Attachments
Executive Summary
With the 2030 deadline for Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) fast approaching, the world is running out of time to deliver on its promise of inclusive, quality education for all. Despite bold commitments, financing for education remains critically short of need. Millions of children continue to be left without access to learning—undermining their futures as well as global economic growth, equality, stability, and all of the other social benefits education brings.
Investing in education is a proven driver of economic development, social progress, and poverty reduction. It creates opportunities for upskilling populations, fosters resilience, and strengthens communities. Since 1980, investment in education has contributed to half of global economic growth, 70% of income gains among the world’s poorest quintile, and 40% of extreme poverty reduction. Beyond economic benefits, education plays a crucial role in promoting inclusion, gender equality, and social cohesion.
Chronic underinvestment has denied millions of children their right to education and left global goals unmet, with an estimated $97 billion shortfall to meet SDG4 targets. Since 2015, progress on SDG4 has stalled, with 251 million children still out of school—a mere 1% reduction since the goal’s inception. This lack of investment not only deepens inequality but also carries immense economic costs, with inadequate investment in basic skills estimated to cost $10 trillion in losses every year.
Despite profound costs of inaction, education has been deprioritised globally. The situation is even more dire for education in emergencies—an area critically underfunded despite its role in providing life-saving support for children affected by conflict, displacement, and natural hazards.
Once a widely recognised champion of global education, UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) to education plummeted in priority from 13.5% in 2013 to just 3.5% of ODA in 2023. In February 2025, further significant funding cuts to the ODA budget were announced for 2027. The Send My Friend to School Coalition is profoundly disappointed by this action, which will have devastating effects on millions of marginalised children’s education and their futures. At a time when investment in building better futures is urgently needed, the UK is turning its back. We urgently call for a reversal of these aid cuts.
With key replenishments approaching for the two multilateral funds for education, the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the Education Cannot Wait Fund (ECW), it is imperative that funding is available for strong, multi-year pledges.
Domestic public resourcing is the largest and most sustainable source of education financing, but international reforms are needed for the budgets of low-income and lower middle-income countries to reach their potential. Constraints governed at the international level on raising tax, crippling sovereign debt burdens, and coercive conditionalities restricting spending have made it difficult for countries to adequately fund education. The UK is uniquely positioned to support reforms called for by governments across the Global South by leveraging its influence at home and in international fora on tax, debt and international financial architecture.
Refocusing on education is a strategic move for the UK. Investing in education fosters stability and reduces conflict, aligns with the UK Government’s broader ambitions of fostering modern partnerships with the Global South and driving economic growth, as well as Labour’s five missions domestically. Strategic investments in education are essential not only to achieving SDG4 but all of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Addressing the education financing crisis requires every country to step up. Increased investment in ODA for education is important, as is rethinking how money is spent to ensure it is effective, well-coordinated and focused on reaching those who need it most. ODA alone will not solve the problem—the UK Government must also take ambitious steps to tackle systemic barriers that prevent countries from raising sufficient funding for public education systems through international financial architecture reforms on tax, debt and governance. The time for clear recommitment to funding education and increased prioritisation is now.
Recommendations
The Send My Friend to School coalition is calling on the UK Government to protect and reprioritise global education within its international development budget and agenda, while also supporting efforts to sustainably grow domestic public budgets.
1. Reprioritise and protect UK ODA to education. The UK Government should work to progressively increase the proportion of ODA allocated to education to meet the international benchmarks of 15% of ODA and 10% of humanitarian funding. The UK should also enact a clear, time-bound plan to restore ODA to 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) and ensure spending is laser focused on poverty reduction in low- and lower middle-income countries.
2. Take action to ensure the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and Education Cannot Wait (ECW) are fully funded. The UK Government must ensure that GPE and ECW are fully funded by delivering at least its existing funding commitments, rallying support among other donors, and making strong, multi-year pledges for their 2026 replenishments.
3. Support reforms to enable growth of domestic budgets for public education. The UK Government should support reforms on tax, debt and the international financial architecture called for by civil society organisations and governments in the Global South to enable countries to increase their public spending on education, reduce dependency on ODA and sustainably address the funding gap.