JAKARTA - UNESCO has recorded 113 countries inhabited by 6.1 billion people spending more money to pay off debts than funding education. At the same time, global aid for this sector continues to shrink.
Quoted from Xinhua, Sunday, July 12, the latest UNESCO research released at the Transforming Education Summit +4 shows that education only received 7.5 percent of the total official development assistance in 2024. This figure is the lowest in two decades.
UNESCO estimates that total global aid for education could fall by up to 30 percent between 2023 and 2027.
The heaviest pressure is faced by low-income and lower-middle-income countries. This group of countries lacks education funding of US$ 97 billion per year. This shortfall is expected to widen.
At a time when aid is shrinking, debt payments are also putting pressure on the education budget.
The UNESCO report on debt and education found that real education spending was stagnant or declining in many countries. This condition risks having long-term impacts on access, quality, and equity in education.
"Education is the biggest investment that a country can make, but it continues to systematically lack funds," said UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany.
He warned that a decline in global education assistance risked prolonging investment shortfalls, inequality, and stalled development.
UNESCO is again encouraging debt-for-education swaps. Through this mechanism, a portion of foreign debt payments can be diverted to finance education.
The agency also published technical guidelines to help countries implement the scheme.
The findings were presented at the Transforming Education Summit +4, a follow-up meeting of the United Nations education forum. The forum discussed efforts to improve the education system and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education.
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