Accelerating Catch-up : Tertiary Education for Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa
This report argues that if a growth surge is to evolve into a virtuous spiral that stimulates even higher and sustained growth rates in a substantial number of African countries, a significant increase in investment in physical and human capital is...
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| Format: | Publication |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank
2012
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000333038_20090127223030 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2589 |
| Summary: | This report argues that if a growth
surge is to evolve into a virtuous spiral that stimulates
even higher and sustained growth rates in a substantial
number of African countries, a significant increase in
investment in physical and human capital is needed over an
extended period. This report stresses that there is an
urgent need for countries in Sub-Sahara Africa to acquire
the capabilities that will spawn new industries that create
more productive jobs, multiple linkages, and a wider range
of exports. This volume lucidly spells out the case for more
knowledge-intensive growth, which demands increasing
attention to secondary and, most important, postsecondary
education. Despite rising enrollment in tertiary-level
institutions, the numbers of students graduating are
pitifully small. And despite reform efforts, the quality
remains well below par. However, change for the better is in
the air, and improved economic prospects provide both the
resources and the opportunity to forge ahead. The need for
urgency, the pathways to skills-based development, and the
policies that African countries can marshal in order to
generate tertiary-level skills are all given their due in
this thoughtful and timely book. Against a backdrop of
changed circumstances, the World Bank recognizes the need to
update its understanding of tertiary education in Africa,
defines its current views on this matter, and offers
technical support on this topic to its collaborating
governments and development partners. The present study
seeks to fulfill this purpose. It provides a justification
for African and donor investments in tertiary education
within the context of a globally competitive knowledge
economy, and suggests likely focus areas for this financing.
But it does not pretend to offer a comprehensive assessment
of tertiary education in Africa, an overall agenda for its
reform, or a new policy statement by the Bank itself.
Rather, the study strives to share contemporary insights and
experience regarding the relationship between human resource
development and economic growth. |
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