World Bank strategy in the education sector: process, product and progress

For the World Bank - whose mandate is to work with partners to fight poverty and improve the quality of life in developing countries - education is central to the development agenda. While considerable progress has been made with increased access and improved outcomes in many developing countries, significant challenges remain. The World Bank has recently launched a new Sector Strategy designed to identify the Banks's priorities and directions in the education sector through cross-country and cross-regional analysis. The article outlines the process of development of the first Education Sector Strategy from conception (1997) to the formal presentation to the Executive Board of Directors (1999), highlighting the tensions that emerged during its evolution. The article proceeds to identify four global strategic priorities based on the Bank's commitment to the international education goals and the consensus - that there must be an unrelenting focus on the quality of teaching and learning - namely, (1) reaching for international goals; (2) early interventions; (3) innovative delivery: distance education, open learning and the use of new technologies; and (4) selected areas of system reform. The paper concludes with an:assessment of overall progress towards goals and objectives across the Bank's Education network. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.