Financing Global Education. Opportunities for International Action

Donor finance has been an important source of financing for development, and for education in particular. However, recent evidence has highlighted that it could play a more strategic and “smarter” role moving forward. Not... [ view full abstract ]

Donor finance has been an important source of financing for development, and for education in particular. However, recent evidence has highlighted that it could play a more strategic and “smarter” role moving forward. Not only can it provide critical core funding in the neediest countries, it can also help mobilize domestic and investment resources by helping to create the right institutional and investment environment. Achieving impact will depend on the total volume of donor finance but also, and perhaps more importantly, the allocation and delivery of it in partnership with others.

The paper takes a closer look at the role of international donors in education and how they could become more effective players within an increasingly complex development financing architecture. It includes an analysis of education financing needs, overall trends in donor finance data and how donor finance could be better targetted to need and deployed with greater impact in different country contexts.

The paper identifies opportunities for donor action in five groups of countries in need. Each group requires a different approach and different kind of coordination. Leverage matters everywhere. Aid is most effective when it can leverage policy reform and other sources of finance.

The paper is the background financing paper prepared for the Oslo Education Summit hosted by the Norwegian government and to be held in July 2015. The Summit will bring together senior representatives from key donors agencies, partner governments and non-government agencies in education.