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Financing Upper Secondary Education: Unlocking 12 Years of Education for All - GIRLS

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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.