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PRI Institutions and Education

PRI Institutions and Education. Lant Pritchett Conference on Human Development in India. Two parts. Suppose a state had decided to decentralize responsibility for education to the PRI—which level should do what? Handling teachers—the elephant in the elephant.

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PRI Institutions and Education

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  1. PRI Institutions and Education Lant Pritchett Conference on Human Development in India

  2. Two parts • Suppose a state had decided to decentralize responsibility for education to the PRI—which level should do what? • Handling teachers—the elephant in the elephant

  3. How does on allocate responsibilities across the tiers of PRI? • First, unbundle by activity • Second, what are public finance “first principles” that apply? • Third, what are the “accountability” first principles that apply?

  4. Rough sizes of jurisdictions

  5. First principles of public finance

  6. “First principles” of accountability

  7. Allocations of responsibility

  8. Diagnosis: In spite of highly paid teachers the public system has: • High teacher absenteeism • Continued low access • Low levels of learning achievement • Losing students to private education

  9. Nearly every state is worse than any other country…

  10. Still have not reached primary completion

  11. Low levels of learning acheivement

  12. The elephant in the elephant: Teachers • Highly paid • Zero accountability • Politically powerful

  13. Teacher salaries are high relative to GDP per capita

  14. What do we learn from the experience with “para-teachers” • West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh have had substantial “para-teacher” experiences • Some would argue that these show that: “changing teacher motivation and a little training means one can get the same or better performance for a fraction of the cost”

  15. Parental satisfaction in WB

  16. Learning achievement in Rajasthan

  17. Why does this work? • Zero accountability means pay is not motivation it is a sinecure • State cadre teachers don’t want to be there • Renewable contracts motivate • A modest amount of relevant training can do a great deal of good at primary

  18. Autonomy for accountability Lowest levels get cash plus responsibility with increased levels of internal and external accountability • Internal accountability—greater separation of “regulator” function (higher levels) from “provider” functions means greater monitoring of --processes --outcomes External accountability—benchmarked, relevant information on inputs and outputs Strengthen inclusiveness and effectiveness of village le “Technical” is provided

  19. A modest proposal • The existing state employee teachers becoming a cadre that will phase out. • All new teachers are hired into a new employment status as district employees • The new scheme has three essential and new features. • District hires/GP control assignments • Career progression has two bumps/jumps with tripartite inputs

  20. New professional cadre of teachers • District hires teachers based on merit and recommendation criteria into a pool that are eligible for assignment to any school. • Each GP/school controls who is actually assigned to their school from the eligible pool. • What happens to teachers who are “unassigned?” • What happens in schools that cannot fill posts?

  21. New professional cadre of teachers Career of a teacher has three phases—apprentice, journeyman, master • During apprentice period on a series of “renewable at will” contracts with the district and get paid only if assigned • To make “journeyman” requires assessment of X years of performance by: • GP/school • District teaching support • Peer committee of master teachers (equivalent of ‘making partner’ or ‘tenure’)

  22. A new professional cadre Associates: • make a much higher salary • have greater employment security • Have regular merit and/or seniority pay increases • But assignment still controlled by GP/school

  23. Structure of professional cadre compensation Master/senior/full Jump to master rare and controlled, most spend career as associates Compensation BIG jumps across levels Associate/partner Years of service

  24. A new professional cadre • Possibility of making one more career jump to “master” • Again, much higher pay • But much higher responsibilities (e.g. district wide, quality enhancement) • Rare—not expected as a matter of course • Based on district, peer, GP/school inputs

  25. Transition • Existing system “finance” and “functionaries” are disarticulated with massive accountability failure as a result (that is, mix of “cash” and “in kind” resources reach the school) • New system all cash goes directly to the GP (with tax off the top for state, district overheads) • Massive potential fiscal savings in realigning to a new professional teacher cadre implies improved access and improved quality is possible

  26. Transition • During transition GPs receive mix of cash and in kind. • All new hires are in new system and each old cadre teacher is replaced with cash grant—not “in kind” entitlement—that is new teacher cost plus • Eventually GP assumes full cash implications of each teacher it assigns (with implications for “disadvantaged” premia and “journeyman” and “master” premia)

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