Bob Geldof and Nelson Mandela argued for more and better aid when they spoke at a rally in Trafalgar Square for the campaign.
Photo: Alice Dunhill / Oxfam
Is everyone in the world receiving a good quality education at the moment? No. There are still 100 million children around the world who are receiving no education at all and 60% of these are girls.
This is because girls are often needed to help with work in the home or because it is thought less important for girls to go to school than boys.
How can we make sure that everyone receives a good quality education?
There are many ways in which we can help. One way is through governments of richer countries giving aid money to poorer ones.
How does giving aid money help everyone receive a quality education? Many governments of poorer countries can’t afford to pay for children to have a quality education. Therefore one way to help is through the governments of richer countries giving money to the governments of poorer countries to help them fund a good education system.
Is enough aid money being given?
No. Richer countries have not been giving enough aid money. This means that many governments in poor countries still do not have the money to provide free education. Richer countries need to give more aid to education. Some rich countries, such as France, the USA and Japan, fall far short of giving their fair share of money. The UK government has been relatively good at giving money for education, but it still needs to give approximately £260 million per year more.
Is the aid money being given in a helpful way?
Not always. There is a problem with how the money from richer countries is given to poorer countries. Richer countries (called the ‘donors’) often prefer to give aid money to some countries rather than others. This means that some poorer countries have a few donors giving money to them and that others may not have any donors at all. However, even poorer countries with several donors can still have problems because each of these donors may ask the government to do different things with their aid money. This makes it hard for the poorer country’s government to follow its own plan for its education system.
There is yet another problem, which is that very often the donors only promise aid for a short time. The money may only be given for one year and not the next, or the amount of money given may go up and down. This means that governments cannot rely on this money to spend every year and it is very hard for them to make plans. In particular this means that the money cannot easily be used for employing new teachers or for keeping teachers because their salaries need to be paid every year.
Women selling sugar cane beside the Addis–Djibouti highway in Ethiopia. They sell far more since the road was upgraded. Foreign aid has played an important role in improving road travel and transport in Ethiopia.
Photo: Arabella Fraser / Oxfam
What is being done about these problems? In April 2000 many of the world’s leaders agreed on two targets for education. The first is that as many girls as boys should be receiving an education by 2005. The second is that all children in the world should be receiving quality primary education by 2015. Unfortunately, these targets are unlikely to be met if donors do not act soon.
As a result, the Global Campaign for Education, as part of the Make Poverty History group, is calling for richer countries to keep their promises to give $5.6 billion extra every year to make it possible for every girl and boy to finish primary school by 2015.
Is anything else being done? Yes. The Education For All Fast-Track Initiative (FTI), launched in 2002, enables donor countries to give extra aid money in a more co-ordinated way. The FTI has already helped six countries to pay fully for their education plans for the next three years: Mauritania, Guyana, Gambia, Honduras, Burkina Faso and Ghana. It has also provided another six countries with extra money. In addition, the FTI has helped to make sure that donor countries work together so that aid money and other support for poorer countries is more effective. It is also encouraging more countries to make ambitious plans for their education systems which it will try to fund in the future.
Are there any problems for the FTI?
Yes. The Education For All Fast-Track Initiative is not getting enough money. The governments of richer countries still need to give more money. The UK has given over £7 million to the FTI but it still gives most of its aid for education on a country-by-country basis, which helps some countries more than others. It is important that the UK gives much greater financial support to the FTI.
What needs to be done next? 2005 is a great opportunity to draw attention to the fact that girls, in particular, are still not receiving a good quality education. This is because the UK has a unique chance to encourage other richer countries to help more. This year it is host to the G8 summit in Scotland and is also chair of the FTI committee. Through these roles, the UK government can encourage other donors to increase the quantity of aid by giving more moneyand to improve the quality of aid by giving more streamlined, better co-ordinated aid, through the Education for All Fast-Track Initiative.
What else can be done? It is not only more and better aid from richer governments which will help all children to have a good education. Among other things, debt relief and a fairer world trade system will also help. For more information see our simple guides to Debt payments and education and Trade and education.
