World Bank seeks education reform

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33730, 31 December 1974, Page 9

World Bank seeks education reform

I (X 7.P A Reuter —Copyriglitl | WASHINGTON. December 30. I The World Bank has [published a sweeping 'criticism of education in .developing countries and [offered more than |SNZ266 million to help make changes. 1 The bank said that con ven-' tional primary, secondary and university education was in-

adequate and laid stress in-ir stead on mass basic educa- t tion for children and adults, i ! In a 73-page report, the < [bank complained that schools,! [in developing countries I '“show an elitist bias, favour-j ling urban and middle class'! [groups at the expense of the 1 urban and rural poor.” h Their efforts so far "have' oeen insufficient to provide! education for more than half' [of the children and adults in (developing countries,” it 'added. “Twenty-five of the poorest! countries have only one-third I of the primary age children I enrolled,” the bank reported.

I The bank said that "the ; prospects are not promising ' .and added; "there will be (significant increases in the [total number of out-of-school [children and illiterate adult, |if no remedial action is ''taken.” In its new basic education plan for the masses, the bank proposed a “fundamental, 'flexible, low-cost education [for those whom the formal .[system cannot yet reach or I has already passed by.” It would try to provide

minimum learning needs such as literacy and understanding of numbers, coupled with a systematic effort to link education and work. The bank said that its allocaiton of between !SUS3SOm and $US4OOni between 1974 and 1978 was only a start. ! It added: "The risks involved in highly innovative I action are substantial for the bank and even more so for the borrower.” I The bank also predicted [that “very few countries will I undertake the radical changes i which many observers con.l sider necessary."