It is central to the World Bank's strategy to reduce poverty by promoting the productive use of labor, the main asset of the poor, and by providing basic social services to the poor. Investments in education make possible the accumulation of human capital, the key to higher incomes and sustained economic growth. In line with this, the emphasis of Bank lending has shifted from secondary and higher education in the 1960s and early 1970s toward primary education in the 1980s and 1990s. The best way to achieve universal coverage of basic education is to increase educational opportunities for all. Convincing and consistent evidence from many countries demonstrates that investment in girls' education is justified on economic and efficiency grounds, as well as in terms of equity and social justice.
Education leads to increases in women's income, just as it does for men.
But it also leads to important benefits for women who stay at home-benefits that greatly outweigh the costs of educating girls. Fertility rates and infant mortality rates decline with increases in the level of women's education, for example, and indicators of child health improve. So, investments in girls' education have significant benefits for future generations. Promoting education for all often requires addressing demand constraints as well as expanding the supply of classrooms. Children from very poor families may be kept out of school because their labor is needed at home or because parents cannot afford the costs of books or uniforms.