Author: Richard

This month marks the one year anniversary of the “Giving Pledge,” Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ challenge to other billionaires to pledge at least half of their wealth to philanthropy. When the Giving Pledge launched, our initial analysis found no champions for global education. One year and a total of 69 American billionaire pledges later, supporting education in developing countries still does not appear to be high on the priority list. American billionaire philanthropists supporting education tend to do so domestically. Therefore, in a search for philanthropic champions of education in the developing world, we looked at the philanthropy priorities of billionaires…

We are facing a global learning crisis in developing countries. While there are tens of millions of children out of school, hundreds of millions more are in school, but receiving an education of such poor quality that they have little prospect of gaining the literacy, numeracy and life-skills that they need to be productive members of society. This crisis has economic and social benefits that are devastatingly high, stifling economic growth, perpetuating poverty, and creating unstable societies. This crisis has a direct impact on the business community and its bottom line. Corporations must come together under the united banner of…

Approximately one-third of all Nicaraguan students either repeat or drop out of the first grade. On a test of basic math skills in grade three, 60 percent of students scored in the lowest level or below. Unsurprisingly, a survey of business leaders indicated that the perceived quality of Nicaragua’s primary schools education ranks among the lowest in the world: 134 out of 142. Considering Nicaragua faces an education quality crisis, external public and private donor financing is relatively low. A Brookings study examining the implications of donors’ new education strategies revealed that five countries, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Sweden and Finland, will pull or severely reduce…

Annette was a young girl of 10 when I met her in a refugee camp in southwest Uganda. She had recently fled war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Surrounded by ongoing fighting in the camp, with not enough to eat, her family torn apart, she retained a bright smile. I soon understood why. “Education will lead me to my dreams for the future,” she told me. Every day, she put on her bright pink uniform and went to school. Like most refugees, Annette hoped, and truly believed, that she would soon return to her home country. That was until…

After the ISIS attack in Paris in November—the deadliest terrorist episode in the European Union in over a decade—nations fell divided, with some holding firm on their commitment to welcome Syrians, while others reproached refugees for fear of terrorist infiltration. Amid this disappointing debate, it is clear that Syrian children are the lasting victims of a war that has shattered their families, homes, and schools. Responding to the refugee crisis has never been more important, and now in Turkey—the country that hosts the largest number of Syrians—there is an opportunity to reach over 400,000 Syrian children who are out of school. This…

Despite the emergence of digital learning models, most countries around the world still design their educational systems for agrarian and industrial eras rather than modern society, writes Darrell West in a new paper. In “Connected learning: How mobile technology can improve education,” West points out how a lack of education technology access is detrimental to young people entering the labor force as well as teachers and parents who want children to compete in the global economy. As the economy shifts and technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning improve, countries will need to update their curricula in order…

The Indian higher education system commanded awe and respect in the ancient world. Important seats of learning likeNalanda and Takshashila attracted the best students and academics from across the globe. Unfortunately, over a period of time, our higher education system lost its global competitiveness. This is exemplified by the fact that not many Indian higher education institutions feature in the annual world university rankings like the Times Higher Education World University Rankings or the QS World University Rankings. This gradual decline in global competitiveness can be attributed to a multitude of factors. Let me list some of the more important concerns and the way to…

STORY HIGHLIGHTS An estimated 1/3rd of the 58 million children who remain out of primary school have a disability. The SDGs call for access to quality education for all children by 2030, which requires strong action on inclusion of disadvantaged children, including those with disabilities. World Bank Group support on this front ranges from building accessible classrooms in Togo to large-scale mainstream inclusion through India’s massive Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan program. December 3, 2015–While the developing world has made strong progress towards universal primary education, the Sustainable Development Goals adopted at the United Nations this September now call for access…