World Bank kick-starts plan to guarantee primary education for all by 2015. Stephen Phillips reports
THE World Bank has announced an aggressive new action plan to guarantee all the world’s children a primary education by 2015.
Global finance ministers meeting at a World Bank conference in Washington DC endorsed a programme to kick-start the drive with up to US$5billion (pound;3.5million) in aid for 10 developing nations.
The chosen 10 are expected to be named at the annual G8 summit of leading economic powers in Canada on June 21, and more countries will be funded in successive waves, said Jozef Ritzen, the former Dutch education minister who is now vice-president of human development at the World Bank.
Pledging British support, Chancellor Gordon Brown dubbed education the “best anti-poverty strategy”.
The original commitment to universal primary education by 2015 was made two years ago at the World Educational Forum in Dakar, Senegal, but progress has been slow. An estimated 125 million children - two-thirds of them girls - do not currently attend school, and a recent World Bank survey concluded that 88 nations were likely to fall short of the goal.
Mr Ritzen said these findings were the catalyst for what he billed as a “novel, new and decisive way to get children into schools”.
The new blueprint offers developing countries sustained financial support to build a comprehensive school infrastructure. “Countries can count on support for the long haul - they can hire teachers and ensure they’re paid. It’s a major turnaround,” said Mr Ritzen.
In return, recipients must show a clear financial commitment to educational goals. Criteria for funding could include devoting at least 1.4 per cent of GDP to primary education, limiting classes to fewer than 40 pupils and offering teachers competitive but economically sustainable salaries.
Oliver Buston, of Oxfam, said the plan was a “credible attempt to tackle the education crisis”. But he reserved further judgment until more donor nations indicate how much they will give. To date, only Holland and Germany have pledged hard cash.
Tanzania and India are among contenders for the programme.
