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6. Education

What we agreed at Gleneagles

The G8 will bring to an end a situation where 100 million primary school-aged children are not able to go school.

The G8 will invest more in better education, extra teachers and new schools, so that all children can have free access to good quality education by 2015.

How is the UK doing?

The UK will spend £8.5 billion on education over the next ten years. We are supporting the development of 10-year education plans in developing countries, such as Ghana and Mozambique. 25 African countries have already expressed an interest in developing 10-year education sector plans; of these 15 already have a plan. This long-term, predictable funding is intended to break the cycle of under-investment in education. This cycle sees education plans being scaled back because of uncertainty over financing, and then – because plans don't exist – development agencies failing to provide the funding support required.

The UK has committed a total of £150 million to the Education for All Fast Track Initiative over three years. In addition the UK has made specific commitments for education in Mozambique, Ghana, India, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Somalia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

How the international community is doing

There has been real progress towards the goal of Universal Primary Education by 2015. According to the Global Monitoring Report 2007, the number of primary aged children not enrolled in school has fallen to around 77 million in 2004 from 98 million in 1999. Thirty-eight million (including 20 million girls) are in sub-Saharan Africa and 16 million (11 million girls) in South and West Asia. Progress is being made to increase the number of girls who go to school – but there are still some 44 million primary aged girls who aren't enrolled.

The Education for All Fast Track Initiative, a global partnership launched in 2002 and designed to speed up progress on education, is now being expanded. With contributions now received from France, Canada and Italy, together with the UK’s contribution, there are now 29 developing countries endorsed by the FTI with credible long-term education plans.

What should happen next?

We will continue to support governments to put together long-term education sector plans and to help mobilise long-term donor financing in support of these plans. This is the key compact between developing country governments and donors as move forwards.

A high level event, entitled, ‘Keeping our Promises on Education’ co-hosted by the European Commission and the World Bank and with UK support, will take place in Brussels on 2 May, 2007. The conference will focus on the challenge of doing ‘more, better, and faster’. We hope that this conference will agree specific steps and commitments that can also be carried forward through the G8 summit in June.

Where it is making a difference:

In Ghana, the UK supports the education sector HIV and AIDS programme that provides teachers, students and pupils with relevant knowledge, skills and the means to protect themselves from infection and from infecting others. The project targets 120,000 public and 3,500 private school teachers at primary, junior and senior secondary levels.

In India, the UK provides support to Sarva Shisha Ahbiyan (SSA), the government’s Universal Elementary Education programme, which includes the elimination of financial barriers to girls’ schooling. Many states are using SSA resources to reduce indirect costs. Major national reforms such as the midday meal scheme, free textbooks, free notebook and pencils and – more recently – free school uniforms for girls, are helping to remove remaining financial barriers.

Last updated: 12 March 2008