Lessons Not Learnt

In September 2018, the Indian government unveiled a massive three-billion-dollar project—Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States, or STARS—designed in collaboration with the World Bank to improve the country’s education system. While 85 percent of the project’s cost would be borne by the Indian government, the rest would be financed through a World Bank loan. The loan is still being negotiated, even as the Indian government prepares for the project’s implementation. But, unfortunately, the project has not seen much public discussion or scrutiny.

On paper, the programme seems promising. Besides taking on some national-level initiatives, the project seeks to reform the education system in six states: Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha. It promises improvement in early-childhood education, teacher and school-leadership development, and building infrastructure, among other noble objectives. But a closer look at the project document reveals a flawed understanding of the kind of intervention the country might need. The project ignores what many experts consider the most immediate problem—an underfunded