Research

The EG West Centre prides itself on carrying out ground breaking and award winning research in the area of education for the poor in developing countries. Large and small scale research is carried out by the team in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Census and survey data have been gathered in slum and low-income areas in order to discover, initially, the array of different school management types and more recently the change in the education market over time. Comparative analysis of pupil achievement and satisfaction as well as school facilities and teacher absenteeism has been undertaken. Research into the financial and regulatory aspects of private schools for the poor have also been a focus as has the curriculum, specifically targeting the teaching of English. Technology inputs and how children learn together in groups without the input of teachers is a major focus in India. Research is underway to discover whether children's aspirations change after hearing inspirational talks online.

Prizes and Awards

Tooley - Gold Prize Winner, 1st Financial Times/International Finance Corporation, Private Sector Development Research Paper Competition,  Sep 2006. (presented at the Annual Governors’ Meeting of the IMF/World Bank, Singapore) Educating Amaretch

Tooley, Dixon and Qiang - Article on “Private Schools for the Poor in Gansu Province” in Private Education Research won first prize in the 2007 academic essay competition of The Fourth China Educators’ Annual Conference

Tooley and Dixon (E.G. West Centre) - Templeton Prize for Free Market Solutions to Poverty, 1st Prize, March 2006, (Colorado Springs, USA)

Tooley - Alexis de Tocqueville Award for the Advancement of Education Freedom, (Warsaw, Poland, May 2007)

Tooley - National Free Enterprise Award, (Feb 2007, London, UK).