Reaching the marginalized: EFA global monitoring report, 2010; 2010

THE AID COMPACT: FALLING SHORT OF COMMITMENTSAid for educationImplicitly, this pledge acknowledged that too littleaid was being directed to the primary level,especially in countries that were far from achievinguniversal primary education. Patterns since 2000do not indicate that any major correction has takenplace, however. Around one-quarter of aid isdirectly committed to basic education, which isslightly below the share reported at the time of theDakar forum. 14 With the deep cuts in 2007, theshare of basic education in all direct education aidcommitments fell sharply. Beyond basic education,the post-secondary level dominates, accountingfor 38% of total commitments from 1999 to 2007.Sandwiched in between is secondary education,object of around 12% of education aid over theperiod, though the overall level of support for it isrising – seemingly at the expense of commitmentsto basic rather than post-secondary education.This global picture is the result of highly disparatenational aid profiles. As Figure 4.10 shows,individual donors vary considerably in theircommitments to the different levels of education.Two of the six largest bilateral donors – theNetherlands and the United States – direct over60% of aid to basic education. Three others –France, Germany and Japan – commit over 55%to post-basic education, underpinning the globaldistribution of aid beyond the basic level. A closerlook at the data reveals a strong bias towards postsecondary,with over 70% of French and Germanaid directed towards this level. The figure alsoshows that France and Japan have significantly14. This refers only to direct aid commitments to basic education, whichexcludes general budget support and ‘level unspecified’ aid (see Box 4.3).Figure 4.8: The lion’s share of aid is committed by a small group of donorsTotal aid commitments to education and basic education, by donor, 2006–2007 averageIDAECAsDFAfDFUNICEFFranceGermanyNetherlandsUnited KingdomJapanUnited StatesSpainCanadaNorwayAustraliaBelgiumSwedenAustriaIrelandPortugalNew ZealandSwitzerlandDenmarkItalyFinlandGreeceLuxembourg185157763172882752691931511328973736559504844308581 0979718437441 5631 510Total aid tobasic education2 034Total aidto education0 500 1 000 1 500 2 000 2 500Constant 2007 US$ millionsNotes: AfDF = African Development Fund, AsDF = Asian Development Fund, EC = European Commission,IDA = International Development Association.Source: OECD-DAC (2009d).Figure 4.9: The priority given to low-income countries has not changed since DakarTotal aid commitments to education and basic education, by country income group, 1999–2007Education9% 9% 9%14%5%Basic education5%7%15%Share in total aid to education39% 42%36%38%52% 49%55%49%1999-2001 2002-2003 2004-2005 2006-2007Unallocated by countryMiddle-income countriesLow-income countriesShare in total aid to basic education29% 28% 21%25%65% 67%72%60%1999-2001 2002-2003 2004-2005 2006-2007Note: Commitments to the FTI areincluded in the category ‘unallocatedby country’. Commitments to the FTICatalytic Fund have increased in recentyears, which explains part of theincrease in the share of ‘unallocated bycountry’ over 2006–2007. Low-incomerecipient countries account for a largemajority of FTI commitments.Source: OECD-DAC (2009d).229