The Government of Sri Lanka's Education Sector Development Framework and Program (ESDFP) initiated a major development innovation for primary and secondary education for the period 2006-2010. Their strategy was organized around four key themes: improving equitable access to basic and secondary...

A well-informed and knowledgeable community is of vital importance for the economic and social development of a modem society. The knowledge and skills required for present day activities are much more complex than those required in the past. Today, many jobs require expert thinking and...

Scientific literacy is essential to stimulate an environment conducive to new knowledge generation, discovery and innovation. A quality school science education is central to building a scientifically literate population. Science education in Sri Lanka has progressed both quantitatively and...

Disparities in school outcomes are an important source of income inequality, especially in rapidly developing and developed economies where the returns to schooling have been increasing. It is therefore important to document and understand the sources of schooling inequality. The...

South Asia is at the cusp of change. Aside from being blessed with abundant natural resources, it is one of the world's most densely-populated regions, being home to over 1.6 billion people. Most importantly, it had experienced rapid population growth and is now home to a talented young...

Mainly three functions of the mobile phone are utilized in developing countries: (i) voice, (ii) SMS, and (iii) mobile application. Through combining these functions, mobile phones have been used to collect data, provide information and services, and act as an intermediary platform to solve...

This study evaluates a community-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the impact of an information campaign on learning and other school outcomes. The study was conducted in three Indian states, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Madhya Pradesh (MP), and Karnataka. UP and MP are two large north...

The social dimensions and benefits of education are being increasingly appreciated in developed and middle-income countries. Among the many social benefits of education, promoting social cohesion in countries has become extremely important in the modern world, as global mobility of culturally...

The World Bank has been supporting the Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE)program for India through its support to the flagship program of the Government of India, theSarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA). The Bank's ongoing support to SSA is a little over USD 1 billion.With reducing national...

Providing quality training that leads young people to jobs is critical for the economic and social development of the Province of Sindh, Pakistan. This working paper assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (STEVTA) as a provincial...