Collective concerns about the World Bank funded
Strengthening Teaching Learning and Results for States (STARS) project
To
Hartwig Schafer
Vice President, South Asia Region
World Bank
Dear Hartwig Schafer,
Subject: Postponement of World Bank loan to MHRD for
STARS Project
The Strengthening Teaching
Learning and Results for States (STARS) initiative comes at a critical
juncture as India considers a new education policy against the backdrop of the
COVID-19 pandemic that has revealed the fault lines in India’s education system.
We the undersigned have deep concerns that systemic inequities in India’s
education, as underscored by the pandemic, are not being addressed in the STARS
Project. There is an excessive focus on assessments and use of technology,
ignoring many of the severe challenges faced by project states to strengthen the
government school system and implement its statutory obligations under the Right
to Education (RTE) Act. An unsustainable reliance on non-state entities to
improve governance systems seems particularly misplaced as an approach to
build state capacity. Instead, we suggest measures that help to build a
self-reliant, empowered equitable and innovative public education system.
We strongly feel that the
consultation with independent civil society has been inadequate. Our specific
concerns can be clustered into two broad areas (1) involvement of
private entities paid for by taxpayer’s funds and (2) measures within the
government school system.
Problematic involvement of private entities
1. Similar
interventions in the past have failed. Global evidence of the impact of school vouchers or evaluation
of specific interventions like the Liberia PSL Pilot (marred by increased
dropout, exploitation of contract loopholes and less than optimum learning
outcomes, as well as an international scandal of sexual abuse of minors by one
of the operators), and the School Excellence programme’ implemented by the Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (shut down after failing to improve learning outcomes),
are proof of such failures. These were cited as examples of success in a past
version of the Project Information Document.
2. The project conflates all forms of
non-state actors into a single category and fails to provide safeguards for
engagement of the private sector. Participation must be not for-profit, in both theory and practice, particularly
in view of the recent decision by the International Finance
Corporation to freeze investment in for-profit education.
3. It ignores
evidence of large scale, independent assessments such as Annual Status of
Education Report (ASER)or the World
Bank’s WDR 2018 and Baum (2018) that clearly
show that private schools and Public–private partnerships (PPPs) do not provide a better quality of
education, but benefit from sorting-effects. Private schools are exclusionary
for children with disability and from marginalized communities, as well as
girls.
Problematic strategies aimed at improving government
schools
1. While the case for the project is based on the need to address poverty,
discrimination, and inequality in India it fails to spell out any pro-equity measures to
address intergenerational social and economic barriers or the continued problem
of out of school children. A clear strategy to address segregation,
exclusion and inequality between various forms of schools in India, between
social groups and along gender lines would be critical.
2. Excessive focus on standardized assessments. There is no lack of awareness among all concerned
stakeholders that learning in India leaves room for improvement. Spending on expanding
standardized testing in India, especially the engagement with PISA, will not
change the quality of learning, while running the danger of ‘teaching to the
test’.
3. Assumptions
underpinning ICT strategies are not supported by the evidence. According
to Government of India’s (UDISE) data, in 2016-17, 35.6% of India’s elementary
schools lacked an electricity connection; only 36.8% secondary schools had a
functional computer. Unless the project aims to massively invest in required infrastructure
to address the digital divide, use of ICT for teacher training or in classrooms
will be ineffective and exclusionary as has been starkly evident during the COVID lockdown.
Suggestions:
The World Bank management and the Government of India,
in consultation with the state governments, should postpone the finalization
of the loan and refocus the project to address the urgent concerns above
and incorporate the following suggestions:
a)
Develop concrete plans for equity through
ensuring universal secondary completion (including out of school, child
labourers, girls and migrant children) and support inequality reducing
measures such as multi-lingual education, addressing caste based
discrimination, promoting gender transformative and inclusive education and redressing
the digital divide.
b)
Reconsider the proposal for partnerships with
non-state actors, especially handing over of government schools,
school vouchers, engagement of management firms and outsourcing of core
education functions. If non-state actors are to be involved, ensure state
regulatory capacity to enforce compliance with adequate legal provisions and
increase transparency as preconditions for any involvement.
c)
Adequately resource all schools to levels of Kendriya Vidyalayas
and Navodaya Vidyalayas to promote equity and social justice.
d)
Prioritize the development of State capacity, for
example strengthening DIETs and other academic bodies at the district and block
levels. Classroom-based assessment that directly benefits
students should be strengthened, rather than funding India’s preparation
for PISA. ICT-based teacher training has already been rolled out
nationwide. Instead of building additional platforms, ensure that DIETs, BRCs
and CRCs get the required infrastructure and resources, especially human
resources, including qualified and motivated faculty.
e)
Establish cross-level cooperation and foster mutual
trust within the bureaucracy. Some of the ideas in
the project document are not amenable to the building of trust within the
bureaucracy. For instance, if CRCs are meant to act as academic support
structures, they cannot be simultaneously assigned the task of judging
performance in an Ofsted-like manner, as suggested.
f)
Empower, enable and trust teachers to make
autonomous pedagogic decisions and develop their own assessments instead of merely
implementing externally “approved learning enhancement programs based on
identified learning outcomes”.
g)
Build state and federal software ecosystems that use
free and open-source software and avoid unsustainable reliance on tender-based
“software products”. Reduce redundancies in data-gathering efforts through
creative use of ICT to free up time in schools so the teachers and
administration can focus on the core task of improving education quality and
equity.
h)
Focus on social accountability and social audits
for transparency. Provide extensive training and outreach to strengthen
the voice of parents, School Management Committees and local
self-governance structures (particularly in areas in the Schedule V of Indian
constitution).
Given the seriousness of the concerns raised
above, we the undersigned request you to postpone the decision and have a wider
public consultation before finalizing the terms of the project in the best
interest of children and teachers of India.
Copy to
Jaime Saavedra
Chanduvi - Global Director (Education), World Bank
Junaid Kamal Ahmad- Country Director, World Bank, India
Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank'- MHRD Minister
Anita
Karwal- Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy
Naveen Patnaik- Chief Minister, Odisha
Jai
Ram Thakur- Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh
Ashok Ghelot- Chief Minister, Rajasthan
Uddhav
Thackeray- Chief Minister, Maharashtra
Pinarayi
Vijayan - Chief Minister, Kerela
Shivraj
Singh Chouhan- Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh
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