Introduction

Investment in education is considered to be superior to investment of any other kind, because we all believe that education is the foundation of human life; the development of a rich and all-round personality depends upon the depth and strength of this foundation. Primary education, in turn, is the foundation of all education. Therefore, there has lately been a sustained emphasis on universalisation of primary education the world over, with a view to building an educated and mature global community. Despite the various challenges that they face, developing countries in South Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean Islands and sub-Saharan Africa have achieved very substantial expansion of primary education. Given the fact of this massive expansion in all countries, the task of laying this foundation would, in a way, appear to have been completed.