The Global Economic Recession: Rethinking

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The Global Economic Recession Rethinking
Education for All (EFA) Sustainability

• Mary Goretti Nakabugo
• Irish-African Partnership for Research Capacity
  Building (IAPRCB)
• Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick,
  Ireland
• goretti.nakabugo_at_mic.ul.ie / gnakabugo_at_yahoo.co.uk
  
• DSA Conference 2009
• Contemporary Crises and New Opportunities
• University of Ulster, Coleraine Campus
• 2nd 4th September 2009University of Ulster
• COLERAINE

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• The global economic
• crisis threatens efforts
• to reduce poverty
• and achieve other
• development targets,
• such as EFA

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Economic Threat to EFA

• EFA in poor nations has depended mainly on donor
  funding.
• Developed nations are rethinking their
  expenditures including international
  development.
• They might honour commitments to EFA till 2015,
• But what will happen after that?

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• Is the global financial crisis a wake-up call to
  reconsider approaches to EFA provision?
• What strategies have low-income nations put in
  place to consolidate UPE gains and ensure EFA
  sustainability?

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External Funding for EFA

• Aid to basic education in low-income countries
  more than doubled between 2000 and 2004, but
  decreased significantly in 2005 UNESCO 2007,
  p.1).

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External Funding for EFA

• Commitments to basic education increased from
  US2.7 billion to US5.1 billion in 2004 before
  declining to US3.7 billion in 2005 (UNESCO
  2007 P.3).
• It is projected that if pledges are met,
  bilateral aid to basic education will likely
  reach US5 billion a year in 2010, far below the
  US11 billion a year required to reach the EFA
  goals

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Implication?

• the years ahead will require unwavering
  political will to consistently ensure that
  education from early childhood onwards is a
  national priority, to engage governments, civil
  society and the private sector in creative
  partnerships, and to generate dynamic
  coordination and support from the international
  community (Matsuura in UNESCO, 2007 i).

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Paper Focus

• This paper is a synthesis of EFA data and
  National Development Plans of the four African
  countries participating in the Irish-African
  Partnership for Research Capacity Building
  (IAPRCB) with a view to examining their approach
  and progress towards EFA attainment and
  sustainability.
• Malawi Mozambique
  Tanzania
  Uganda

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Progress towards EFA Globally Some Highlights

• According to the 2008 EFA Global Monitoring
  Report (UNESCO 2007, p.1)
• primary school enrolments rose from 647 million
  to 688 million worldwide between 1999-2005, with
  an increment of 36 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Out of the 129 countries, 51 have achieved or are
  close to achieving EFA.
• 53 countries are in an intermediate position
• 25 are far from achieving EFA as a whole.

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EFA Progress in the 4 Countries
Malawi Mozambique Tanzania Uganda
Net Enrolment at primary level 95 95.5 94.8 84
Projected Status by 2015 High chance of achieving EFA by 2015 High chance of achieving EFA by 2015 High chance of achieving EFA by 2015 Likely to achieve EFA by 2015
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Highlights on the Devt Status of the 4 countries
Malawi Mozambique Tanzania Uganda
Popn Est 13,931,831 22,894,000 40,000,000 30,900,000
GDP per capita US312 US465 US512 US453
of popn living in poverty 52.4 54.1 33.3 31
Major econ activity Agriculture Agriculture Agriculture Agriculture
HDI and position out of 177 Low 164 Low 172 Low 159 Medium 154
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Sustainability Strategies in the 4 countries
Malawi Mozambique Tanzania Uganda
Agric food security Education Focus on rural-oriented sectors Facilitate growth in incomes of poor
Irrigation and water devt Health Infrastructure and social services Increase productivity
Transport and infrastructure devt Agric rural devt Improve agriculture Security and conflict resolution
Energy generation and supply Basic infrastructure Governance
Integrated rural devt Good governance Human resource development
Prevention mgt of nutrition disorders, HIV/AIDs Macro-econ financial mgt
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What does the future hold?

• The economic recession raises the need to think
  beyond 2015 it is not business as usual
• Need to think of realistic and sustainable
  approaches to education provision
• Possible to embark on what Takyi-Amoako (2009
  p.1) has termed an exit strategy out of
  development aid dependency?
• Rethinking beyond EFA to education that is for
  the qualitative growth of individuals who are
  able to impact meaningfully on their communities
  and contexts

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Back to the future? A personal Story

• Would it help to strive for free Quality Higher
  Education?
• So that parents have
• something to look forward to?

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