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Challenges, Opportunities,Challenges, Priorities and Policy in South Asia Learning Student Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized DIRECTIONS IN DEVELOPMENT Human Development Dundar, Béteille, Riboud, and Deolalikar Béteille, Dundar, Student Learning in Public Disclosure Authorized South Asia Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Priorities Halil Dundar, Tara Béteille, Michelle Riboud, and Anil Deolalikar Public Disclosure Authorized Student Learning in South Asia DIRECTIONS IN DEVELOPMENT Human Development Student Learning in South Asia Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Priorities Halil Dundar, Tara Béteille, Michelle Riboud, and Anil Deolalikar © 2014 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000; Internet: www.worldbank.org Some rights reserved 1 2 3 4 17 16 15 14 This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. 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Under the Creative Commons Attribution license, you are free to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt this work, including for commercial purposes, under the following conditions: Attribution—Please cite the work as follows: Dundar, Halil, Tara Béteille, Michelle Riboud, and Anil Deolalikar. 2014. Student Learning in South Asia: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Priorities. Directions in Development. Washington, DC: World Bank. doi:10.1596/978-1-4648-0160-0. License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0 IGO Translations—If you create a translation of this work, please add the following disclaimer along with the attribution: This translation was not created by The World Bank and should not be considered an official World Bank translation. The World Bank shall not be liable for any content or error in this translation. 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All queries on rights and licenses should be addressed to the Publishing and Knowledge Division, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625; e-mail: pubrights@ worldbank.org. ISBN (paper): 978-1-4648-0160-0 ISBN (electronic): 978-1-4648-0161-7 DOI: 10.1596/978-1-4648-0160-0 Cover photo: © Swati Sahni/World Bank. Used with the permission of Swati Sahni. Further permission required for reuse. Cover design: Debra Naylor, Naylor Design Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dundar, Halil. Student learning in South Asia: challenges, opportunities, and policy priorities / by Halil Dundar, Tara Béteille, Michelle Riboud, and Anil Deolalikar. pages cm. — (Directions in development) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-4648-0160-0 (alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4648-0161-7 (electronic) 1. Education, Elementary—South Asia. 2. Education and state—South Asia. 3. Academic achievement—South Asia. I. Title. LB1556.7.S65D86 2014 372.95—dc23 2013048722 Student Learning in South Asia • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0160-0 Contents Foreword xvii Acknowledgments xix About the Authors xxi Abbreviations xxiii Overview 1 Introduction 1 The Quality Challenge 9 A Closer Look at Student Learning in South Asia 16 Priorities for Quality Improvement in South Asia 43 Looking Ahead 46 Notes 48 Bibliography 50 PART 1 Introduction 55 Chapter 1 Why Look at Student Learning Outcomes in South Asia? 57 Introduction 57 Progress in School Participation 60 Why Focus on the Quality of Education? 67 How Student Learning Outcomes Are Analyzed 73 Structure of the Report 79 Notes 80 Bibliography 80 Chapter 2 What and How Much Are Students Learning? 85 Introduction 85 Levels of Student Achievement 87 International Comparisons 93 Variance in Student Achievement 100 Changes in Achievement over Time 102 Quality of Learning 107 Geographical Variations 111 Student Learning in South Asia • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0160-0 v vi Contents Annex 2A: National Learning Assessments in South Asia 119 Annex 2B: Bhutan: Grade 2 and 4 Students Who Attained Competency in Dzongkha and English, 2007 123 Annex 2C: Grade 9 Students Meeting TIMSS International Mathematics Benchmarks, 2003 123 Annex 2D: Rural Pakistan: Student Reading and Arithmetic Achievement, by Province, 2010 125 Notes 126 Bibliography 127 PART 2 Foundations for Learning: School Readiness 129 Chapter 3 Learning Outcomes and Individual and Household Characteristics 131 Introduction 131 Gender 133 Other Child-Specific Factors 143 Parental Background 145 Annex 3A: Bangladesh: Mastery of Learning Outcomes, by Subject and Sex, Grades 3 and 5, 2008 158 Notes 158 Bibliography 159 Chapter 4 Early Childhood Development and the Role of Preschool 163 Introduction 163 South Asia: Situational Analysis 166 Skills Important for Schooling Success 169 Early Childhood Development Policies and Interventions in South Asia 178 Equity in Access to ECD Services in South Asia 186 ECD Policies and Outcomes 186 Policy Implications 187 Notes 188 Bibliography 188 PART 3 Determinants of Learning Outcomes: School-Level Factors 195 Chapter 5 Teacher Quality in South Asia 197 Introduction 197 Improving Learning by Enhancing Teacher Skills and Knowledge 199 The Role of Remuneration in Motivating Teachers 209 Student Learning in South Asia • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0160-0 Contents vii Uniform Pay Structure versus Performance-Related Pay and Career Promotion Schemes 216 Teacher Accountability, Management, and Deployment 220 Teacher Politicization 225 Low Teacher Morale 228 Policy Implications 229 Annex 5A: Ratio of Teacher Salary to Per Capita Income (Rupees), by State, India, 2008 232 Notes 232 Bibliography 233 Chapter 6 Inside the Classroom: Teacher Effort and Practices 239 Introduction 239 Curriculum and Instructional Materials 241 Teacher Availability and Instructional Time in Schools 243 A Closer Look at Reading 246 Addressing Challenges in Pedagogy and Classroom Processes 250 Summary 257 Notes 257 Bibliography 257 PART 4 Determinants of Learning Outcomes: Systems-Level Factors 261 Chapter 7 Financing for Quality Education 263 Introduction 263 Has South Asia Been Short of Resources for Education? 266 Would Investment in Inputs Improve Education Quality? 276 Financing as a Tool to Improve Quality 277 Policy Implications 287 Notes 288 Bibliography 290 Chapter 8 Monitoring Learning Outcomes: Student Assessment Systems 295 Introduction 295 Types and Key Features of Student Assessments 297 Public Examinations in South Asia 299 System-Level Assessments in South Asian Countries 305 Classroom Assessments in South Asia 312 Policy Implications 315 Notes 316 Bibliography 317 Student Learning in South Asia • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0160-0 viii Contents Chapter 9 Private Education: Fostering Choice and Competition 321 Introduction 321 Trends in Private Sector Engagement 324 Types of Private Sector Engagement 326 Do Private Schools Offer Better Quality Education? 329 What Contributes to Greater Learning in Private Schools? 335 Cost-Effectiveness of Private Schools 341 Impact on Quality of Other Public-Private Partnership Structures 343 Policy Implications 343 Annex 9A: Total and Private Enrollment Rates of Different Socioeconomic Groups 345 Annex 9B: Public-Private Partnerships in South Asia: Impact Evaluation Results 347 Notes 353 Bibliography 353 Chapter 10 Delivering Quality Education in South Asia: Has Decentralization Worked? 357 Introduction 357 Decentralization: Concepts, Rationale, and Models 359 Decentralization and School Quality 361 Decentralization Challenges: Lessons from India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka 374 Summary 383 Annex 10A: Analysis of Indian PISA 2009–10 Data 385 Notes 387 Bibliography 387 Boxes O.1 Key Messages 2 O.2 World Bank Education Strategy 2020: Invest Early, Invest Smartly, Invest for All 5 O.3 The Importance of Investing in Education Quality

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