Tara Béteille – författare

Inequality in South Asia examines the trends in multiple dimensions of inequality, analyses the drivers of inequality, and identifies policies for shared prosperity in South Asia. Part one of the book covers not only inequality of consumption, but also inequality of services and draws upon the most recent household surveys in each country to capture the trends. The South Asian experience is also compared to that of other countries. Part two focuses on the drivers of inequality, the lack of opportunity, insufficient mobility of the poor and the vulnerability of the poor to shocks which are keeping the high rates of growth being generated recently in South Asia from having a larger impact on inequality. Part three addresses policies that could lead to a more equitable path of growth.The book highlights that because of the limited progressivity of tax systems in South Asia to address inequality, most of the public policy impact on inequality will be generated through the effect that expenditure policies have on opportunities and jobs. To ensure that growth generates more equity in the future, investment is needed in both resources to increase opportunities for more and better jobs, and management to address the variation in the quality of implementation in providing services to the poor. At the same time, social protection is needed to ensure that the health, economic, and natural disaster shocks that are so prevalent in South Asia do not make it impossible for the poor to accumulate assets and share in future prosperity.

For the past decade, most South Asian countries have directed their efforts towards achieving universal access to elementary education. While these investments have led to more children being retained in school, they have not translated into better learning outcomes. This report comprehensively analyses the performance of South Asian educational systems in terms of student learning. It attempts to answer three questions:How well do education systems in South Asia perform?What determines student learning outcomes?What policy options are effective in improving learning outcomes, especially given increasing demand and competition for public resources?Because learning outcomes and skill acquisition in the region are low in both absolute and relative terms, schooling does not translate, as it should, into better life chances, including escape from poverty for many more. Nor does schooling contribute to higher productivity and economic growth, so that countries in the region find it difficult to accelerate economic and social development. Governments in the region now fully realize that they need to direct their attention toward improving quality so that students can aspire to fuller lives as both individuals and labour market participants. Merely spending time in school is not enough; students need to register a significant gain in both noncognitive and cognitive skills if countries in the region are to reap full returns on their investments and generate gains in employment, job creation, and productivity.To examine what policies hold promise for improving student learning, the report reviews evidence from large-scale national learning assessments and findings from impact evaluations being conducted in the region. It identifies the following strategic priorities for improving learning outcomes in South Asia: (1) Make learning outcomes the central goal of education policy; (2) Invest in early childhood nutrition; (3) Improve teacher effectiveness and accountability; (4) Provide additional support to disadvantaged children in early grades; (5) Use financing effectively; (6) Leverage the contribution of the non-state sector; and (7) Build learning assessment systems. Each of these policy options will need to be integrated within a larger agenda of inclusive economic growth and governance reform to be truly effective.

This report takes a detailed look at the complexity of the teacher management system in India. It compares and contrasts teacher management policies in nine Indian states with actual practice on the ground, identifying key implementation challenges.