Conversely, in Kerala, India's star development pupil, income per head is below average.Not just money aloneThe combination of rapid growth and better infrastructure, health and education has eluded both India and Pakistan largely because their institutions are weak, or obstructive, or both.
The new draft proposals for the curriculum say all state-funded schools must provide an education that is "balanced and broadly based and which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life".
The school was found to "severely restrict the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils" and prevent them from "developing a wider, deeper understanding of different faiths, communities, cultures and lifestyles, including those of England".
Academic qualifications, good teaching and well managed behaviour matter hugely, and good levels of literacy and numeracy are particularly significant, but so too is the social and emotional development of pupils, their wellbeing and the opportunities to develop according to their specific personal or special needs.
She said she would provide further advice to schools on how they should "improve the social, moral, spiritual and cultural development of pupils".
So, is this the time to recapture Butler's aspiration for the physical development of pupils and inject more of the "physical" into physical education?
Kenneth Baker's 1988 Education Reform Act spoke more inspiringly of promoting "the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society".
Enthusiastic teachers have worked hard to develop young children's language skills and research has identified gains in overall literacy development where pupils have access to more than one language.
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, chair of the Accord Coalition, representing campaigners against faith schools, welcomed the development: "Selecting pupils on religious grounds is inherently more complex and open to abuse, gaming and error than other forms of selection.
Liz Byrne Letchworth, Hertfordshire The great strength of the 1988 Educational Reform Act which introduced the national curriculum was the emphasis on spiritual and moral development of pupils and of society.
