Analysis by the University of Cambridge for global children’s charity, Theirworld, reveals that global aid for pre-primary education increased by 40 per cent between 2021 and 2022 to a record high of $282m.
However, the rise in aid was driven largely by one donor, the World Bank, which invested $181m on pre-primary education in 2022, almost two-thirds of total aid to pre-primary education.
The analysis – A Turning Point? An updated scorecard on donor funding to pre-primary education - analyses data submitted by international donors to the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee Creditor System.
It reveals that investment in pre-primary education is still low compared to international spending on education as a whole.
In 2022, the amount of aid invested in early years accounted for only 1.4 per cent of the total education spending. This compares to the recommend 10 per cent – a target agreed by more than 147 UN member states and agencies. Just two donors of aid met the 10 per cent target.
The USA, Japan, Switzerland, France and Norway were among 10 countries that committed less than 0.5 per cent of their education aid budget to pre-primary. The Netherlands, Israel, Romania, Hungary and Denmark didn’t spend a penny on early years.
Of the world’s 26 low-income countries, Central African Republic, Liberia, D.P.R, Korea and Yemen, did not receive a single cent in aid for pre-primary education in 2022. Of the 114 countries that did receive aid for pre-primary education, 95 received less than $5 per child, including Afghanistan, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Syria, which received less than 20 cents per child.
President of Theirworld, Justin van Fleet, said, ‘The record investment in pre-primary investment is a positive sign that donors are finally recognising the early years as a crucial part of children’s long-term development.
‘But the undeniable truth is that spending on children’s early years is still too low. Prioritising investment in pre-primary education for all children, especially those most at risk of being excluded from learning, has profound long-term benefits for society, yet despite this, donors are spending 21 times more on higher education than on pre-primary education. This imbalance must be addressed urgently.’
As part of its Act for Early Years campaign, Theirworld is calling on world leaders to commit $1 billion in new funding to early years education