Basic Education

Description

Basic Education programs provide children with safe and equitable access to quality education so that they develop the necessary skills to join the global workforce The programs work to ensure pathways to self-reliance for the child and the community.

What Does This Buy?

Funds are provided to partners through grants, cooperative agreements, and other mechanisms to implement programming advancing learning outcomes, improving early grade reading, providing young people with skills to gain employment, and increasing equitable access to education.

Justification for the Request

• Education is critical to economic growth, poverty alleviation, and participatory democracy.
• From 2011-2017, U.S. government-funded programs reached over 83 million learners in 51 countries, including 22.6 million children living in conflict or crisis settings. These programs provided 69.8 million children with early grade reading instruction and 725,000 youth with new or improved employment opportunities.
• Since 2000, the total number of out-of-school children and youth has dropped by over 111 million and global primary school enrollment has grown to 91%.
• Support for the Global Partnership for Education has contributed to enrolling 64 million children in primary school and a 10% increase in primary school completion rates.
• “Children born to educated mothers are twice as likely to survive past the age of 5. Early education builds brain architecture, the foundation upon which all later learning, behavior, and health depend.”
• 262 million children and youth are still not in school and millions more are failing to acquire basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills.
• Nearly 40% of children of primary age fail to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills.

U.S. Interest

Education is critical to promoting long-term, broad-based economic growth, reducing poverty and inequality, improving health, and promoting participatory democracy. These programs provide safe and equitable access to quality education so that children and youth develop the necessary skills to join the global work force.

Bold Vision

• Basic Education programs are effective and deliver results. Additional funding could expand programs for vulnerable populations and provide education assistance for populations that development gains are leaving behind.
• More than 68 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide. Additional investments could grow the scale and impact of programs focusing on children living in countries affected by conflict and crisis.
• A child’s need to continue education is universal. Additional funding could continue their education and provide much needed socioemotional support.
• Additional funding could be directed to sub-Saharan Africa, where 90% of girls are failing to meet minimum proficiency standards in reading. All children, regardless of gender or place of birth, deserve the opportunity to learn and make a life for themselves.
• Additional investments could provide children with educational support in the critical early years of life by expanding early childhood education programming, helping children to achieve success.

Impact of Cuts

Cuts could weaken this central sector of development, undermining other U.S. efforts and increasing the likelihood of other serious problems, hindering advances and jeopardizing the path to self-reliance.