April 16, 2023
1 min read

UNESCO report reveals $97bn barrier to reaching education targets

Findings showed that the education sector will need an injection of funds if countries are to meet their targets…reports Asian Lite News

Without USD 97 billion in extra funding, a range of countries will fail to meet their 2030 national education targets, a new UN report revealed on Friday, calling for an urgent review of financing.

The paper “Can countries afford their national SDG4 benchmarks?” by the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) was written as input for the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It focused on Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims at ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Findings showed that the education sector will need an injection of funds if countries are to meet their targets.

In addition to mobilising additional resources, strategies are needed to increase the effectiveness of funding.

The largest financing gap is in sub-Saharan Africa: USD 70 billion per year. The region has the furthest distance to travel, with 20 per cent of primary school-age children and almost 60 per cent of upper secondary school-age youth not in school.

Around one-third of the gap could be filled if donors fulfilled their aid commitments and prioritised basic education in the poorest countries, the report found.

Other key findings emphasise that costs include the need to triple the number of pre-primary teachers in low-income countries and double them in lower-middle-income countries by 2030. The number of primary school teachers needs to increase by nearly 50 per cent in low-income countries.

While the full impact of Covid-19 pandemic disruptions remains unknown, the report found that costs also include making up for massive learning losses that exacerbated the pre-existing learning crisis. Only half of children and adolescents are now prepared for the future having completed their education and with minimum proficiency in reading.

Meanwhile, two-thirds of low and lower-middle-income countries had cut their public education spending in the first year following the onset of the pandemic in 2020. (ANI/WAM)

ALSO READ: Russian envoy hits out at The Times for ‘removing’ interview

Previous Story

Russia questions US’s code of conduct on export control regimes

Next Story

UAE participates in IMF meeting

Latest from -Top News

Trump unhappy with deadly strikes on Kyiv 

The president said he is “putting a lot of pressure” on both sides to end the war in Ukraine, following the deadliest attacks Kyiv has seen since last July  President Donald Trump

Macron: ‘We Stand with India’

Macron said that France will stand together with its allies and would continue the fight against terrorism wherever necessary….reports Asian Lite News French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday spoke to Prime Minister

Pakistan Slams IWT Move as ‘Act of War’

Islamabad also said that India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) will be considered as an “act of war”…reports Asian Lite News The high-level emergency meeting of Pakistan’s National Security

Modi: We’ll Hunt Them Down

The Prime Minister thanked nations that extended support to India in the aftermath of the terror attack…reports Asian Lite News In his first address after the horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu
Go toTop

Don't Miss

UAE, UNESCO ink deal to establish ICSICH

The Centre, aimed at strengthening the efforts of the Emirate

KISS gets prestigious UNESCO prize for mother tongue-based learning

The educational initiative at KISS comprises a school, a college