Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Education is a critical investment

Dear Colleagues

Tr-Ac-Net is convinced that education is an important investment ... but there are big questions:
  • How much of the expenditure is wasted,
  • Is the allocation of resources suited to getting the best results,
  • What is the role of public education? Private eduction?
  • Lots of questions ...

Generally speaking, there is a lot of support for education. In the field of international development assistance, education has a priority ... but is the sort of education that is supported by the international community the best sort of education for the comminities that have the most needs.

Tr-Ac-Net is concerned that education, like health, is only part of the solution to success and the achievement of sustainable social progress. Expenditure on education is, in itself, only part of the process of lifting a person out of poverty. In addition to education, a child must have opportunity ... and that requires initiatives way beyond just education.

Conversely, if there is opportunity ... but without education an individual does not have the capability ... there really is no opportunity. One without the other does not work. Together education and opportunity are an important piece of the sustainable development process.

The Tr-Ac-Net initiatives to establish performance metrics at the community level for socio-economic progress will help society get the optimum balance between the various segments of village economics ... the concepts are not complicated, but they are rarely applied in development economics and the management of relief and development resources.

Sincerely

Peter Burgess, The Tr-Ac-Net Organization