Investment in education, national strategy options for developing countries
SIMMONS, J.
The expansion of investment in formal education has been phenomenal in the last two decades and is continuing in most developing countries. Serious financial problems have arisen from the massive costs. Foreign exchange costs become serious when the expansion of secondary and higher education forces maintenance of ever larger numbers of expatriate teachers and imported school equipment and supplies. Reducing the rate of expansion, however, causes middle class parents to become outspoken critics, and these citizens are usually the main source of government support. Teachers, usually the largest single group of wage earners in a poor country, also are a politically potent element when changes are proposed. Finally, recent research suggests that schooling has not been as effective in promoting cognitive achievement, as measured by school tests, as had been expected. Nonschool factors, such as parental behavior, nutrition, and peer group experience have had an unexpected impact, while traditional school inputs have been insignificant in determining differences in student scores. Suggestions are made for three major areas of action to increase the value of human capital with optimal use of educational resources. Numerous references.
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