“Education funding plan will give children the better future they deserve”

Today youth activists will deliver a resounding message that a bold new funding plan is needed to get millions of children into school and learning.

Three of Theirworld’s Global Youth Ambassadors will hand in a petition with 1.5 million signatures at a special meeting with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in New York.

The petition calls for world leaders to back the International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd) – a big idea that could help to deliver quality education for every child.

IFFEd would make aid more effective by maximising the impact of donor resources through the World Bank and regional development banks. It can unlock $10 billion a year of additional financial and get 20 million children into school in its initial phase.

The plan is the brainchild of the Education Commission – a group of world leaders and experts – and was proposed in its groundbreaking report The Learning Generation. It’s now getting some major backing from the international community and influential figures.

• Youth campaigners to deliver 1.5m calls for action
• What you need to know about IFFEd
• How 1.5m people signed the IFFEd petition
• Shakira thanks 1.5m supporters

Here are what some of those people are saying about IFFEd. 

EDUCATION COMMISSIONERS

Kristin Clemet (head of Civita and former Norwegian education minister)

More funding plus reforms to make the funding go further to deliver results is a win-win situation for aid donors, countries and children around the world. 

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Chair, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and former Nigerian finance minister Nigeria)

As the chair of Gavi, I know how the power of innovative finance and front-loading investments in health allowed the international community to save more than nine million lives. As a former finance minister of an African country, I know how important the International Finance Facility for Education will be to generate similar advances in learning for the next generation.

President Felipe Calderon (former President of Mexico)

Among the many critical issues we face today, few are as urgent as giving our children the future they deserve – a better future than the one we live in.

Lawrence Summers (President Emeritus and Charles W. Eliot Professor at Harvard University; former Secretary of the US Treasury)

By combining innovation and hard data showing the impacts of investments, along with the leverage of the MDB (multinational development banks), the International Finance Facility for Education is one of the most cost-effective ways to deliver funding to education in countries working towards increased domestic financing capacity.  

Anant Agarwal (CEO edX and MIT professor)

Building an education system for the 21st century requires countries to have the tools and resources to harness the full potential of digital technology and learning. The International Finance Facility for Education is an innovation in education finance that allows for innovations in teaching and learning.

Graca Machel (founder, Graça Machel Trust)

It will allow eligible countries to invest up front to address some of the most urgent needs – especially for young women and girls. It is imperative for the international community to come behind this initiative. 

Jack Ma (founder and Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group)

The International Finance Facility for Education gives countries the opportunity to revolutionise the teaching and learning process to prepare the next generation to thrive in our global society. It is an effort that all who care about the future should get behind. 

Amel Karboul (Secretary-General of Maghreb Economic Forum; former Tunisian tourism minister)

Countries on the cusp of universal education face a dramatic choice in their development once they achieve middle-income status – stop investing in children or pay high interest rates to do so. the International Finance Facility for Education is an innovation that will allow these countries to have only one choice to make – invest in the future.  

Mohamed Sidibay (peace activist)

People often say young people are the future leaders of tomorrow. But that future will not be bright if the present does not equip us with the tools to succeed. We must all come together and adequately fund quality and inclusive education.

Baela Raza Jamil (CEO, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi)

As a civil society leader on the front lines of delivering education in some of the most challenging places in Pakistan, I believe the International Finance Facility for Education offers hope to children that they too can realise the right to education. It will allow governments to access a new financing stream to invest in the urgent needs of today while increasing domestic resources that will be essential to sustaining education into the future.

Julia Gillard (Chair, Global Partnership for Education; former Australian Prime Minister)

The International Finance Facility for Education, working seamlessly with the multilateral development banks, the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait, can undertake a significant role in creating new financing for countries which are moving up the ladder of development but still need an additional stream of funding to fully reach their ambitions.  

Jakaya Kikwete (former President of Tanzania)

African leaders’ commitment must be matched by commensurate support from the international community. the International Finance Facility for Education is an important tool to help countries advance to the next level of growth by investing in the skills and opportunity of young people.  

Theo Sowa (CEO, African Women’s Development Fund)

The International Finance Facility for Education has the power to mobilise the largest amount of funding for education in history and direct it to the countries with the largest number of child and adolescent girls in need of the promise of a futures-focused, 21st century education.

Helle Thorning-Schmidt (Chief Executive, Save the Children; former Prime Minister of Denmark)

To turn things around, we need a big funding boost and the International Finance Facility for Education is a great way to do that. It will give more children the better future they deserve and help them lift their families and countries out of poverty. 

Aliko Dangote (Owner, Dangote Group)

As an industrialist, inclusive and quality education opens the door to development and growth. Through the funding mechanism of the International Finance Facility for Education, I am optimistic that new opportunity for countries to invest in human capital and scale up quality of workforce for the 21st century will blossom.

Strive Masiyiwa (Executive Chairman and founder of Econet Group)

How will we pay to get all children in school and learning? The key will be innovating the way we finance education. It’s time for leaders in Africa and beyond to take a serious look at how IFFEd could revolutionise education. We need to embrace innovation – in terms of how we educate children and how we pay for it – to make sure that Africa’s youth generation lives up to its enormous promise.

COUNTRIES

Joko Widodo (President of Indonesia)

I view the International Finance Facility for Education proposal as an encouraging initiative that will provide much-needed additional funding for education in countries committed to reform and enhance investment in that field.

Béji Caid Essebsi (President of Tunisia)

Tunisia is delighted to be part of this initiative and supports the International Finance Facility for Education. I strongly believe that greater investment in a reformed education sector is critical to Tunisia and to the world.

Arthur Peter Mutharika (President of Malawi)

Malawi is pleased with the progress of the Education Commission and offers its full support for the International Finance Facility for Education. This is an encouraging development that will provide much-needed additional finance for education to countries willing to reform and increase investments in education.

