Ei-iE

“Education is key to reducing poverty.” That’s according to Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg in a statement on 16 June. “The Government therefore intends to double its development assistance to education in countries affected by extreme poverty, crisis and conflict. It is particularly important for us to ensure that more girls have access to education.”

She went on to say that ensuring that all children receive a good basic education is not just about teaching them to read and write. She stressed that education is a ticket out of poverty, and that no one needs this more than children growing up in the world’s poorest countries or in conflict areas.

“We will give a high priority to girls’ education. In many countries, access to education for girls is under particular pressure,” she said.

It is unacceptable that girls’ schools are being attacked and that pupils and teachers are being subjected to threats, violence, kidnapping and even murder, she added.

Encourage support from others

“Promoting equal rights to education for all children, boys and girls alike, will be a priority in Norwegian development policy,” echoed the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Børge Brende. “We will increase support for education and will seek to make countries concerned, other donors, international organisations, non-government organisations, and the private sector pull together in a joint effort to improve global education.”

On 13 June, the Government presented a white paper to the Storting(Norwegian Parliament) on global education. This white paper sets out concrete proposals as to what Norway can do to reach the more than 10 per cent of children worldwide who do not have access to primary education. These are primarily children living in extreme poverty or in conflict-affected areas, children with disabilities and those who are subject to discrimination.

Some 57 million children of primary school age and 70 million youth do not attend school. The quality of teaching is very poor in many countries; some 250 million children at Year 4 level can neither read nor write.

Norway to address falling levels of education aid

Norwegian assistance to education has fallen in recent years, the Prime Minister acknowledged. The Government is seeking to reverse this trend and will double its funding for global education in the current period. It intends to bring the percentage of aid allocated to education back to the 2005 level. Whereas last year only 7.2 per cent of Norway’s aid budget was allocated to education, the percentage allocated in 2005 was 13.3 per cent.

EI: A welcome move by Norwegians

“We welcome the Norwegian public authorities’ move to ensure that all children the world over have access to quality education,” EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen said. “We agree that girls’ lack of education is one of the greatest barriers to development, as girls who complete their education are better able to take care of themselves and their families.”