Fears for future of schoolchildren in developing countries

Posted 29 Apr 2009

A study by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) has raised fears the economic downturn may stall an initiative to get more children in developing countries into school.

The publication, entitled Education on the Brink, was shown to international economists earlier this month, reports the Guardian.

It suggests that a promise made in 2000 by world leaders to educate the 75 million children out of school by 2015 is looking "increasingly remote".

The GCE insists part of the problem is the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) insistence on attaching strict financial conditions to loans for poorer countries, leaving their governments with little money to invest in education.

However, according to the study, spending money on school initiatives makes sound economic sense.

It argues: "The dire needs of education systems in low-income countries are an essential investment that, in the context of the financial crisis, will also reap immediate short-term gains by generating employment and building a skilled and educated labour force."

In other news that may interest TEFL applicants, a teacher at a makeshift school in the Central African Republic recently told the Guardian how his desire to raise education standards in the country keeps him motivated despite the difficult working conditions.

Category: Teaching and Learning