Educating Children in Poor Countries
Arye L. Hillman
Eva Jenkner

©2004 International Monetary Fund

[Preface]  [Educating Children in Poor Countries ] 
[Educational attainment in poor countries]  [Supply and demand shortfalls]  [Pros and cons of user payments]
[Conclusions]  [Author Information]

Preface

Children are entitled to a free, quality basic education. Recognizing this entitlement, world leaders made the achievement of universal primary education by the year 2015 one of the Millennium Development Goals. In 2004, this goal appears to be out of reach for many poor countries. School attendance, especially for girls, is far from universal, and many children drop out of school before completing their primary education. Many children who do attend school receive an inadequate education because of poorly trained, underpaid teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and a lack of basic teaching tools such as textbooks, blackboards, and pens and paper.