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

RISING TO THE EFA CHALLENGEOvercoming education marginalizationBroad-based measures are required tostrengthen the learning environment. Incentivesfor more equitable teacher deployment andthe development of intercultural and bilingualeducation are high priorities in improving therelevance of education for marginalized groupsand helping overcome social stigmatization.Targeting financial and pedagogical supportto schools in the most disadvantaged regionsor with large numbers of marginalized childrencan also make a difference.Expanding entitlements and opportunities foreducation also involves enforcing laws againstdiscrimination, providing social protection andredistributing public finance. Governments havean obligation to ensure that national legislationis aligned with human rights principles.However, political mobilization on the partof the marginalized and other sections of societyis also critical. The experience of the civil rightsmovement in the United States, which usedpolitical mobilization to drive legal reform,retains a powerful relevance.None of these elements can be viewed in isolation.Just as marginalization is the product ofinterlocking disadvantages, so strategies for moreinclusive education have to incorporate interlockingmeasures for empowerment. Even the mosteffective and equitable policies in education willfail to overcome marginalization unless they arepart of a wider strategy for combating povertyand extreme inequality. That is why this Reportemphasizes the importance of integrated nationalpolicies for social inclusion.5 Increase resource mobilization andstrengthen equity in public spendingMany governments have increased financing foreducation since 2000 and given greater priorityto basic education. This is a welcome trend –but more needs to be done. The Report estimatesthat low-income countries have the potential toincrease spending on basic education by around0.7% of GDP, or some US$7 billion. At the sametime, budget pressures resulting from the globaleconomic slowdown have increased the importanceof equity in public spending. Too often, budgetallocation patterns reinforce inequalitiesin education and beyond, holding back effortsto combat marginalization.Redistributive public spending is one of the keysto expanded entitlements and opportunities. Mostcountries have some redistributive element in publicfinance, but it is typically underdeveloped. Theupshot is that wealthier regions tend to enjoy higherlevels of financing. It is important for governmentsto develop financing formulas that prioritize need,ensuring that the poorest regions and groups aretargeted for support. The principle of equity inpublic spending has to go beyond equalizing percapita expenditure. Providing equal opportunity tochildren living in remote areas and in householdsexperiencing extreme poverty and socialdiscrimination is likely to require higher levels offinancing than in wealthier areas with lower levels ofsocial deprivation. Investment in social programmesgeared towards disadvantaged areas and groupsis also important in redistributive finance, not leastbecause it has the potential to generate high returnsfor equity in education. There is extensive evidencethat cash transfers, social safety nets and widerinterventions can mitigate the vulnerability thatcan lead parents to withdraw children from schoolduring economic shocks, droughts and other crises.Social protection policies, already highly developedin many middle-income countries, could play a fargreater role in tackling marginalization in educationin the poorest countries.6 Honour aid donor commitmentsand convene an Education for Allpledging conferenceWhile the performance of individual countries varies,there has been a collective failure on the part ofthe donor community to back pledges with delivery.Current aid levels fall far short of what is required.Commitments to basic education, already below thelevel needed to close the Education for All financinggap, fell by around one-fifth in 2007. It is importantthat 2008 commitments reverse the shortfall andpoint to a rising trend.Accelerating progress towards the Education for Allgoals requires donors to honour the overall aidpledges they made at summits in 2005 and to stepup their commitment to education. An immediatepriority is the delivery of an additional US$20 billionin global aid by 2010 to fulfil the 2005 promises.Budget pressure resulting from the financial crisishas created a new layer of uncertainty about thefuture direction of aid financing in many countries.Donors should follow the example set by the UnitedKingdom in undertaking to maintain real aidincreases at the levels set in pre-crisis budgets.It is importantfor governmentsto developfinancing formulasthat ensurethat the poorestregions and groupsare targetedfor support273