January, 19 2010, 07:46pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Caroline Hooper-Box, +1 202 321 2967,
caroline.hooper-box@oxfaminternational.org
New Global Education Fund Needed for 72 Million Children
International efforts to
provide universal basic education in the poorest countries are now
failing because of poor governance of the world's education financing
body and lack of investment by donors.
WASHINGTON
International efforts to
provide universal basic education in the poorest countries are now
failing because of poor governance of the world's education financing
body and lack of investment by donors.
A new report published by international agency Oxfam today, "Rescuing Education For All"
said the future of 72 million children currently out of school depended
on a fundamental shift in the way education is funded globally. Oxfam
called on G8 and G20 leaders to launch a Global Fund for Education at
their annual summit in Canada in June.
This comes on the heels of a new UNESCO report that reveals a vast
$16 billion annual education financing shortfall. Without this money,
the goal of education for all children by 2015, agreed to by world
leaders in 2000, will not be met.
Oxfam's report highlights an alarming decline in aid commitments to
the Education for All - Fast-Track Initiative (FTI), set up by world
leaders in 2002 to help low-income countries achieve universal basic
education.
"The scandal of the missing billions revealed by UNESCO today shows
how fundamentally the FTI and other education donors have failed," said
Oxfam report author Katie Malouf. "Aid commitments for education are
being conveniently forgotten in the economic downturn."
In addition to being inadequately financed, the FTI suffers from
lack of autonomy from the World Bank, weak governance and stakeholder
participation, and bureaucratic hold ups, Oxfam's report said. The
Netherlands, United Kingdom, the European Commission and Spain are
major contributors to the FTI. However, other G8 countries have
neglected the initiative.
Malouf said: "Unnecessary Word Bank restrictions and red tape have
resulted in unacceptable delays in getting money out of the door. For
example a $20 million grant for Yemen, agreed to in 2006, has still not
been released."
"The economic crisis now is now threatening to make a bad situation
worse for children in poor countries. Yet funds languish in a bank
account in Washington, when they are urgently needed to get children
into school."
Oxfam's report recommends the transformation of the FTI into a
Global Fund for Education, independent of the World Bank and able to
operate flexibly and in partnership with poor countries needing to
build classrooms and hire teachers. "Without urgent reform of the FTI,
all the money in the world is not going to make a difference," Malouf
said.
"Developing country governments have demonstrated their commitment
to education, and they're appealing for urgent support. An ambitious
and effective Global Fund for Education must be the answer to that
call."
Read more
Download the report: Resourcing Global Education: How reform of the Fast Track Initiative should lead to a Global Fund for Education
Take action: Sign the Big Promise
Learn more: Oxfam's Health & Education campaign
Oxfam International is a global movement of people who are fighting inequality to end poverty and injustice. We are working across regions in about 70 countries, with thousands of partners, and allies, supporting communities to build better lives for themselves, grow resilience and protect lives and livelihoods also in times of crisis.
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