Basic Education

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Justification for Funding

• Globally, 264 million children and youth are out of school. Nearly 40% of the world’s children of primary age fail to acquire even basic literacy and numeracy skills.
• The current USAID Education Strategy focuses on improving reading skills for 100 million learners, to develop the global workforce and build self-reliance.
• In conflict and crisis, USAID supports safe learning opportunities for millions of kids.
• Since 2011, U.S. funding has supported 151 basic education programs, reaching over 50 million learners in 51 countries and trained over 460,000 teachers, annually.
• Support for the Global Partnership for Education has contributed to enrolling 64 million more children in primary school, and a 10% increase in primary school completion rates.

Cost of Cuts Below $800 Million

• Progress will be less sustainable across all sectors. Basic education is a force multiplier, readying the youth for the workforce and decreasing future dependence on aid.
• Without continued gains in girls’ secondary education, likelihood of child marriage, early pregnancy, sex-trafficking and HIV infection will increase.
• Students living in conflict and crisis regions will miss out on the stabilizing influence, peace-building and conflict prevention skills gained in school.
• If not fully addressed, the effects of the “learning crisis” - unemployment, poverty, inequality and   instability - could undermine entire economies and societies.

Justification for Additional Funding

• 250 million children, globally, are failing to meet their early development milestones. USAID programs need to increase investments to reach children earlier.
• Increasing levels of displaced children are in urgent need of the stability and hope provided by safe learning opportunities.
• If current trends continue, by 2030, less than 10% of young people in low-income countries will be on track to gain secondary level skills and contribute to the global workforce.
• The READ Act of 2017 prioritizes basic education in U.S. foreign assistance and signals a pivotal moment for increased coordination and effectiveness of basic education programs.

Impact of 15% More Funding

• Build brain power early by increasing the number and quality of pre-primary programs.
• Increase equity by investing more in girls’ secondary education.
• Expand focus of current programs to include math, science, and critical thinking.
• Create sustainability by extending the duration of educational programs for areas of
  protracted conflict and crisis situations.
• Leverage additional resources from developing countries through support for the Global Partnership for Education.

*Enacted FY18 Omnibus Appropriation