Quality of education

Access to education of poor quality is tantamount to no education at all. There is little point in providing the opportunity for a child to enrol in school if the quality of the education is so poor that the child will not become literate or numerate, or will fail to acquire critical life skills. Currently in South Asia, one in three children who reach Grade 4 are able to read basic texts. Millions of children, who have completed primary education, have not mastered the foundational skills of basic numeracy and literacy.

Quality education, which is essential to real learning and human development, is influenced by factors both inside and outside the classroom, from the availability of proper supplies to the nature of a child’s home environment. Improvements in the quality of teaching can reduce dropout rates and ensure better retention and transitions from early childhood learning into primary and secondary education.

South Asia faces significant challenges in providing quality education to all its children. It lacks adequate finances, qualified teachers, pedagogical knowledge, and opportunities for adolescent education and skill utilization. In many parts of the region, learning methods are largely teacher-centred and rote-based, and children are subjected to corporal punishment and discrimination.