The FINANCIAL — The President of the World Bank Group (WBG), Jim Yong Kim, on May 7 highlighted Peru’s efforts in delivering quality education to poor and vulnerable students, and called for further progress as a way to eradicate extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity among more Peruvians.
President Kim travelled to Peru as part of the Road to Lima, a knowledge exchange initiative that highlights development milestones in advance of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings that will take place in Lima next October.
President Kim traveled with the President of Peru, Ollanta Humala, and the Minister of Education, Jaime Saavedra, to the Pasco region to meet with recipients of Beca 18 scholarships and students at a high-performance school in Chontabamba in Oxapampa Province. He talked with the students about their educational experiences and the importance of access to quality education for all Peruvians at all levels, according to the World Bank.
President Kim told the students and school authorities present at the meeting that the schools can “help Peru innovate to improve student performance and teacher training and evaluation,” and contribute to a “better future for Peru” because “better learning outcomes help to build a competitive labor force, to create jobs and to promote inclusive economic growth.”
High performance schools offer outstanding poor students the opportunity to attend a boarding school-type institution that provides quality educational instruction and resources to develop their skills. The Beca 18 program helps low income youth access higher education. Both initiatives provide disadvantaged students new opportunities to compete in an increasingly global labor market.
Following the visit, President Kim and President Humala talked to the press in Oxapampa, and highlighted Peru’s economic progress. Thanks to a transparent and prudent macroeconomic framework, Peru has managed to stabilize and strengthen its economy.
“This impressive and improving track record shows that Peru has much to share with the world about promoting development. This is just one reason why it’s a natural fit to host our Annual Meetings in October. Between now and then, we’ll continue to work closely with the Government on the Road to Lima, a knowledge initiative that, among other things, showcases to the world what Peru, Latin America and the Caribbean countries have taught us about doing development right,” Kim said.
This is Kim’s second visit to Peru as President of the WBG. As an infectious disease doctor, Kim worked extensively in the country early in his career. His goal was to provide high quality health services to poor communities close to Lima. His practice included a focus on patients with multiple-drug-resistant tuberculosis. Jim Yong Kim will return to Lima in October to be part of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund.
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