| What type of work
does the World Bank do in the area of tertiary
education? |
The World Bank's first education loan in
1963 to the country of Tunisia contained a
significant tertiary education component to
support teacher education. Ever since that
time, the World Bank has consistently
supported tertiary education projects,
though the nature of investments has evolved
with the Bank's general mission from
providing brick-&-mortar operations, to
providing many more loans for systemic
reforms and capacity building.
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How much lending takes place in the area of
tertiary education?
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From 1963 to 2004 the World Bank lent over US$8.4 billion for 336 education projects with tertiary education components in 107 countries. In the ten years from 1994-2004, Bank lending for tertiary education averaged US$343 million per year.
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Which regions receive World Bank loans for
tertiary education?
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The Latin America and Caribbean region has received the largest share (33%) of Bank lending for tertiary education over the last 10 years, followed by the East Asia and Pacific region (29%), the South Asian region (15%). Together these three regions receive over 77 percent of Bank lending in this sub-sector. Currently, the World Bank's education portfolio has over 40 active loan projects that are intended specifically to support tertiary education in developing countries. The education portfolio also contains more than 45 education projects with tertiary education components.
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What other activities does the World Bank
conduct in the area of tertiary education?
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In addition to providing loans to client
countries for specific education sector
objectives, the World Bank offers technical
assistance so that the borrowing governments
may efficiently assess, execute and evaluate
all related projects. The Bank also conducts
research on tertiary education and
disseminates the findings through
publications, seminars, and training
programs, on a variety of topics important
to the promotion of innovation in tertiary
education.
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With the World Bank education policy
placing so much emphasis on the importance
of basic education, is tertiary education
being neglected?
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No. Higher education is a key piece to the
holistic puzzle of a country's entire
education system, providing the advanced
skills required by teachers, doctors,
scientists, civic leaders, technicians and
entrepreneurs. Adequate education capacity
is key to a competitive workforce, and that
includes higher-order skills. Even to
promote literacy, good health and other
aspects of human development in
disadvantaged segments of the population,
countries require good quality tertiary
education - teacher training institutes,
nursing schools, medical colleges,
universities, and local avenues for lifelong
learning - so that sufficient numbers of
appropriately trained professionals are
generated to support these development goals
that are proven to reduce poverty.
Investments are being made at all levels of
education to support the comprehensive and
equitable expansion of human capital needed
to better the lives of all people.
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What has the World Bank identified as the
most promising directions for the
development/evolution of tertiary education?
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The volume of participation, the breadth and
diversity of its learners imply the need for
greater attention to responsiveness,
inclusiveness, more integrated and coherent
policies, new co-operation across sectors
and among providers and a diminution of
rigidities. Among the most promising
directions for policies: promoting
inclusiveness through provision of more
options for learners to decide when, where,
how and what to study; increasing attention
to learning rather than teaching; reducing
drop-out and failure through increased
adaptations in programs, teaching and
learning to diverse student backgrounds,
needs and interests; establishing means to
recognize learning, whenever and however it
takes place; fostering the development of a
range of clear standards, reflecting the
diversity of program options and learning
aims; extending and deepening partnerships
with enterprises and employers; reinforcing
the management and leadership capacities in
tertiary education, at program, faculty,
institution and system levels; mobilizing
resources from public and private sources,
and encouraging their efficient and
effective use.
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