WASHINGTON — The ONE Campaign celebrated House passage of H.R. 601, the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development (READ) Act of 2017 today. The bipartisan legislation was introduced by Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee and of the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and Congressman Dave Reichert (R-WA), Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. The bill would address the barriers to education that millions of children, particularly girls, face around the world. It would also improve the quality of education for those already enrolled.

In response, ONE’s executive director for North America, Tom Hart, said:

“We congratulate Congresswoman Lowey and Congressman Reichert on House passage of the READ Act. This bill will bolster efforts to reach the 130 million girls who do not have access to education.

“We know that women and girls are disproportionately affected by a lack of education. In sub-Saharan Africa there are 5 million more girls than boys who are not in school. Not finishing school makes women more likely to be poor, become child brides, have larger families that are then harder to support, more likely to contract HIV/AIDS, die in childbirth, and less likely to vote. Education leads to better wages, better jobs, and better access to education for their own children, which benefits everyone. Reducing barriers to education is essential to win the fight against extreme poverty and we hope that the bill will be taken up in the Senate to maintain our country’s leadership in meeting the challenge. ”

The READ Act of 2017 requires the following:

• Developing a comprehensive, integrated U.S. strategy that improves educational opportunities and addresses key barriers to school attendance, retention and completion;
• Ensuring education services for vulnerable populations, including girls, children with disabilities, and children affected by conflict and other emergencies;
• Partnering with affected countries to strengthen their education systems to help build capacity and promote long-term sustainability;
• Engaging with key partners including other donors, civil society and multilateral education initiatives to leverage U.S. contributions to achieve a greater overall impact;
• Eliminating duplication and waste through the creation of a single “Senior Coordinator” at USAID who will be responsible for the development, implementation and coordination of U.S. basic education programs;
• Requiring specific indicators and objectives with which to measure progress; and
• Improving the transparency and accountability of our basic education programs, ensuring taxpayers have the most impact for children worldwide.
• An annual report to Congress, which provides a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of U.S Government programs, reporting on partner country activities and progress towards achieving benchmarks and goals under the act.