G LO B A L E D U C AT I O N M O N I TO R I N G R E P O R T 2 0 1 6
SUMMARY
F I GURE 1 7:
Aid to education has yet to return to 2010 levels
Total aid to education disbursements, 2002–2014
16
Total aid to basic education
Total aid to secondary education
14
Total aid to post-secondary education
Constant US$ 2014 billions
12
9.8
8.5
8.9
8
6.5
6
4.2
4.0
2.6
2
0
12.1
1.0
1.1
1.3
14.2
13.6
13.6
12.8
13.1
11.9
11.0
10
4
14.0
5.4
5.1
5.6
5.4
4.8
5.3
5.2
4.9
4.9
4.5
1.2
2.9
3.2
3.6
4.1
2002
2003
2004
2005
2.5
1.6
1.9
2.0
4.5
5.0
5.1
2006
2007
2008
2.4
2.2
6.1
6.2
5.9
2009
2010
2011
2.8
2.8
5.3
5.6
5.3
2012
2013
2014
2.3
Source: GEM Report team analysis based on information in the OECD CRS database.
spend 4.6% of GDP on education and allocate 14.2% of public expenditure to education; at least 35 countries
spend less than 4% of GDP and allocate less than 15% of public expenditure to education.
Analysis of the key public education financing indicators reveals an erratic supply of information. Only 60% of countries
have data on total education expenditure as a percentage of GDP for any given year since 2000. To ensure that good
data on education expenditure are available, good public expenditure management at the national level is vital.
A review of public expenditure must extend to its equity focus and the extent to which it compensates for
disadvantage in education. Comparison across countries is feasible but requires considerable effort towards
introducing a process, agreeing on a framework and actually carrying out an assessment. To get countries on board,
the emphasis should be on establishing a peer review mechanism through which they can learn from one another.
AID EXPENDITURE
Aid needs to increase at least sixfold to fill the US$39 billion annual financing gap, but in 2014, aid levels were 8%
lower than at their peak in 2010. The gap could be filled if donors dedicated 0.7% of gross national income (GNI)
to aid and allocated 10% of aid to basic and secondary education; since 2005, total aid flows have fluctuated at
around 0.3% of donor countries’ national income.
Poorer countries should be prioritized in aid, yet low income countries received 28% of total aid to basic
education in 2014 while accounting for 43% of children who do not complete primary school.
Levels of humanitarian aid need to be tracked as well. In 2015, education received US$198 million, or less than
1.9% of total humanitarian aid.
HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE
The share of households in total education expenditure tends to be much higher in poorer than in richer countries.
Reducing that share is key to fulfilling the new education targets’ focus on equity. Information on household
expenditure is available in most countries. Analysis for the GEM Report showed that at least 99 of the low and middle
income countries included relevant questions in a national expenditure survey between 2008 and 2014; 67 included
questions on individual expenditure items. However, such data are rarely used. Policy-makers may be unaware of
the data’s existence and importance, or their capacity to analyse them and draw relevant conclusions is limited.
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