Ranil Wickremesinghe (Prime Minister of Sri Lanka)

Having championed free education and education for all, Sri Lanka would certainly be privileged and eager to be part of this timely activity. Sri Lanka takes pride in inclusive education policies and would be very much interested in exploring opportunities and mechanisms that would empower educational enterprises and drive social development across the world.   

Pakistan education officials – Mohammed Hussein, Director, Human Resource and Training School Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh; Dr Fouzia Khan, Head of Curriculum Wing (SELD) and Communications (Reforms Support Unit); Hasnat Qureshi D.G Federal Directorate of Education- Islamabad Capital Territory.

As senior education officials from Pakistan, we welcome the International Finance Facility for Education. as it will provide a financial bridge as we increase our resources for education and provide quality education for all. This is an encouraging development that will provide much-needed additional finance for education to countries willing to reform and increase investments in education.

Robert Chong Thu (Secretary, Government of Bihar, India)

India welcomes the International Finance Facility for Education. It will provide a financial bridge as we increase our resources for education and provide quality education for all. This financial breakthrough will benefit countries who need continued support as they reach for the Sustainable Development Goal of universal education.

UNITED NATIONS

António Guterres (UN Secretary-General)

In our fast-changing world, we cannot accept 250 million children failing to learn even the most basic skills. In the coming decade, some one billion young people will enter the workforce. They all need education so they can help build a world of peace, prosperity, dignity and opportunity for all.  That is why the proposed new International Finance Facility for Education can be so important.

Amina J. Mohammed (UN Deputy Secretary-General)

We must reach all people, with a special focus on girls and those caught up in crisis situations and left behind.  Success depends on funding that is predictable, sustainable and at scale. We look to the International Finance Facility for Education to help bridge the enormous financing gap and make quality and relevant education a reality for all.

Filippo Grandi (UN High Commissioner for Refugees)

We need innovative solutions to help countries in conflict and those hosting refugees strengthen and rebuild their education systems. The International Finance Facility for Education offers a unique opportunity to help support lower-middle income countries develop the talents of the next generation. It will renew hope for millions and must be supported.

Henrietta Fore (Executive Director, UNICEF)

Education is the key to unlocking many of the Sustainable Development Goals and requires investments from the early years through to primary, secondary and skills training for the jobs of the future.  The International Finance Facility for Education offers a new way to generate resources to help those countries dedicated to achieving inclusive and equitable education for all.

Audrey Azoulay (Director-General, UNESCO)

We must find new ways to expand countries’ capacities and resources to provide equitable quality education and lifelong learning. The International Financing Facility for Education (IFED) is therefore a highly welcome innovation as it can stimulate increased funding for Education. UNESCO looks forward to working with IFFED in synergy with other education financing mechanisms.

MULTINATIONAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS

Kristalina Georgieva (Chief Executive Officer, World Bank)

We cannot depend on public finance alone – we must find new ways to fund this cornerstone of human capital. The International Finance Facility for Education is taking a lead role on innovating in education finance, and we commend their efforts to develop a full set of financial tools to invest in the skills, talents and knowledge of the next generation.

Luis Alberto Moreno (President, Inter-American Development Bank)

We look forward to working with the International Finance Facility for Education to offer Latin American and Caribbean countries more options to access blended finance. This innovative mechanism will provide our borrowers greater incentives to invest in raising the quality of education, a key to higher growth and long-term prosperity.

Takehiko Nakao (President, Asia Development Bank)

Greater investment in education is essential to ensure continued growth and prosperity in the Asia and Pacific Region. We look forward to working together with the International Finance Facility for Education to leverage donor funds and create new ways for countries to increase their investments in our region’s next generation.

FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANISATIONS

Dr Seth Berkley (CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance)

At GAVI, we have been on the forefront on innovation to finance and deliver vaccines. We welcome the International Finance Facility for Education and see this new stream of innovative finance as a complementary effort as we strengthen our global investments in the most marginalised young people to provide them with a better future. 

Dr Rajiv Shah (President, Rockefeller Foundation)

Education has continually been under-resourced and the International Finance Facility for Education has a tremendous opportunity to not only bridge a failure in the current financial architecture but unlock hope and opportunity for millions of young people across the globe. 

Yasmine Sheriff (DIrector, Education Cannot Wait)

Children caught up in emergencies, crisis and conflict, will some day return home or need to rebuild their communities. In many countries across the world, there simply is not the finance necessary to bridge the gaps and invest what is needed in people today, to promote peace, growth and development tomorrow. Education Cannot Wait welcomes the International Finance Facility for Education and looks forward to a productive collaboration – harnessing our collective value-added contributions for the future of humanity. 

Hugh Evans (CEO, Global Citizen)

Last year, over 100,000 Global Citizens took action calling on G20 leaders to prioritise education financing through GPE, ECW and the creation of an International Finance Facility for Education to generate more resources for universal education. In 2018, we are calling on G20 leaders to [discuss these mechanisms and to] release more financing to fulfil the promise of Sustainable Development Goal 4 and get 264 million kids a quality education.

GLOBAL YOUTH AMBASSADORS

Mitchelle Ofuyo (Co-founder, Jjiguene Tech Hub, Kenya)

I believe that one of the most noble things we can do for others is help them live a dignified life. And by bridging the funding gap in education, we will achieve just that. To give my people a future to hope and a life to look forward to with a sense of pride at the end of the day. That is the true miracle of life.

Diksha Dinde, (Co-founder, Green Signal School project, India)

I believe the International Finance Facility for Education will give wings to the dreams of the children who are excluded from the education system. It will lead to social change and freedom from the barriers to education, including gender disparities.