Qatar spent $1bn to support education in 64 countries

H E Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi

Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) has spent about $1bn in 64 countries and has supported 10 million out-of-school children in 60 countries, said Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi.

Speaking at the ‘Transforming Education Summit’ at the United Nations in New York,  the Minister said Qatar is one of the largest contributors to humanitarian projects and is investing in education, health and economic support.

Addressing the summit, the Minister of Education and Higher Education said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar established a fund that provides continuity of education in low-resource areas,  reaching 17 countries. QNA shared the Minister's remarks at the summit on Twitter yesterday.   

The Minister said Education Above All (EAA) Foundation is helping provide high-quality education in times of crisis in underdeveloped regions and areas affected by conflict and disaster.

Al Nuaimi said the summit is an opportunity to work together to build resilient education systems, protect the rights of children and youth, and comprehensively address the needs of learners.

The Minister said that Transforming Education Summit is a unique opportunity to elevate education to the top of global agenda aiming to address the learning crises exacerbated by the pandemic offering a platform for re-imagining education for the future. 

“As we draw closer to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 2030), we must deliver on the promise of quality education to every child. This inevitably required greater investment in education as yet many countries have limited physical space to increase education spending.

The Minister of Education and Higher Education said: “With national budgets severely strained from the pandemic and rising commodity prices, we need to explore innovative ways alleviating physical pressure and expanding education financing both as proportion of overall spending in real term.”

Moreover, she said, the issue of financing education depends on all other work steams of the summit. “In Qatar, education has always been and continues to be among highest priorities as it is a key enabler for sustainable development.”

“Significant investments have been made to advance the national education system as well as generous contribution to the oversees development assistance programmes especially in education sector.

“Our priorities are to assist provision of quality education to those who have been left the farthest behind. A primary enabler of this work at various levels is Education Above All Foundation. Through partnerships and collective efforts together, we can expand the reach and deepen the impact.”

The Minister said, Educate A Child, a global programme of EAA Foundation, alone $900m has enabled the total spending of $2.3bn towards providing quality primary education to out of school children in 60 countries.

“We would urge that reallocating any savings and additional resources should have a primary focus as a guiding principle, addressing exclusion in education especially those who are marginalised by displacement, poverty and disability.” The summit, taking place from September 16 to 19, has been convened by the UN in response to a global crisis in education — one of equity and inclusion, quality and relevance.