Increase of half a billion kroner for global education

The proposed increase will bring Norway’s total allocation of aid for education in 2016 to around NOK 2.85 billion. This is an increase of NOK 1.15 billion, or 68 %, since 2013.

‘59 million children and 65 million young people are currently out of school. This is a major challenge for our global community. The Government is giving high priority to education in its aid budget,’ said Mr Brende.

Substantial progress has been made in the efforts to increase the number of girls in primary school, but in many countries there are still far too few girls who start and complete secondary school. The Government will therefore continue to give priority to efforts targeted at girls. The new Sustainable Development Goal for education is ‘Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’ by 2030.

‘If we are to achieve the SDG on education, we must reach out to the most vulnerable children. More than 90 % of children with disabilities in developing countries do not go to school. We must ensure that children and young people gain the knowledge and skills they need to enter the labour market. The world needs 600 million new jobs by 2020,’ said Mr Brende.

The Government proposes an increase in support for vocational training, to be provided in part through the International Labour Organization (ILO), and an increase in funding for the Results in Education for All Children (Reach) programme, a programme under the World Bank, which was initiated by Norway. The Government will also increase the support it provides through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Unicef, as well as increasing support for education efforts in Africa and Asia, education in emergencies, women’s rights and gender equality.