The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released a policy report in May indicating that support for basic education is not going to countries that need it most, particularly to the Sub-Saharan African region.
Education is key to advancing human development; it empowers people to determine their own destiny. Without access to school, children are more vulnerable to a continued cycle of poverty. Unfortunately, more than half the children in Sub-Saharan Africa are out of school (approximately 89 million children). Among the key barriers to improving the situation is a lack of formal schools and low educational quality.
NPR highlighted the importance of the UNESCO findings in its broadcast: "Education Aid Eludes Countries That Need It Most." NPR interviewed Manos Antoninis, a senior policy analyst at UNESCO who co-authored the report. Antonis describes how donors have been moving away from educational support because results are not seen quickly enough. "For education, everything takes more time and requires donors to be patient, but that is not a very attractive result," he said.
Planet Aid is a long-time supporter of education in Sub-Saharan Africa; we understand the challenges and are committed to making a difference.
Read more about the teacher training programs we support, particularly our comprehensive educational initiative in Mozambique called Food for Knowledge.