SADC Education Financing: Advocate Push for Greater Investment and Coordination
Held virtually via Zoom and in person across multiple African cities, the event focused on education financing in the SADC region, among other burning issues.
Lilongwe, Malawi– Julie Juma, a representative from the Global Campaign for Education (GCE), delivered a comprehensive presentation during the Third Regional Dialogue for Non-State Actors on the SADC RISDP (2020-2030), writes Winston Mwale.
Held virtually via Zoom and in person across multiple African cities, the event focused on education financing in the SADC region, among other burning issues.
Juma began her presentation by highlighting international benchmarks on education spending, stating, "The international benchmarks on education indicate that 15-20% of national budgets, or 4-6% of the GDP, should be spent on education."
She pointed out that some countries, such as Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique, were meeting these benchmarks, while others, like Tanzania and Zimbabwe, had inconsistent spending patterns.
Addressing the importance of accurate information, Juma emphasised the need for a "4S framework" in education financing advocacy.
"The first 'S' represents the share," she explained.
"Countries should allocate a minimum of 20% of their national budget or 6% of their GDP to education spending in line with international benchmarks."
Juma then turned her attention to the second 'S,' which stands for "size."
She argued that increasing the size of a budget could improve domestic resources for education through means like progressive taxation, debt management, austerity measures, and fiscal policies.
Highlighting the tension between competing sectors, she noted, "There are limits to how much domestic revenue can be allocated to education when there are competing demands. Examining the size of the overall government budget, determined by macroeconomic policies, could be transformative."
The discussion shifted to the challenge of servicing debt while financing education.
Juma said, "A country is not able to meet its commitment to economic spending if it spends more than 12% of its budget on debt servicing."
She cited Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia as examples of countries facing debt distress, with varying allocations to education.
Juma then presented the third 'S,' which stands for "sensitivity."
She stressed the importance of budget examination to address the needs of the poorest and most marginalised segments of society.
Proposing recommendations for a coordinated regional response to the debt crisis, Juma stated, "Ministries of Finance in the region should collaborate on this issue, with non-state actors playing a role in holding governments accountable."
Additionally, she recommended strengthening the SADC national committees, including non-state actors from the education sector, to improve education management systems and information sharing.
Juma concluded by addressing reporting fatigue among member states and recommending harmonising reporting indicators on SDG4 in collaboration with UNESCO to streamline reporting processes.
The presentation underscored the pressing need for increased investment in education, debt management, and improved coordination among SADC member states to ensure quality education for all.