Global education is grossly underfunded, despite repeated promises to ensure universal primary education from both international donors and domestic governments. According to the report Financing for Global Education, the annual financial gap is $26 billion to achieve primary education for all by 2015. 

The second replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education represents a great opportunity to revitalize the global education agenda and mobilize for more funding. But more funding alone is not enough to solve the challenges we face. It also must be spent equitably.

Average progress on ensuring access to basic education has huge hidden inequalities between and within countries. The marginalized and poor children have been left with no or very meagre quality education. The right to education is not fulfilled unless children actually learn in school. Save the Children advocates for more and more equitable funding of primary education. That is a challenge to donors and national governments alike. If more funding only benefits a privileged groups of citizens, we have failed those with the greatest need. The latest Global Monitoring Report states that 43% of public spending is received by the most educated 10% in low-income sub-Saharan African countries.

More funding alone will not improve the quality of learning

Not only are 57 million children worldwide still out of school, but the quality provided for those enrolled is often so poor that children are left without basic skills after several years in school. In fact, today there are more children in school, not learning, than there are children out of school. This cannot be solved with more funding alone. The increased budgets must be spent equitably – to secure the education for the most marginalized groups of children.

In an upcoming report written by The Research Base, commissioned by Save the Children Norway, spending patterns in education are studied to unmask inequalities and suggest policies to ensure more equity.

One of the main findings is that poverty is the main source of inequity in education. The poorest groups of children are systematically losing out compared to the wealthier sections of the population. Measures should be taken to target the poorest groups of children and compensate for their disadvantage.

Save the Children will therefore call for:

• Free public primary education. Fees constitute barriers to education for the poorest families.
• A greater share of the investments to the poorest and most marginalized children. Equal per pupil spending is not equitable, as some children need more support to gain from education.
• Increased tax bases to ensure sufficient income to fund quality basic education for all.
• Better and more reliable data to inform the policy development.
• More transparency and accountability in budget processes and actual spending.
• Increased aid to education to support a more equitable education.
• Civil society mobilization and community action to ensure governments  are accountable

The Global Partnership for Education should not only demand increased domestic budgets from partner countries, but measures to reach the most marginalized. More funding is simply not enough to ensure every child’s right to learn and thrive in school. If more funding doesn’t reach those most in need, it may do more harm than good to these children.