Academy for Educational Development

BASIC EDUCATION COALITION CALLS FOR INCREASED FUNDING FOR EDUCATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

--Stephen F. Moseley, Board Chair, Testifies Before Congress--

Washington, D.C., March 29, 2007 — Stephen F. Moseley, Chairman of the Board of the Basic Education Coalition, today called on Congress to increase funding for basic education programs through USAID to at least $800 million in Fiscal Year 2008. The Basic Education Coalition is a group of 20 humanitarian and development institutions working to ensure that children in more than 100 countries receive a quality basic education.

In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Moseley, who is president and CEO of the Academy for Educational Development (AED), noted that while there have been dramatic increases in enrollment, particularly for girls, much more needs to be done.

“While we are making progress at getting kids into school, tens of millions of them are dropping out before fifth grade, reflecting continuing problems with the very poor quality of many schools in the developing world,” said Moseley. “Addressing quality requires focusing on improving teaching and teachers, materials, schools, and the relevance of what children are learning.”

In urging the Subcommittee to increase funding for basic education, Moseley emphasized that an estimated international contribution of $11 billion is needed annually to meet the internationally agreed upon target of education for all by 2015. The U.S. proportionate share, based on an average U.S. contribution to international initiatives of 25%, would bring the U.S. target to over $2 billion.

According to the 2007 UNESCO Education for All Global Monitoring Report, 13% of the developing world’s children are not in school. In sub-Saharan Africa, that number soars to over 34%. Of the 77 million children worldwide who are not in school, 57% are girls.

Moseley’s testimony on behalf of the Coalition underscored the important role of education in meeting the nation’s foreign policy goals of combating terrorism and increasing global stability, stressing that education discourages children from engaging in armed conflict or terrorist activities, and works to decrease the number of nations and fragile states that can harbor terrorists.

While education cannot prevent terrorism entirely, he said, “We know absolutely that a literate, educated and engaged public ensures stability and greater prosperity and, therefore, the prospects for greater peace in some of the most troubled areas of the world.”

He added, “The United States has a terrific opportunity right now to demonstrate our continuing leadership and collaborative work with other nation’s on this important issue. There is no single better investment than ensuring access to a quality basic education for all.”

The Basic Education Coalition was created to raise public and private support for quality basic education as a key element in economic development and human well-being. The Coalition members are: Abt Associates, Academy for Educational Development, Africare, American Institutes for Research, Bread for the World, CARE, Christian Children’s Fund, Creative Associates International, DevTech, Education Development Center, International Youth Foundation, IREX, Plan, RESULTS, RTI International, Save the Children, Women’s Edge, World Education, World Learning, and World Vision.

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