Publication: Saber - School Finance Objectives and Conceptual Approach
Date
2011-10
ISSN
Published
2011-10
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
Education finance has long been a topic
of debate. With education consuming a large share of public
expenditures in many countries, the public is increasingly
interested in how education resources are used. In addition,
the economic downturn is prompting many more questions as
governments reconsider spending priorities in the context of
tightening budgets. The goal of expanding educational
opportunity for all students is inextricably linked to
questions of education finance: how much do countries invest
in education? How do governments support schools? What is
the role of the private sector, including households, in
education? What are the appropriate financing arrangements
for an effective allocation of public funds? How should
resources be spent in schools to maximize student learning?
Efforts to answer these questions have been an important
part of the World Bank's operations and analytical
services work in low and middle income countries. Important
efforts include regional analyses to document the
relationship between per student financing and learning
outcomes; operational support for financing arrangements
that provide those closer to the point of service delivery
with greater control over educational resources; and the
development of tools to empower education stakeholders to
monitor school budgets and their implementation. While this
work has contributed to understanding better education
finance policies and practices, much more research is needed
to document the policies that are most effective for
ensuring equitable, efficient and adequate education
spending across and within countries.
Citation
“World Bank. 2011. Saber - School Finance Objectives and Conceptual Approach. © Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/56d3f077-4584-5a1d-aef5-f99b87ca938f License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”