News and Research 386

Ministry of Finance – Bahrain, World Bank hold seminar (Bahrain News Agency) |

Within the framework of the existing cooperation with the World Bank, the Ministry of Finance and National Economy hosted a seminar presented by the World Bank. The seminar reviewed the results of the latest economic developments report for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The report included a chapter on improving the quality of education to promote the growth and economic prosperity of GCC member states. The World Banklaunched the Spring 2024 Gulf Economic Update. The Update features the importance of education quality in fostering long-term economic growth and prosperity in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. A child born in the GCC is expected to reach only 62 percent of her/his potential productivity, mainly due to the quality of education they receive. Without quality education that translates into learning, GCC countries will not be able to realize the full potential of their human capital. Nevertheless, several GCC countries made progress in recent international student assessments. The GCC’s average improvement in reading in PIRLS (40 points) translates into 2 additional years of learning.

Spending on education falls short of expectations (The Daily Star) | After the national budget is unveiled, the government always boasts that education gets significant investment as one of the priority sectors. The budgetary numbers will also tell you so. A closer look, however, reveals a gap between what is written in the budget documents and the reality… “Education is truly one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality and it sets the foundation for sustained economic growth. Let’s start investing in it more,” wrote Harry Anthony Patrinos, senior adviser for education at the World Bank, in 2016. Selim Raihan, executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling, complemented: “No country in the world will be able to show that they achieved a high level of income and development without investing heavily in education.”

Skilling ‘youth on the move’ to help power the green economy (Ambasz, Sanchez Tapia, Kwauk) | ‘Green transitions’—shifts in economies towards more sustainable practices that preserve, restore, and protect the environment—have the potential to create 8.4 million jobs for young people by 2030. But ‘youth on the move’ are often left out of policies and programming aimed to support young people’s participation in the green economy. Overlooking this group perpetuates their marginalization and ignores the diverse perspectives and innovative ideas they bring to green economic transitions, leaving a large pool of talent untapped.

Breaking Barriers, Improving Futures: Challenges and Solutions for Girls’ Education in Pakistan (Barón, Bend, Ejaz, Lee, Trako) |Educating girls has a myriad of benefits ranging from greater empowerment and economic opportunities to improved health outcomes and reduced poverty. In Pakistan, school-age children, especially girls, lack quality educational access and attainment. Girls, in comparison to boys, are less likely to be enrolled in school, less likely to stay in school, and less likely to achieve learning outcomes even if they attend school. One of the biggest challenges Pakistan faces is that the country’s education spending fails to yield results regarding quality and access. This report argues that while it is important to continue to deliver quality education to all children in Pakistan, more girl-specific interventions are needed in Pakistan, especially for girls living in rural areas.