A REPORT ON HUMAN DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH ASIA HAS FOCUSED ATTENTION ON THE URGENT NEED TO MAKE MASSIVE INVESTMENTS IN PRIMARY EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL TRAINING IN THE REGION. WE HAVE DETAILS FROM ANJANA PASRICHA IN NEW DELHI, WHERE THE REPORT WAS RELEASED SATURDAY.

TEXT: THE AUTHORS OF THE REPORT SAY SOUTH ASIA IS AN EDUCATIONAL WASTELAND. ONE IN TWO ADULTS IS ILLITERATE. ONE IN THREE PRIMARY-SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN IS NOT ATTENDING SCHOOL, AND TWO IN EVERY FIVE CHILDREN WHO BEGIN SCHOOLING DO NOT COMPLETE THEIR EDUCATION.

THE REPORT WAS PREPARED BY LEADING SOUTH ASIAN DEVELOPMENT EXPERTS AT THE ISLAMABAD-BASED HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CENTER. THE REPORT'S LEAD AUTHOR OF THE THE REPORT, MAHBUB UL-HAQ, SAYS SOUTH ASIA IS NOT PREPARED FOR THE ECONOMIC CHALLENGES OF GLOBALIZATION, BECAUSE OF THE HIGH LEVEL OF ILLITERACY IN THE REGION'S THREE MAIN COUNTRIES -- INDIA, PAKISTAN AND BAMNGLADESH. SOUTH ASIA IS SIMPLY NOT READY FOR THIS CHALLENGE (OF GLOBALIZATION). IT HAS 400 MILLION ADULT ILLITERATES -- HALF OF THE WORLD. IT HAS 50 MILLION CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL, OVER HALF OF THE WORLD. IT IS ONLY SENDING TWO PERCENT OF ITS CHILDREN FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION, COMPARED TO 20 PERCENT IN EAST ASIA,.

ACCORDING TO THE REPORT, THE REGION WILL NOT MAKE ECONOMIC PROGRESS UNLESS EDUCATION IS GIVEN HIGH PRIORITY, AND A BIGGER SHARE OF RESOURCES IN NATIONAL BUDGETS. MR. HAQ SAYS THIS CAN BE DONE BY DIVERTING RESOURCES FROM MILITARY EXPENDITURES TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. BUT THE REPORT WARNS THAT SIMPLY PUTTING CHILDREN IN SCHOOL IS NOT THE ANSWER. IT CALLS SOUTH ASIA A TECHNICAL WASTELAND -- OFTEN TEACHING TECHNOLOGIES OF THE PAST, AND TRAINING ITS PEOPLE IN AREAS THAT ARE NOT A GLOBAL PRIORITY.,

AT MOST, THE TRAINING IS IN TEXTILE ENGINEERING -- IN FOOTWEAR, IN LEATHER, IN CARPETS FOR OUR EXPORT INDUSTRIES. AND THE GLOBAL DEMAND FOR THESE INDUSTRIES IS EXPANDING BY ONLY ONE PERCENT PER YEAR. IT'S A STAGNANT POOL, AND WE CAN NOT GROW VERY FAST IN A ONE-PERCENT MARKET. THE 30- TO 40-PERCENT (GROWTH) MARKET IS THE MARKET OF COMPUTER SOFTWARE, OF ELECTRONICS, OF DURABLE GOODS, OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. UNLESS SOUTH ASIA GIVES BOTH BASIC EDUCATION TO ITS PEOPLE AND RELEVANT TECHNICAL SKILLS, IT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE FAST OPENING UP. MR. HAQ POINTS OUT THAT THE DEVELOPMENT MODEL OF EVERY REGION IN THE WORLD THAT HAS MADE RAPID PROGRESS HAS BEEN BASED ON BASIC EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL SKILLS. HE SAYS THIS IS THE GOAL THAT SOUTH ASIA MUST ACHIEVE.