annex 9B: Public-Private Partnerships in South Asia: Impact Evaluation Results -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Chapter 10 Delivering Quality Education in South Asia: Has Decentralization Worked? -- Introduction -- Decentralization: Concepts, Rationale, and Models -- Decentralization and School Quality -- Decentralization Challenges: Lessons from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka -- Summary -- Annex 10A: Analysis of Indian PISA 2009-10 Data -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Boxes -- Figures -- Tables -- Back Cover.
Abstract:
For the past decade, most South Asian countries have directed their efforts towards achieving universal access to elementary education. While these investments have led to more children being retained in school, they have not translated into better learning outcomes. This report comprehensively analyzes the performance of South Asian educational systems in terms of student learning. It attempts to answer three questions: How well do education systems in South Asia perform? What determines student learning outcomes? What policy options are effective in improving learning outcomes, especially given increasing demand and competition for public resources? Because learning outcomes and skill acquisition in the region are low in both absolute and relative terms, schooling does not translate, as it should, into better life chances, including escape from poverty for many more. Nor does schooling contribute to higher productivity and economic growth, so that countries in the region find it difficult to accelerate economic and social development. Governments in the region now fully realize that they need to direct their attention toward improving quality so that students can aspire to fuller lives as both individuals and labor market participants. Merely spending time in school is not enough; students need to register a significant gain in both noncognitive and cognitive skills if countries in the region are to reap full returns on their investments and generate gains in employment, job creation, and productivity. To examine what policies hold promise for improving student learning, the report reviews evidence from large-scale national learning assessments and findings from impact evaluations being conducted in the region. It identifies the following strategic priorities for improving learning outcomes in South Asia: (1) Make learning outcomes the central
goal of education policy; (2) Invest in early childhood nutrition; (3) Improve teacher effectiveness and accountability; (4) Provide additional support to disadvantaged children in early grades; (5) Use financing effectively; (6) Leverage the contribution of the non-state sector; and (7) Build learning assessment systems. Each of these policy options will need to be integrated within a larger agenda of inclusive economic growth and governance reform to be truly effective.
Local Note:
Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2017. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.
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