Close Menu

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    You can now rent a dress on Deliveroo in Dubai

    September 30, 2025

    From prison to the Palme d'Or: Iran's Jafar Panahi on why every film is worth the risk

    September 30, 2025

    Let Culture Take the Spotlight in Your Pre-Wedding Shoot With This Inspo

    September 30, 2025
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    • Home
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Service
    • Advertisement
    Wednesday, October 1
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest Vimeo
    ABSA Africa TV
    • Breaking News
    • Africa News
    • World News
    • Editorial
    • Environ/Climate
    • More
      • Cameroon
      • Ambazonia
      • Politics
      • Culture
      • Travel
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • AfroSingles
    • Donate
    ABSLive
    ABSA Africa TV
    Home»Culture»Smart solutions needed to finance foundational learning
    Culture

    Smart solutions needed to finance foundational learning

    Ewang JohnsonBy Ewang JohnsonSeptember 28, 2025No Comments4 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr Email Reddit
    Smart solutions needed to finance foundational learning
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email Copy Link


    It is time to refashion finance and strategy to equip every child with the foundational skills to learn, earn, and lead, because the future for all of us depends on it.

    Across many low- and middle-income countries, millions of children are completing primary school without being able to read a single sentence or perform basic arithmetic. This is not just an educational failure, but also a development emergency. Aid is declining, debt is rising, and domestic budgets are under intense pressure. We need more than incremental adjustments at the margin – we need a bold, smart reallocation of resources that gets results.

    Domestic public finance remains the most reliable, sustainable, and scalable source of education funding. But it must be used strategically. Foundational learning delivers among the highest returns of any public investment – children who master basic reading and maths are far more likely to stay in school, gain employment, and contribute productively to society.

    Governments like Malawi’s are already taking difficult decisions to protect frontline education budgets and maintain investment in evidence-based programmes. The Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel has shown that structured pedagogy and targeted instruction have demonstrated strong cost-effectiveness – up to $30 in returns for every $1 spent, with significant positive spillover effects on society. These interventions are not speculative; they work and can be taken to scale.

    What is needed now is stronger collaboration between Ministries of Finance and Ministries of Education to ring-fence foundational learning as a protected expenditure – even during economic shocks. Predictable, performance-linked domestic funding is the bedrock of system transformation and wider economic development.

    Too often, external funding supports isolated pilots with little prospect for scale, nor are they designed to be scaled. Catalytic capital must do better. It should amplify domestic reform efforts by de-risking scale-up, supporting systems-level innovation, and unlocking larger flows from multilateral financiers – with each source tailored to its comparative advantage.

    In Malawi, domestic reprioritisation – backed by technical assistance and data systems – has helped shape new dialogues around education financing. When flexible funding aligns with government priorities and builds on local momentum, it reinforces a virtuous cycle: domestic ownership drives reform, early results build credibility, and external partners support scale with greater confidence.

    Catalytic funding should not chase novelty for its own sake. Its purpose is to fund the ‘last mile’ to scale – not the first step of a never-ending pilot treadmill.

    Fit-for-purpose global architecture

    The current education financing architecture is too fragmented, too slow, and too focused on process over outcomes. It was not built for the scale or urgency of today’s learning crisis.

    A more coherent and efficient model would match each financing instrument to its optimal use: concessional finance for large-scale delivery; philanthropic capital for innovation and de-risking; and scarce ODA for global public goods. In parallel, debt restructuring must move faster, and risk-sharing mechanisms should be used to crowd in private capital where appropriate.

    Global initiatives such as FfD4 and the G20’s renewed focus on development finance offer a rare window of opportunity. But declarations are not enough. Countries need access to the right financing tools at the right time – without excessive transaction costs.

    This is not a moment for rhetorical commitment – it is a test of strategic resolve. Governments that are making the tough but necessary choices to prioritise foundational learning deserve financing that matches their ambition. That includes predictable domestic budgets, catalytic capital aligned to national plans, and a global system that rewards delivery over paperwork.

    Foundational learning is not a narrow concern just for one sector. It is an economic and human development imperative. If we are serious about inclusive growth, long-term resilience, and national self-reliance, then we must finance learning outcomes – not just school inputs.

    We know what works. We know where to start. What’s needed now is disciplined alignment of funding with results, and the courage to break from business as usual.

    With the G20 returning to Africa and global leaders preparing for September’s UN General Assembly, this is a moment of rare convergence. Just as the global health movement has helped more children survive, it is now time to ensure they thrive by equipping every child with the foundational skills to learn, earn, and lead.

    Let’s finance foundational learning like the future depends on it – because it does.

    By Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Malawi and Dr Benjamin Piper, Director, Global Education, Gates Foundation



    Source link

    Post Views: 16
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Ewang Johnson
    • Website

    Related Posts

    From prison to the Palme d'Or: Iran's Jafar Panahi on why every film is worth the risk

    September 30, 2025

    11 of the best TV shows to watch this October

    September 30, 2025

    Uber Marks 10 Years In Kenya With The Launch Of Uber Safari, A New Way To Explore The Wild

    September 30, 2025
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Top Posts

    Who is Duma Boko, Botswana’s new President?

    November 6, 2024

    Kamto Not Qualified for 2025 Presidential Elections on Technicality Reasons, Despite Declaration of Candidacy

    January 18, 2025

    As African Leaders Gather in Addis Ababa to Pick a New Chairperson, They are Reminded That it is Time For a Leadership That Represents True Pan-Africanism

    January 19, 2025

    BREAKING NEWS: Tapang Ivo Files Federal Lawsuit Against Nsahlai Law Firm for Defamation, Seeks $100K in Damages

    March 14, 2025
    Don't Miss

    You can now rent a dress on Deliveroo in Dubai

    By Olive MetugeSeptember 30, 2025

    And get it in as little at 40 minutes on DeliverooYep you heard that right,…

    Your Poster Your Poster

    From prison to the Palme d'Or: Iran's Jafar Panahi on why every film is worth the risk

    September 30, 2025

    Let Culture Take the Spotlight in Your Pre-Wedding Shoot With This Inspo

    September 30, 2025

    Proteas go down as NZ secure netball series

    September 30, 2025
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Vimeo

    Subscribe to Updates

    Sign up and get the latest breaking ABS Africa news before others get it.

    About Us
    About Us

    ABS TV, the first pan-African news channel broadcasting 24/7 from the diaspora, is a groundbreaking platform that bridges Africa with the rest of the world.

    We're accepting new partnerships right now.

    Address: 9894 Bissonette St, Houston TX. USA, 77036
    Contact: +1346-504-3666

    Facebook X (Twitter) Pinterest YouTube WhatsApp
    Our Picks

    You can now rent a dress on Deliveroo in Dubai

    September 30, 2025

    From prison to the Palme d'Or: Iran's Jafar Panahi on why every film is worth the risk

    September 30, 2025

    Let Culture Take the Spotlight in Your Pre-Wedding Shoot With This Inspo

    September 30, 2025
    Most Popular

    Did Paul Biya Actually Return to Cameroon on Monday? The Suspicion Behind the Footage

    October 23, 2024

    Surrender 1.9B CFA and Get Your D.O’: Pirates Tell Cameroon Gov’t

    October 23, 2024

    Ritual Goes Wrong: Man Dies After Father, Native Doctor Put Him in CoffinBy

    October 23, 2024
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest YouTube
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms Of Service
    © 2025 Absa Africa TV. All right reserved by absafricatv.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.