EDUCATION & DEVELOPMENT

Education is central to development. It empowers people and strengthens nations. It is a powerful equalizer, opening doors to all to lift themselves out of poverty. It is

critical to the worlds attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Two of the eight MDGs pertain to educationnamely, universal primary completion and gender parity in primary and secondary schooling. Moreover, educationespecially girls educationhas a direct and proven impact on the goals related to child and reproductive health and environmental sustainability. Education also promotes economic growth, national productivity and innovation, and values of democracy and social cohesion. Governments around the world recognize the importance of education. The provision of schooling is largely determined and financed by governments. However, in many countries there are other providers of education. Private education encompasses a wide range of providers including for-profit schools (that operate as enterprises), religious schools, non-profit schools run by NGOs, publicly funded schools operated by private boards, and community owned schools. In other words, there is a market for education. In low income countries excess demand for schooling results in private supply when the state cannot afford schooling for all. In high income countries, however, "differentiated" demand leads to a demand for private schooling, as a sophisticated clientele demands different kinds of schools. Unmet demand for education coupled with shrinking government budgets is obliging the public sector to develop innovative partnerships with the private sector. In addition, by extending support to these schools, and by providing financing, either by school grants or vouchers governments can provide better choices to parents and grant them an opportunity to fully participate in their childrens schooling.

ACCESS &EQUITY Where governments are not able to provide schooling facilities to all its population, private schools and public private partnerships in education are sometimes encouraged by governments as a policy.

 For instance in Indonesia, private schools cater specifically to the poorest sections of society, with the government policy explicitly committing to the private schools and channeling public funding into schools. QUAILTY It is considered that a management that gains profit out of teaching students would be more conscientious of the product it is producing to better market itself, hence have better quality. Also, the existence of private schools provides parents a choice, hence creating competition among schools and a drive to provide better quality education

EFFICIENCY Evidence suggests that demand-side programs where government expands the choice of the schools to parents and students can be a cost effective way of increasing educational attainment and education quality. This is the case in particular in countries with weak public school infrastructure, such as Colombia which has the largest school voucher program in the world. Private-Public-Partnerships can complement and enhance the role of the government in the provision of education. The task that each player can provide includes financial provision, pedagogical development, human resources development, service delivery, infrastructure, facilities management, among others.

Complementarities between the Private and Public Sectors Furthermore, each partnership works in specific locations and markets. For these reasons, it is critical to investigate which are the appropriate roles of each stakeholder in the provision of education in the context of specific markets and locations.

BENEFITS OF EDUCATION Investment in education benefits the individual, society, and the world as a whole. Broadbased education of good quality is among the most powerful instruments known to

reduce poverty and inequality. With proven benefits for personal health, it also strengthens nations economic health, by laying the foundation for sustained economic growth. For individuals and nations, it is key to creating, applying, and spreading knowledge and thus to the development of dynamic, globally competitive economies. And it is fundamental for the construction of democratic societies.

BENEFITS TO THE INDIVIDUALS Improves health and nutrition. Education greatly benefits personal health. Particularly powerful for girls, it profoundly affects reproductive health, and also improves child mortality and welfare through better nutrition and higher immunization rates. Education may be the single most effective preventive weapon against HIV/AIDS. Increases productivity and earnings. Research has established that every year of schooling increases individual wages for both men and women by a worldwide average of about 10 percent. In poor countries, the gains are even greater. Reduces inequality. Education is a great leveler, illiteracy being one of the strongest predictors of poverty. Primary education plays a catalytic role for those most likely to be poor, including girls, ethnic minorities, orphans, disabled people, and rural families. By enabling larger numbers to share in the growth process, education can be the powerful tide that lifts all boats.

BENEFITS TO SOCIETY Drives economic competitiveness. An educated and skilled workforce is one of the pillars of the knowledge-based economy. Increasingly, comparative advantages among nations come less from natural resources or cheap labor and more from technical innovations and the competitive use of knowledge. Studies also link education to economic growth: education contributes to improved productivity which in theory should lead to higher income and improved economic performance.

 Has synergistic, poverty-reducing effects. Education can vitally contribute to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. While two of the goals pertain directly to education, education also helps to reduce poverty, promote gender equality, lower child mortality rates, protect against HIV/AIDS, reduce fertility rates, and enhance environmental awareness. Contributes to democratization. Countries with higher primary schooling and a smaller gap between rates of boys and girls schooling tend to enjoy greater democracy. Democratic political institutions (such as power-sharing and clean elections) are more likely to exist in countries with higher literacy rates and education levels. Promotes peace and stability. Peace educationspanning issues of human security, equity, justice, and intercultural understanding is of paramount importance. Education also reduces crime: poor school environments lead to deficient academic performance, absenteeism, and drop outprecursors of delinquent and violent behavior. Promotes concern for the environment. Education can enhance natural resource management and national capacity for disaster prevention and adoption of new, environmentally friendly technologies Mothers education is a significant variable affecting childrens education attainment and opportunities. A mother with a few years of formal education is considerably more likely to send her children to school. In many countries each additional year of formal education completed by a mother translates into her children remaining in school for an additional one-third to one-half year.

EDUCATION IN THE CARIBBEAN The data in session 3 of the unit 7, provides an illustration of educational performance and the fiscal expenditure of education in selected Caribbean countries. As indicated in the data, education expenditure as a share of GDP on average is below 10%. Most Caribbean countries have attained universal secondary education and a few are thriving towards universal secondary education. Education and in fact the type of education that is promoted in the Caribbean is critical in the 21st century given the numerous challenges confronting the region.

 The Caribbean region now has to compete on a global level with other developed countries who have made tremendous strides in their educational prospects. Vocational and technical education system which is critical for Caribbean educational development is still not given the priority that is necessary. Too much emphasis is still placed on the academics. Science, technology and innovation is critical for Caribbean economic development and to provide the impetus for the region to compete with the rest of the world. The private sector still plays a minimal role in education development in the Caribbean. Vocational, secondary and tertiary education must all contribute to turning out graduates with the necessary skills. Moreover, since the skills required by todays labor market may not be the same as those that will be required in the future, a process of life long learning must be built into the education system. And at all levels and life-cycle stages, the education system must work with the private sector to understand and respond to its needs.