A necessary book on a very important subject....Congratulations to the three educators, whose experience, research and thoughts have come together in this book. They have identified correctly the three main obstacles to fulfilling the imperative of making quality education universal to achieve development. The obstacles are poverty, inequality and exclusion. Of these, inequality comes first; it creates poverty and exclusion. These obstacles are related to the socio-economic system. And the system is in the state's control. The title of the book points to this truth.
SERAJUL ISLAM CHOUDHURY, Professor Emeritus, Dhaka University
I have known one of the authors, John Richards, for many years. We have both worked to improve education for Indigenous peoples in Canada. This book goes straight to the point. Its first contribution is an insistence that South Asian governments spend more on public primary education. The second is that success of primary education means, by the end of the primary school cycle, students are able to read, write, and do basic arithmetic. Schools have many goals beyond literacy and arithmetic, but mastering these core skills is necessary for escaping poverty. Those responsible for managing social programs, in Canada or South Asia, must never underestimate the value of good schools.
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE PAUL MARTIN, Former Prime Minister of Canada
As the focus shifts from universal schooling to 'learning for all,' countries in South Asia face many challenges. This is a very timely book that addresses these issues and contributes to the growing body of research and analysis of what it will take to have every child in school and learning well.
RUKMINI BANERJI, Chief Executive Officer of Pratham Education Foundation and Recipient of the Yidan Prize for Education Development 2021
