Misjudging the ease of educational-policy implementation is a common planning mistake. A "backward mapping" model, in which policy is informed by specific needs at the lowest level of implementation, was applied to primary school change in India and generated insights about social context, teacher attitudes, training needs, and…

Having steadily raised primary enrollment rates over the past 4 decades, India now has 67 million children aged 6-10 who are attending primary school, but 28-32 million who are not. This book draws on a wide range of sources, including original analytical work by Indian researchers and others, to describe the current state of primary education in…

Ever since it was first written into the new nation's Constitution in 1950, achieving universal elementary education has proven an elusive goal for India. This book examines the failure of the Operation Blackboard scheme to establish a minimum norm of essential facilities for primary schools but argues that, in spite of its failure, the scheme has…

Developing countries in Asia and the Pacific are undergoing a critical period in rural development. As part of a plan for integrated rural development, education has shifted its priorities to equalizing access to educational opportunities and improving quality of instruction. Representatives from Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal,…

This report synthesizes case studies of women teachers in rural areas of Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. In each country, interviews and focus groups were conducted in selected states and districts with administrators and women teachers in rural elementary schools, as well as policymakers and community members. Following an introduction to…