An appraisal of the World Bank role in the development of education in Pakistan with a focus on higher education

Abstract

The World Bank, like many other non-governmental organisations, is engaged in the developing countries with an objective to bring social and economic development. In Pakistan, the World Bank (WB) appeared on the horizon soon after the independence of the country in 1947. Hitherto, for the development of different sectors including education, WB has lent billions of dollars and launched hundreds of projects in Pakistan. This research has been conducted to have an in-depth look into the role played by the WB in the development and progress of education sector from 1964 to 2009. In this study, a special focus has been given to the higher education. The author has evaluated the volume of the WB lending, nature of the projects, the shares for the sub-sectors of education, changes and trends in the investment in education sector. An attempt also has been made to evaluate the possible impact of the WB loans and projects on the education sector in general and higher education sub-sector in particular. The WB investments in education sector have also been compared with other sectors to have a broader picture. For new readers and those who are interested in education statistics a detailed county profile, on the basis of most recent data, has also been presented and discussed in this article. This practical information on the country profile can be very helpful in establishing a better understanding of the present scenario, condition and status of education in Pakistan. Moreover it will help to understand the need and significance of national and international organisations for education.

Keywords: The World Bank, education, higher education, projects, lending, investment, development, impact