Education is one of the basic human rights and a developmental goal in its own right. Education also contributes to the realisation of other important developmental goals, such as economic growth, changes in attitudes, development of political consciousness and increased social mobility.

After World War II, expansion and improvement of education were generally considered as essential to development. Since the 1970s, optimism about the contributions of education has been shaken and more emphasis is given to improving the quality of education. Not all investment in education proved beneficial to development. Resources were often insufficient and the quality of education was disappointing. The chapter presents a survey of important theories and debates about the role of education in development.