Developing countries are increasingly spending their scarce resources on education. They want to use education to first enhance their ability to absorb scientific knowledge to improve economic efficiency, thereby embarking on the traditional path to "development". Secondly, these countries use education to establish and maintain a national consciousness that reflects national identity and independence, embodies their cultural values, and maintains the freedom to choose different elements from foreign systems. Therefore, education is not only a means of economic development measured by discount rates, yields, etc. Education also has a broader socio-cultural nature, which must be taken into account when measuring its role in national development. The success or failure of an education system depends to a large extent on whether development plans meet the overall needs of each country's society.

Many developing countries feel particularly urgent the need to maintain their unique cultures and values. Many countries, even those that became independent before World War II, were influenced by the metropolitan model. In some countries, not only are school structures, curriculum and certificates copied directly from the metropolitan country, but even the judicial and administrative systems follow those of the metropolitan country. In other countries, such as my home country (Ethiopia), although the influence is not so direct, the result is that there is a strong pressure that makes all cultures in the world have the same face and makes various Beliefs and patterns of behavior spread everywhere, just as industrial products or airport facilities are similar around the world. It is not surprising that most developing countries deplore the disappearance of certain cultural differences and want to use their education systems to preserve their traditional cultures.

These countries also need to acquire, produce and impart science, technology and knowledge through education. Generally speaking, local scientific capabilities are critical to interpreting and assimilating foreign technologies; any country lacking these capabilities will suffer. With local scientific talent it is possible to avoid activities that impede production - to what extent slag will affect fisheries production; to what extent the meat packaging industry will comply with product labeling requirements; and to what extent social planning will have the economic and social nature they claim. The World Development Report 1980 aptly pointed out that people who are illiterate, scientifically ignorant, or unaware of the wider outside world can only remain in an essentially "intellectually undeveloped state and cannot fully contribute to national development." .

However, education costs a lot, which not only refers to direct expenses, but also refers to the consumption of resources. In many countries, the environment is not conducive for children to complete their education. Regarding the characteristics of primary education in a certain West African country, a UNESCO document pointed out:

Primary school students account for 94% of all students in school... occupying 90% of the teachers in the school, consuming public funds* **62.4% of education funds, while the enrollment rate of school-age children only reaches 13%, and the repeating period accounts for 25%. Only 28 students graduate out of every 100 freshmen who enter, and each graduate has to pay 19 The cost of primary education per year.

Under the premise that education must be a central link in development, this article will review the World Bank's experience in providing education loans since 1963. World Bank funds are used in a variety of ways, depending on the needs of member countries - from providing more school places to developing computer facilities and educating women on nutrition and family planning. Although the World Bank generally lends to projects with economic benefits, the diversity of loans reflects the World Bank's concern for human and social development in all aspects. Many issues arose during the course of this work: Expanding school systems often meant paying teachers more, putting pressure on budgets; providing instructional technology equipment also meant having to maintain it; attention to individual projects Too much and too little consideration of the long-term needs of countries. On the other hand, in the face of political and economic turmoil, the World Bank's investment in secondary schools has shown obvious vitality, indicating that there is a strong need for investment in this area, and it also proves that these investments can bear fruit.

Because everyone recognizes that a solid education system can go a long way in explaining why a country is successful in developing productive resources and preserving social and cultural identity.