EDUCATION FOR ALL | Get PDF

Education is a critical piece of the development puzzle. Research indicates that investment in education, with a particular focus on girls, may be one of the highest yield investments available in the developing world. Education attacks poverty at its roots, and strengthens individuals, families and communities. In addition to equipping a child with the knowledge and skills needed for a productive life, universal primary education offers societies even deeper and wider returns for health and economic growth.

• The under-five mortality rate falls by more than 50% for mothers with a primary school education.
• A 2004 study concluded that universal primary education could prevent 700,000 HIV cases per year.
• In low-income countries, a young woman’s average earnings increase by 10%–20% with each additional year of education.

Despite the proven potential of expanding education, 72 million children remain out of school around the world; 33 million of them in Africa. In order for countries to realize their full development potential, access to quality primary education must be made universal.

Expanding access to quality education

The United States has a vital role to play in supporting governments who commit to the goal of universal primary education. Through debt cancellation, the US and other donors enabled African governments to redeploy resources to the education sector, which has helped send over 29 million African children to school for the first time in the past seven years. In Tanzania, for example, the government used its savings from debt relief in 2000 to increase eliminate primary school fees. Almost overnight, an estimated 1.6 million children enrolled in school. By 2003, 3.1 million additional children were attending school.  Similar results have played out in Mozambique, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia

Countries are also making important progress by creating national education plans through the World Bank’s Education for All Fast Track Initiative (FTI), a financing mechanism which coordinates increased bilateral and multilateral funding for countries whose education plans have been technically vetted and endorsed.

• Six African FTI countries increased enrollments by 40% within four years of their endorsement.
• Since receiving FTI-endorsement in 2002, Burkina Faso has increased its primary enrollments by 55%, sending nearly 550,000 more children to school.
• Teacher recruitment in Niger has jumped by 1,000% and enrollments doubled from 530,000 to 1.1 million children between 2002 and 2005 thanks to a three-fold increase in donor assistance through FTI.

But not all well structured plans are receiving the support promised by donors. The 19 FTI endorsed African countries' plans cost a total of $3.75 billion. They have collectively mobilized $2.7 billion in domestic resources- more than 70% of the total cost. But the remaining resources promised by donors are not being mobilized quickly enough to fully fund their plans. These 19 countries currently face an external financing gap totaling $370 million ($500m globally). The gaps are expected to grow significantly in 2008 as more countries are endorsed.

Education for All Act
The U.S. has a unique opportunity to scale-up access to education and ensure robust funding of FTI through the Education for All Act. The Education for All Act of 2007 (S. 1259 / H.R. 2092), which was introduced with bipartisan support in the House and Senate by Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Senator Hillary Clinton, and Congressman Spencer Baucus and Senator Gordon Smith, makes universal basic education a priority of U.S. foreign policy.

About the Bill:

• The Education for All (EFA) Act of 2007 would support countries with rigorous and accountable education plans endorsed by the Fast Track Initiative, and would also channel resources to post conflict/fragile countries through non-governmental channels.

• Authorizes $1.5 billion in FY2009, scaling up by $500 million each year to a total of $3 billion in FY2012.

• The legislation would create an Education Coordinator to report to the Secretary of State, with the authority to direct resources to various US government agencies for implementation.