|
Washington: The
World Bank has offered $500 million interest-free credit to India
for improving the standards of secondary education, an official
statement said Friday.
The World Bank Thursday approved the credit that will help the
Indian government's efforts to make good quality education
"available, accessible and affordable to all young persons at the
secondary level (grades 9 and 10)."
The project will support all activities as envisioned in the $12.9
billion Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) programme, a
flagship government of India programme for gradual
universalisation of secondary education, the World Bank said in a
statement.
"This World Bank project will support the objectives and
activities of RMSA. It will facilitate a whole set of mechanisms
built around identifying what is needed to improve the quality of
secondary education," said Venu Rajamony, joint secretary,
economic affairs in India's finance ministry.
The project will be financed by a credit from the International
Development Association (IDA) -- the World Bank's concessionary
lending arm - which provides interest-free loans with 25 years to
maturity and a grace period of five years.
The money will be used for setting up libraries, computer
laboratories, upgrading primary schools in to secondary schools
and providing training to teachers.
In addition, expansion, repair and renovation will take place in
some 60,000 existing government secondary schools; some 44,000
upper primary schools will be upgraded into secondary schools; and
about 11,000 new secondary and senior secondary schools will come
up mainly in underserved areas.
Efforts will also be made to strengthen the role of local bodies
in school management, which can, over time, lead to greater
accountability and improved outcomes, the World Bank said.
"RMSA is a young programme which is expected to grow rapidly and
hence it is an opportunity for the World Bank to support the
government of India in building effective systems as the programme
expands while improving quality," said Roberto Zagha, World Bank
country director for India.
Zagha pointed out that a major concern in India these days was the
issue of quality education.
"Mere improvement in access, if it is of differential quality, may
not be conducive for inclusive growth. Recent international
research confirms that improved quality - measured by cognitive
skills - is important in determining future income and
contribution to economic growth," he said.
"Hence the country needs all their young people to get good
quality secondary education," Zagha added.
The World Bank's funded project is designed to meet critical needs
in secondary education.
"First, to make sure that secondary education expands in such a
way that quality and equity are enhanced at the same time; second,
to develop and evaluate innovative approaches to secondary
education; and, third, to leverage World Bank resources to help
the government address systemic issues in the sector."
|
Comments
|
Quick links