The UK Government is a world leader in funding global education to meet the challenge of Sustainable Development Goal 4, through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) bilateral programs as well as support for the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait.
At the 2021 Global Education Summit in London, the UK pledged £430 million to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) for 2021–2026, its largest-ever commitment to GPE, making the government GPE’s top bilateral donor. This funding supports economic transformation and systems that empowering women and girls in partner countries. Also, the UK government has donated over £200 million to Education Cannot Wait (ECW) since 2016 to strengthen education in emergencies and crises-affected regions, reaching millions of marginalised children.
Despite this important role, the UK’s prioritisation of education in its development spending has declined. Although it remains the fifth largest DAC donor to education overall, the UK currently ranks 28th in terms of the share of its Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocated to the sector. Education’s share of ODA has steadily fallen, from 13.5% in 2013 to just 3.5% in 2023.
With only five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and and a crucial replenishment cycle for both GPE and ECW approaching, our Co-Chairs, Bambos Charalambous MP and Lord German, set out why the UK must renew and strengthen its commitment to global education in this OpEd amid the current challenging aid climate.
The Current State of Global Education
272 million children and youth are out of school and millions more are not learning. Education is fundamental to ending poverty, yet hundreds of million of children are denied access to quality education.
An estimated 272 million children and youth are out of school worldwide, with many more attending school but not achieving basic learning outcomes. Education is essential to ending poverty, yet millions of children are still denied access to quality education.
- 124 million children and young people have either never started school or have dropped out, and the number is rising.
- 1 in 6 secondary school age children are not in school.
- Up to 50% of children with disabilities are out of school and children in conflict affected countries are 1/3 less likely to complete primary school.
- More half of primary school children are not learning to read by the end of primary school and three quarters of secondary school children are not learning basic secondary skills.