The World Development Report 2000/2001 indicates that the biggest  problem of  poverty, besides the lack of food, is the lack of power directly related to a lack of knowledge.  Worldwide almost 1 billion people lack a basic skill to acquire knowledge: they are illiterate. They are illiterate because they have had no primary education or because the quality of their primary education was too low.

Basic education, an investment that pays off

The value and role of ”knowledge” is different in every culture but good basic education is essential in every culture and at all levels. A carpenter needs to know what an angle of 90 degrees is. When a mother does not  want her child to get diarrhea, she needs to know the basics of hygiene. Millions of Africans do not have access to information on HIV/AIDS because they cannot read.  (See  "Education and economic growth" Morrison)                               

Basic knowledge and access to information enables people to choose good governments (or to oust bad ones). The effectiveness of investments in health and sanitation depends on good basic knowledge among villagers. The effectiveness of extension services for poor farmers depends on their capacity to understand what is being explained to them.

A recent OECD study states that those few countries in Africa that years ago significantly invested in (primary) education, now derive economic growth from this investment.  Going back in history, it is generally acknowledged that the introduction of compulsory primary education in Western Europe in the 19^th century has been a crucial factor for economic and social development

Giving priority to primary education does not compete with other sectors, it supports their development.  A well educated population is also crucial for countries wanting to take advantage of market opportunities, wanting to export  or to attract foreign  investment. Free market access is important but what do you do with it if your country has no competitive enterprises because its population cannot read or calculate or is not innovative. 

The consequences of not getting good basic education

The absence or the poor quality of basic education not only becomes visible in illiteracy but also shows its effects among people who do finalize secondary school and university.

Ministries, factories, hospitals and farms in developing countries often work inefficiently, not because the people working there are not capable but because they lack the right knowledge and skills.

A test in Nicaragua showed that 7 out of 10 engineers could not calculate the contents of a cube with sides of 1 meter. The argument was that they did not have the formula at hand.  A doctor in Ghana claimed seriously he had vaccinated more than 120 %  of the village population.  Are these engineers or doctors “stupid” or less intelligent? Of course not, something went wrong when they passed through primary  school. They probably got teachers without an adequate level of knowledge, who were poorly prepared or who were not motivated.