Catalog

Building Capacity

ADB’s resources are increasingly being used to support capacity building, enhance efficiency, analyze policy, and improve quality. Two books published by ADB in 2002 support these objectives.

To ensure that its lending to education reflects the needs of the region and its own strategic priorities, ADB financed a major study of education trends, issues, and policies in the region. The output of these efforts—Education and National Development in Asia—examines the trends and potential problems in education in the region, in the context of the rapid social, demographic, economic, and educational changes taking place. The main book in the series analyzes the relationship between education and economic and social development and examines policies and strategies that might be used to address the challenges facing education.

An environmental law resource for students, government officials, and others throughout the region is also helping build capacity in the region. Published in 2002, the two-volume Capacity Building for Environmental Law in the Asian and Pacific Region: Approaches and Resources addresses environmental problems and examines laws to support sustainable development. Produced primarily from materials from the region first used in two training courses for 63 regional law professors from 15 regional countries, the two volumes cull regional expertise in environmental law, particularly from universities, governments, the private sector, and nongovernment organizations. The book was produced through a partnership of ADB, International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law at the National University of Singapore, United Nations Environment Programme, and others in response to the need for better training materials in environmental and developmental law, identified at the 1992 Earth Summit.

Providing Quality Education

Children in Mongolia’s poorer rural and urban communities, including physically challenged children, will have improved access to quality preschool and basic education because of an ADB loan approved in 2002. Mongolia’s Second Education Development Project will also strengthen educational services. Access will be improved for children in Nepal, particularly girls and disadvantaged children. Nepal’s Secondary Education Support Project will also improve the quality of public (including lower) secondary education.

Access is also a focus of Pakistan’s Decentralized Elementary Education Project, which aims to increase admissions to a pro-poor decentralized public elementary school system.

System-wide policy initiatives in personnel deployment, system rationalization, and pro-poor budget reallocations will be supported by Uzbekistan’s Education Sector Development Program.

Other activities in 2002 in the education sector included a comprehensive needs assessment in Afghanistan, preparation of a draft education sector development plan for primary education in Bangladesh, and a performance review in Cambodia, which found that primary school enrollment of the poor had increased. A network of model madrasahs at primary and junior secondary levels was established in six provinces in Indonesia, where enrollment of girls increased considerably. The midterm review of a basic education (girls) project in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic also showed increased enrollment of ethnic girls, by 20% in project areas. The first comprehensive education sector report, which will lay the foundation for a basic education project in Tajikistan, was produced.

In 2002, ADB approved 6 loans totaling $284.4 million and provided 15 technical assistance grants amounting to $7.0 million for the education sector.