I just returned from Paris where I had the pleasure of participating in a defining moment for the global education community: the adoption of the Education 2030 Framework for Action.
This Framework will guide countries through the implementation of the new Sustainable Development Goal 4 (adopted at the United Nations in September), which says that all girls and boys should complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education by 2030.
In short, this new Framework is translating into practice the global education goal for the next 15 years where all children, everywhere, must be able to go to school and reap the benefits of life-long learning.
I was pleased to join global leaders convened by UNESCO in endorsing this Framework, which was drafted over many months with input from governments, civil society and international agencies, such as the World Bank Group.
In doing so, we are committed to supporting countries that request financing or technical assistance to be able to reach the Sustainable Development Goal on education, and fulfil the Education 2030 vision.
To make this vision a reality, we must mobilize all available resources. But even with strong financing from the Bank Group or bilateral donors, we know aid alone cannot bridge the massive financing gap in education. This is why mobilizing domestic resources and making education systems stronger is especially critical.
Innovative financing solutions such as Results-Based Financing (RBF) is a smarter way to invest in people. If we want more money for education, we need to support countries as they show real results and attract more resources, including domestic funds.
We have to move beyond simply financing the inputs that education systems need (e.g. textbooks, construction) to strengthening these systems to deliver results. This way we help countries strengthen their education systems by aligning them with results.
RBF also helps to increase transparency by insisting on data, boosting accountability, aligning donors, and delivering on promises. RBF programs are evaluated rigorously, feeding evidence back into the system.
We have seen the results, especially among children from the world’s poorest families—for whom access to quality education remains deeply inequitable. In Bangladesh, for example, RBF has raised the primary completion rate from 55% in 2011 to 79% today and brought millions of girls into secondary school. In Pakistan’s Sindh province, a transparent teacher recruitment system was set up through RBF. Sindh has now hired 16,800 teachers based on needs and merit.
The focus on results changes the nature of the dialog with countries, shifting it from inputs to outcomes/results. Demand for RBF is growing in countries wanting to strengthen their systems for the long-run.
In response to this demand, we announced at the World Education Forum in Korea that we will double RBF for education to $5 billion over the next 5 years.
Stepping up our support for results-based financing will enable countries to deliver the strongest possible public education services.
Together with financing, we’re committed to sharing global knowledge, to promoting monitoring and evaluation of programs, and to documenting what works, what doesn’t, and why, so that resources are used more effectively.
For more information about RBF, please visit this page.
Check out this video about RBF programs in Tanzania, India, and Pakistan.
Download this brief about RBF in education.
Follow the World Bank Group education team on Twitter @wbg_education.
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