FY2025 Final Conference Letter

October 22nd, 2024 | Action and Advocacy | GCE-US

October 22, 2024

Dear Chairman Coons, Ranking Member Graham, Chairman Díaz-Balart, and Ranking Member Lee,

The Global Campaign for Education-US, alongside the undersigned organizations, thank you for your steadfast commitment to fighting extreme poverty and supporting education for children in need globally, particularly in light of worldwide humanitarian crises. As you work to finalize the FY2025 State and Foreign Operations bill, we urge you to provide at least $922 million for International Basic Education, including $121.6 million for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and $30.4 million for Education Cannot Wait (ECW), as included in the House bill. This funding should be part of a larger effort to provide robust development and humanitarian funding.

As you know, the final FY2024 appropriations bill cut Basic Education by $48 million, the first decrease in a decade. Any further cuts would have profound consequences on a generation of global learners. The World Bank estimates that 7 out of 10 children in low- and middle-income countries are in “learning poverty,” which is defined as the inability to read and understand a simple text by the age of ten. In SubSaharan Africa, the region with the youngest population in the world, the learning poverty rate is as high as 89%. If more than half of the next generation cannot read, it will have severe implications on the global economy, global health, and democracy building efforts.

U.S. investments in International Basic Education equip children with essential reading, math, and socialemotional skills, setting them on a path toward successful careers. Bilateral education programs focus on enhancing the quality of inclusive education, providing early learners with a strong foundation, and preparing youth for long-term success. These initiatives are vital for fostering sustainable economic growth, reducing poverty, promoting social stability, and advancing participatory democracy. From 2019 to 2023, U.S. Government programs reached over 34 million learners annually. During this period, 2.9 million teachers and educators were trained; 174 million textbooks and learning materials were distributed; and education systems were strengthened to ensure lasting impact.

U.S. support for multilateral partnerships, including GPE and ECW, complements our bilateral programs and leverages additional resources for this important work. GPE supports 90 lower-income partner countries to develop their own pathways to transform their education systems. Between July 2022 and June 2023, implementation grants financed the distribution of 48 million textbooks, the training of 481,000 teachers, and the construction or rehabilitation of 6,664 classrooms. ECW, the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, provides refugees, internally displaced persons, and other affected populations with comprehensive and context-specific assistance to access learning opportunities through first emergency rapid response and multi-year funding platforms. Since its inception, ECW has reached 11 million children and youth, trained more than 140,500 teachers, and worked in 43 crisis-affected countries/contexts.

All young people—from infancy to adolescence to youth—must have the chance to reach their fullest potential. Investments in children and youth yield some of the highest returns—and make the biggest impacts on a person’s life. Given the growing numbers of learning poverty and multiple humanitarian crises around the world, this is not the time to step back from supporting a generation of learners.

Experience shows that when the U.S. Government retreats from critical development and humanitarian programs, it leaves gaps that other influences will fill.

We look forward to working with you to finalize the FY2025 appropriations process. We value the impact made by global basic education programs and urge you to provide at least the House-approved level of $922 million for International Basic Education, including $121.6 million for GPE and $30.4 million for ECW. Robust funding will address critical international education needs and help mitigate the harmful effects of ongoing and escalating global crises. Such investments cannot come at the expense of other poverty-focused development and humanitarian assistance programs.

We greatly appreciate your consideration of our request and look forward to working together to ensure quality, inclusive education for children and youth.

Sincerely,

1. Amal Alliance

2. American Federation of Teachers

3. American Jesuits International

4. Association d'Aide à l'Education de l'Enfant Handicapé (AAEEH)

5. Basic Education Coalition

6. The Borgen Project

7. ChildFund International

8. Childhood Education International

9. Concern Worldwide

10. Dilla University

11. Educate the Children-Nepal