NEW YORK – Global education funding is facing sharp reductions that could leave an additional six million children out of school by 2026, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said Official Development Assistance (ODA) for education is projected to fall by 3.2 billion dollars, a 24 per cent drop from 2023.
She noted that just three donor governments account for nearly 80 per cent of the cuts.
The decline could push the number of out-of-school children worldwide from 272 million to 278 million.
Russell described every dollar cut from education as “a child’s future hanging in the balance.”
She stressed that investment in children’s education remains one of the best guarantees of a stable and prosperous future.
The steepest impact is expected in vulnerable regions, particularly West and Central Africa.
Africa alone could see 1.9 million children lose access to school, while 1.4 million may be pushed out in the Middle East and North Africa.
Côte d’Ivoire and Mali face steep risks with enrolment projected to fall by 340,000 and 180,000 students respectively.
Primary education is expected to be hit hardest, with funding likely to fall by one-third. UNICEF warned that this could deepen the global learning crisis and cost children an estimated 164 billion dollars in lost lifetime earnings.
School feeding programmes, often a child’s only reliable meal, could see funding halved.
Support for girls’ education may also shrink, affecting long-term gender equity goals.
At least 290 million children still in classrooms could face a decline in learning quality. UNICEF is urging donors to channel at least half of all education aid to the least developed countries and safeguard humanitarian funding.
It also called for reforms to make financing more efficient and sustainable, with priority on early years and primary schooling.
