Professional Documents
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Educ Review 2009 Brochure
Educ Review 2009 Brochure
Educ Review 2009 Brochure
Economic Crisis
To ensure quality education for all people to achieve
The global financial crisis is creating an emergency their potential and for all societies to eliminate
for development and threatening countries’ ability
2009
poverty, stimulate growth and innovation, and
to reach the 2015 Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). Basic education relies heavily on public funds,
EDUCATION ensure long-term development
so large reductions in public revenues could affect Year in Review HOW WE WORK
school operations, teacher salaries, and scholarships.
Secondary and tertiary education also rely on out- Three quarters of countries in Latin America and the
of-pocket spending, so widespread job loss can put Caribbean, Europe and Central Asia, and East Asia
postbasic education out of reach for poor students. Visit the World Bank Education websites for additional information. and the Pacific have met or are on track to meet the
Previous crises have demonstrated that enrollments, at Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of universal primary
World Bank Education: www.worldbank.org/education
least for a short period of time, can be sticky for two education completion. In contrast, a near majority of
reasons: parents and governments want to protect Sub-Saharan Africa: www.worldbank.org/afr/education countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are not
past education investments and the opportunity cost of East Asia and the Pacific: www.worldbank.org/eapeducation on track to meet this MDG. In addition, an estimated 264
Europe and Central Asia: www.worldbank.org/eca/education
schooling decreases in times of higher unemployment. Latin American and the Caribbean: www.worldbank.org/laceducation
million youth are not enrolled in secondary school, and
However, sustained reductions in education investments Middle East and Northern Africa: www.worldbank.org/mena/education there is a growing demand to expand tertiary education
also have a potential impact that is less visible than lower South Asia: www.worldbank.org/sareducation so that countries can enhance their skilled labor force.
Research: econ.worldbank.org/programs/hd_and_public_services
enrollments, harder to measure, and ultimately harder to World Bank Institute: www.worldbank.org/wbi/education
The World Bank addresses these challenges in three
recover from—a deterioration in the quality of instruction International Finance Corporation: www.ifc.org/education main ways:
and learning.
Knowledge
Education and skill formation are critical to a country’s
recovery from the current financial crisis and to its long- The World Bank serves as a knowledge bank for data,
term development. Even the world’s richest nations research findings and best practices in policy design and
include education investments as part of their economic Photo credits: Trevor Samson, Curt Carnemark, Ray Witlin, Alfredo Srur. implementation. Generating and sharing this knowledge
stimulus plans. Protecting education access and investing through media, training activities and technical advice is
in quality while improving the efficiency of education a Bank priority.
systems make good economic sense.
Operations
The World Bank is the largest source of external aid to
education. It uses a variety of instruments to provide
financial support to governments of developing countries,
helping them design and implement education sector
plans. Through more decentralization to field offices,
the Bank works closely with governments at the ground
level, increasing collaboration and enabling country
ownership.
Partnership
The World Bank works with a wide range of partners
to align donor aid with country objectives. It works with
CD-ROM Content: Education Year in Review 2009, with full text the donor community, through partnerships and co-
access to 2009 education publications and operations financing, to help ensure the greatest impact.
World Bank
Human Development Network, Education
1818 H Street, NW
Washington DC, 20433 USA
Email: eservice@worldbank.org