Hidden Challenges to Education Systems in Transition Economies Sue E. Berryman.

ERIC Note: Produced by the World Bank, Europe and Central Asia Region, Human Development Sector. ericd

This book, published by the World Bank, sounds the alarm for education in Europe and Central Asia (ECA). It describes how the transition from communism to free-market economies has left many countries' educational systems in disarray. At the start of transition, ECA education systems had solved problems that plagued other regions of the world, such as limited access and gender inequalities, but a recent analysis of the ECA region revealed emerging problems. The book serves as a regional alert and as a guide for developing strategies that ECA governments and the World Bank can use to initiate reforms. The text is divided into six chapters, five of which highlight a suggested approach to relieving problems in education: (1) realign education systems with market economies and open societies; (2) combat poverty by increasing educational fairness; (3) finance for sustainability, quality, and fairness; (4) spend resources more efficiently; and (5) reinvent governance, management, and accountability. A final chapter outlines the role of the World Bank and the six principles the Bank will use to determine whether or not to lend money to an ECA country. Each chapter features numerous tables and figures. A final section has 17 tables that include demographic information, education enrollment rates, unemployment levels, and educational finance. (Contains a glossary and 88 references.) (RJM)

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