In a letter to the German minister for development, the members of German coalition for the Global Campaign for Education are pushing for a bolder engagement and higher financing of education in the context of development aid.
The organisations forming the German coalition for the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) in Germany have addressed Gerd Müller, the German federal minister for economic collaboration and development, in a joint letter that highlights their demands related to funding of education in the context of the German development aid.
From words to action
The German coalition for GCE, composed of civil society organisations and trade unions, has highlighted in its address that the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations in September and the Framework for Action 2030 for education, approved earlier this month in Paris, are just a first step. They highlight the responsibility of their government in taking the right and concrete measures to implement the goals and targets of the SDGs, notably the fourth one on education, as well as the Education Framework, not only in Germany but also through the different development projects that the country is involved in.
Closing the financing gap in German aid
With 58 million children still out of primary education everywhere in the world, “an inclusive, equitable and quality education for everybody can only be achieved if the financing gap of 39 billion USD per year for primary and secondary education is closed”, states the letter. In this light, the German budget of 2.4% for official development assistance seems insufficient, the letter says.
The signatories of the letter therefore demand an increase from the current 7 million euro invested to “at least 100 million euro per year”, underlining the tendency towards a stagnation of the German contribution to development through education despite an increase in the overall budget for development cooperation.
In regard of the budget for humanitarian aid in conflict situations, the German GCE coalition asks the German government to increase the portion allocated to education projects, which currently only represents 2 percent of all funds allocated. Further, it highlights the importance of providing basic education to marginalised groups like handicapped children, children at risk and refugee children.