Governing Education: Lessons from Leading National and Global Education Systems with Jaime Saavedra

Jaime Saavedra is one of the world’s most influential education reformers. Former Minister of Education in Peru and now Director of Human Development for Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank, he has led and advised some of the region’s most ambitious efforts to improve learning outcomes at scale. 

In this episode, he unpacks what it really takes to deliver effective education reform—not just design it. Drawing on decades of experience, Saavedra outlines four essential conditions for change: sound technical design, sustainable financing, strong implementation capacity, and political will. He explains why many systems fail despite good intentions, and why reforms succeed when countries invest in teachers, strengthen bureaucracies, and centre policy around student learning. 

From the turnaround in Peru after disastrous PISA results, to lessons from Sobral and the province of Mendoza, this conversation offers a masterclass in how to transform systems—not just schools.