WUNRN
Financing
Upper Secondary Education: Unlocking 12 Years of Education for All - GIRLS
Author/Publisher: Malala
Fund
Direct Link to Full 56-Page 2015 Publication:
http://www.ungei.org/resources/files/Financing_Upper_Secondary_Education.pdf
Though we have seen impressive gains in access
to education in the last 15 years, we know that millions have been left behind
both inside and outside the classroom. And yet a good quality education, from
early childhood through upper secondary, is crucial to achieving the collective
vision for a sustainable future set out in the draft sustainable development
agenda AND the individual visions of a better future held by millions of girls
around the world.
Without fully funding universal access to 12
years of good quality primary and secondary education, in line with proposed
Target 4.1 of the Sustainable Development Goals, the vision of the sustainable
future to be agreed in September cannot be achieved and the world will be
robbed of the tremendous potential of girls eager to learn and to lead.
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IV. A phased approach to fee-free
upper
secondary education, first targeting
girls and
other marginalised youth, may be the
most
appropriate strategy to universalise
access
to education at this level.
—— A uniform strategy for implementing
and financing fee-free upper secondary
education is neither viable nor
appropriate across all countries. Upper secondary
school financing options may vary
depending upon the characteristics and context
of the country.
—— Given that public sector expenditure
is the key source of financing in education,
financing strategies will have to
mobilise and leverage domestic resources, as well
as better harness and catalyse
private sector sources. The strategies examine
mechanisms to mobilise the various
categories of financing as described in the
Revised Draft Outcome Document for the
Third International Conference on Financing
for Development, including domestic
public resources, domestic and international
private finance, and international
public finance.
—— Countries may exhibit characteristics
of multiple categories, and so financing
options may be adapted with varying
levels of targeting and fee-free prioritisation.
Additionally, the categories posed are
dynamic, and many countries could shift
between categories within the next 15
years. Financing strategies in any of these
categories must also go hand-in-hand
with reforms to increase the cost effectiveness
of schools and reduce per pupil costs,
particularly as costs are disproportionately
high at the upper secondary level,
compared to the lower levels.
—— A phased, incremental approach to
fee-free upper secondary, coupled with
measures to reduce or mitigate
indirect or ancillary school-related costs, will likely
be most appropriate. Equity
concerns could be mitigated by appropriate targeting,
and a planned process would ensure
that domestic financial resources are not unduly
diverted from basic education. The
timespan or scope of phasing may be determined
by country context, priorities, and financial resources available.