Uganda Education News: African Ministers calls for more funding of basic education
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First published: 20091006 6:40:09 AM EST
Ultimate Media
Ministers of Finance and Education from different African countries have appealed to developed countries to commit more funds to help developing countries provide basic education to children unable to go to school.
The Ministers from Uganda, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Ghana said in a letter to ministers of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries that about 20 million children might not get a chance to go to school for the first time if more funding is not realized.
The Ministers who had just finalized a meeting under their Education for All Fast-tracking Initiative said more than 1.2 Billion US Dollars is immediately needed to fund primary education up to 2010.
They say much more money is needed to fund continuing education programmes under this initiative in different countries in Africa and other parts of the world.
The ministers said while the global partnership has already achieved impressive results, thanks to timely and generous help from the OECD countries, most achievements might be lost if urgent funding is not realized.
According to the Ministers’ letter, the Education For All Fast Track Initiative has achieved impressive results over recent years and that donor governments could be confident that their aid money was being invested wisely.
It says 20 million more children have enrolled in primary school in FTI countries in Sub-Saharan Africa since the partnership began, a 64% jump in enrollments and double the rate in non-FTI countries, while 15 FTI countries are on track to reach the goal of 95% of all children completing primary school by 2015.
Another 11 countries are close behind and should reach this goal soon after 2015.
The ministers’ statement says girls account for a remarkable 60% of new enrollments in FTI countries, with 16 FTI countries having already have achieved the goal of gender parity in school enrollment, and another 16 FTI countries are on track to reach this goal before 2015.
The letter was signed by Hon. Syda Bbumba (Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Government of Uganda),The Hon. Lucien Marie Noel Bembamba (Minister of Economy and Finance, Government of Burkina Faso); the Hon. Marie Odile Balima Bonkoungou (Minister of Basic Education and Literacy, Government of Burkina Faso); the Hon. Ato Sufian Ahmed (Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Government of Ethiopia); he Hon. Ato Demeke Mekonnen (Minister of Education, Government of Ethiopia); the Hon. Alex Tettey-Enyo (Minister of Education, Government of Ghana).
Others are the Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Government of Kenya); the Hon. Ken Kandodo (Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Government of Malawi); the Hon. George Chaponda (Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Government of Malawi); the Hon. Salikou Sanogo (Minister of Primary Education, Literacy and National Languages, Government of Mali); the Hon. Aires Bonifacio Ali (Minister of Education and Culture, Government of Mozambique); the Hon. James Musoni (Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Government of Rwanda); the Hon. Charles Murigande (Minister of Education, Government of Rwanda); the Hon. Kalidou Diallo (Minister of Pre-School, Elementary and Middle School Education, Government of Senegal).
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