_Page 2_ that have developed their human resource potential rapidly in recent years-and which are often singled out es models to be emulated-from those which have not done so well? The distingulshing feature of the better performers tends to be a wider access to secondary education and a greater emphasis on the quality of higher<sup>ec:ication. in addHitcn,</sup> the successful countries have increased their allocation of resources to those sectors,<sup>have introduced clarity ano</sup> l ansparency In the educational system, and have encouraged in their populations astrong desire to learn. Further, these countries produce more technical and scientifc upeciallsts, and spend more<sup>on researchl</sup> and development.

Today and In the future, a secondary education is the minimum requirement to assimilate high technology, and at least an undergraduate education from a university or other Insitution of higher learning Is required to conduct tthe research and development associated wfth innovation and the creation of new technology. Technical and scientiflc education, and higher education In general Is expensive. Through an extensive use of selection criteria, some countries choose their technical professionals from among the brightest citizens; In so dolng, scarce public resources are used to help the less fortunate obtain access to higher education, not to subsidize<sup>the well-off whocEtnafford it.</sup> Health is valued not only In itself, but also because it contributes to the ability to learn and to the quality of work effort. Malnutrition before birth and during the first years of Ife can permanently stunt the brain. Declines In fertilty, Important for achieving sustainable development and Improving the quality of human resources, are normally preceded by Increasing female Iteracy, rsing female participatioI **n** the labor force, and declining infant mortality. This 'seamless web' of relationships between edu,-at;on, health, nutrition, and population was emphasized a decade ago In the World Bank's World Development Report 1 980.5 The evidence reported ten years later In the World Development Reort 1990, with is focus on poverty alleviation, reinforces the view that the effectveness of education as a weapon In the fight against poverty goes well beyond productivity in the labor market. One year of mother's education has been associated with a 9 percent decrease In under 5 mortality;6 in general, the children of better-educated mothers, other things bsing equal, tend to be heaithier. A strategy for a rapid and sustainable progress on human resource development must consist of mutually-reinforcing elements of education, health, nutrition, and population.

The following sections summarize the comparative basic Indlcators' of attainment In the education and heaith sectors. 6 Overall Levels of Educational Development Adult LHeracv. Among the selected countries, the proportion of the literate In the adult<sup>population</sup> (age 15+) varies from the 'nwest, 65% (China), to 85%-95% inEast Asia/Southem Europe/Latin America, and to the highest, 100% (Nordic countrif.: N!tably, female literacy is not divergent from the overall aduit lIteracy<sup>level, except in China (47%).</sup> Enrollrr. -v Ratios. 3ath total and female primary school enrollment (first level, with minimum duration of five years) is universal; itfluctuates from 95% to 120% of the age-group (the higher figure Incorporating enrollment outside the age group). But secondary school enrollmernt (second level, average 3+3 years) exhibits awide disparity across countries: Spain (98%), Taiwan (91%), Korea Ci5%), Mexico (55%), Venezuela (46%), and Brazil (36%). (See figure 1.) Female secondary school enrollment In some cases Is even higher. Consider the same group of countries:<sup>Spain (101%),</sup> Taiwan (96%), Korea (92%), Mexico (54%), Venezuela (50%), a *d Brazil (36%). (See figure 2.)

- **S** See In particular Chapter 5, 'Human development Issues and poliies' for its last section on the 'seamless web' (pp. 68-70). Part II of that chapter was also published as World Bank, Poverty and Human Development (1981).

- World DeveloDment Report 1990 p.81.

- 7 Detailed tabulations are available from the authors on request. a Note, however, that national averages often obscure spatial differences within a country.