Washington, D.C. — September 19, 2016 — Yesterday, the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity (the Education Commission) brought together presidents, prime ministers, nobel laureates, leaders of industry, academics, artists, teachers, students and social entrepreneurs to send a clear message: we must step up investment in education. If we do not, the consequences could be severe: extreme poverty, population growth and economic stagnation.
This message was delivered at the launch of the Education Commission’s landmark report on education financing. Speaking at the event, UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown said, “Hope dies when a young child cannot plan or prepare for the future because they have no chance of getting the education they need. This report is not only the best anti-poverty and anti-terrorist program we can have, it is also the best way to provide hope for the future.”
Over the past year, 25 world leaders have been working together to identify how to develop a renewed and compelling investment case and financing pathway for achieving equal educational opportunity for all children and young people. The Education Commission has worked with over 300 partners representing 105 countries, including 30 research institutions and four expert panels.
As a research partner for the Education Commission, Results for Development conducted analysis to identify and highlight the reforms needed for education financing transformation and more effective education delivery. This research was synthesized in a set of background papers due to be released soon.
In “The Learning Generation: investing in education for a changing world,” the Education Commission outlines a vision for the largest expansion of educational opportunity in modern history and the steps necessary to make the #LearningGeneration a reality.
The world faces fundamental and urgent challenges: prosperity, security, migration, health and others. If we fail to act, the Commission projects that by 2030 over 800 million young people will not be on track to gain basic skills and 1.5 billion adults will have just a primary education.
If we do not act, by 2050, the number of lives lost each year to lower levels of education would equal those lost today to HIV/AIDS and malaria. Already some 40 percent of employers globally are finding it difficult to recruit people with the skills they need. A bigger skills gaps is likely to unfold and will stunt growth in the global economy.
The Commission found that on average an estimated 2 percent of a country’s GDP is spent each year on education costs that do not lead to learning. In low-income countries, this amounts to half of the entire education budget.
But it is possible to get all young people into school and learning. The Commission calls for four major transformations for more and better financing for education:
- Strengthening performance
- Fostering innovation
- Prioritizing inclusion
- Increasing financing
The Commission calls on the international community to do its part and build a “Financing Compact for the Learning Generation” so that any country willing to make the reforms and provide the financing necessary is met with equal support from the international community. The Commission calls for increased international support, the establishment of a Multilateral Development Bank investment mechanism, new accountability mechanisms, among other proposals.
Read more about the #LearningGeneration here: report.educationcommission.org
Related Resources:
- Financing Early Childhood Development: An Analysis of International and Domestic Sources
- Books for All Children: A Rapid Analysis of the Political Economy Around Textbook Provision
- Innovative Financing Recommendations: Background Paper for the Education Commission
- Rethinking the Financing and Architecture of Global Education: Background Paper for the Education Commission
