In his piece to Project Syndicate, Jeffrey Sachs, Director of Columbia’s Center for Sustainable Development and of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, argues that the upcoming replenishment conference of the Global Partnership for Education will be a symbolic moment for donor governments to show their commitment to the global Education for All agenda.
The grim data on development aid for education, which has stagnated for years, is disconcerting. Annual spending per school-aged child in Sub-Saharan Africa is roughly one-third of the minimum needed. As a result, most children do not come anywhere close to finishing secondary school. As African countries struggle to fund their ambitious commitments, western countries and the private sector should step forward to support them. With this replenishment round, GPE is asking for about US$1 billion per year to help solve the global education crisis.