The French network of the Global Campaign for Education has launched the Second Observatory of French public education support in developing countries.

The Observatory offers an accurate and up-to-date analysis of France’s development aid dedicated to education. It gives a general overview of funding orientation, which seems to have been moving further away from country needs and the needs of the most vulnerable populations.

“The context for development funding has been difficult, and the Education mission has been suffering, as is the case for other French international cooperation sectors. Beyond these challenges, it is still necessary to question French decisions regarding development aid policy. In 2015, it made action for youth a priority in international solidarity and a strategic objective of its foreign policy.

However, concrete commitments remain below the set objectives. In 2013, public education assistance was €1.45 billion, and 1.7% of total official development assistance was dedicated to basic education. Aid used to pay school tuition – expenditures made to integrate foreign students in France, therefore funds which do not leave the country – represent 58% of education aid”, claims Global Campaign for Education French network coordinator Hélène Ferrer.

Since the World Education Forum in Dakar in 2000, the number of out-of-school primary school age children has dropped from 100 million to 59 million. Adult illiteracy has decreased slightly, from 18% to 14% between 2000 and 2015 (UNESCO). Secondary education has progressed overall.  But progress has remained fragile over the past ten years: inequality is still significant, including in terms of equity and quality. 

These results can be put in parallel with the chronic education funding gap: while many developing countries have increased education expenditures over the past ten years, international donor investments, including French investments, have remained relatively low. Education is one of the key sustainable development factors for a country and a society, as well as for individual well-being.

2015 is a crucial year for international cooperation and development, with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted at the UN Summit in New York at the end of September. For commitments to match the speeches, the GCE French network warns of the need to reinforce French cooperation policy for education.  At a time when members of Parliament are about to vote the 2016 Financial Law, additional funding for education needs to be mobilized. Measures need to be implemented for more transparent ODA, which will be foreseeable over the medium term and truly dedicated to strengthening the capacity of education players and reinforcing education systems in developing countries.