EFA- the way forward

Oliver Buston, Oxfam International

May 7th 2003

A silent crisis

• 115 million out of school

• Nearly 860 million illiterate

• Two thirds women

• 88 countries off track for MDG

Education crisis in Africa

• 40% of children receive no education

• Average: 3.5 years in school

• In 2015 two thirds of out of school children will be in Africa

Why does this matter?

Education is:

• Fundamental human right

• Foundation for good health*

• Only known HIV vaccine

• A key to equitable growth

Amartya Sen on Education in East Asia (1)

• 1872 Fundamental code of education

• 1910 Japan almost fully literate

• 1913 publishing more books than Britain, double US

• China, Taiwan, S.Korea

Amartya Sen on Education in East Asia (2)

• “impossible to ignore the importance of the achievements of these countries in terms of basic education”

• “widespread participation in a global economy would have been hard to achieve if people could not read or write, or produce according to specifications”

• Key to “growth with equity”

Global Campaign for Education

• NGOs

• Teachers groups

• Campaigning north and south

• Big Lesson

Global Initiative

• Build on national plans

• Predictable and increased aid

• Donor coordination

April 2000: Dakar

• EFA plans

• Financing pledge

• Vague reference to global initiative

Post Dakar depression

• No progress on plans

• Falling aid

• Falling World Bank support

G7 Aid for Basic Education

1%

0.3%

2.1%

5.6%

6%

3.2%

6.9%

0 50 100 150 200 250

Canada

France

Germany

Italy

Japan*

UK

USA

Basic educationas % of totalbilateral sectorallocable ODA

Bilateral ODA tobasic educationUS$ per year2000-2001 (two-year average)

EFA Fast Track initiative

• Partnership

• Built on country plans/PRSP

• Donor coordination

• 18+5

G8 2002 Kananaskis

• EFA Task Force report

• Very little money

• Japan the exception?

November donor consortium

• Weak donor response

• Burkina, Niger, Mauritania, Honduras, Nicaragua. Guinea, Guyana

• $430m over 3 years

• Where from?

Concerns with fast Track

Donor concerns

• Cost• Recurrent costs• Absorption• Country owned• PRSP

Developing country concerns

• Will donors deliver?• Conditionality• One size fits all• Teacher salaries

Stories of hope

• Niger

• Mozambique

• Tanzania

• Kenya

• And more!

March donor consortium

• 3 more countries qualify

• $200m found for first 7

• Many concerns addressed

• Open door (PRSP + Sector Plan)

Fast Track delivers

• Donor coordination

• Incentives

Fast Track challenges

• Small number of countries

• Small number of children

• Donor orphans

• Tiny amounts of money

Japan and Fast Track (1)

• Begin initiative – what is link to FTI?

• $15-25m over 3 years for first 7?

• Revisiting question of recurrent costs

Japan and Fast Track (2)

• Challenge of coordination

• Tied aid

• Japanese inputs, training, materials

• Hardware vs. software

• Scholarships

• Asia?

Japan’s aid at a crossroads

• Review of aid charter

• 1. National interest/less/focus/tied aid/hardware

• 2.Poverty focus/more /better quality/untied aid/basic needs/software

Japan- EFA Champion

• Use G8 to take a lead

• Strong support for Fast Track

• Lever resources from others

• Expand

• Drive coordination