Education Advocates call on President Obama to make Education a Development Priority
October 6, 2010
EDUCATION ADVOCATES CALL ON OBAMA TO MAKE EDUCATION A PRIORITY IN GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
WASHINGTON, DC – With more than 72 million children still denied access to a quality basic education, education advocates watched closely last month as the president unveiled his plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goal 2, Achieving Universal Education. They also kept an eye on the first-of-its-kind Global Development Strategy released during the MDG Summit in New York.
Today, the Global Campaign for Education, U.S. (GCE-US) released a detailed response to both documents – click here to read the response.
“We applaud the president for his leadership in addressing the MDG Goals and for crafting a much-needed Global Development Strategy,” said GCE-US Director Joanna Kuebler. “However, we are concerned that the president’s MDG plan does not provide a clear way forward to achieve MDG 2 and, even more worrisome, is that the president’s Global Development Strategy fails to include education at all.”
In its response, GCE-US called on the president to elevate education as a priority in his Global Development Strategy and to commit to supporting a Global Fund for Education, or multilateral education initiative such as a reformed Fast Track Initiative. As a candidate in 2008, President Obama pledged $2 billion for a Global Fund for Education.
“Achieving quality universal education is essential if we are to achieve all eight millennium development goals. It is essential to ensuring successful outcomes across all development sectors,” said Kuebler. “We can stay the course and watch another generation of children fall victim to poverty, disease, and conflict. Or, we can see education made a development priority and invest in the next generation of teachers, innovators, and world leaders.”
In addition to urging the president to support a multilateral education initiative, GCE-US made three additional recommendations: (1) improve US bilateral education programs, particularly through increased integration and coordination across U.S. agencies, (2) monitor and evaluate educational outcomes and factors that affect outcomes, (3) prioritize education for women and girls.
“Investing in quality education is the path out of poverty and conflict,” said Kuebler. “Each additional year of schooling reduces a boy’s risk of becoming involved in conflict by 20 percent. Each year of schooling increases a girl’s earning potential by at least 15 percent. In sub-Saharan Africa, investing in the education of women can boost agricultural output by 25 percent. This is about using our foreign aid dollars wisely to build stronger economies and safer communities.”
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