‘Education can be the difference between a life of grinding
poverty and the potential for a full and secure one.’ -
Nelson Mandela and Graca Machel , Washington Post, May 1, 2002
Education and
the World Bank At-a-Glance
- Promoting education is central to the World Bank’s goal of
reducing poverty. We have been helping to advance education in
developing countries since 1963, and are the world’s single
largest provider of external funding for education.
- Our support for education helps countries achieve primary
education for all, and to develop the secondary and higher
education skills which are vital to competing in today’s
advanced, knowledge-driven global markets.
- On March 31, 2005, 86 low- and middle-income countries were
running a total of 147 projects through our finance (worth about
$8.4 billion). Our lending for education totalled $1.7 billion
in the year ending June 30, 2004, including a record $1.2
billion in International Development Association (IDA) lending.
As of March 31, 2005, Bank funding for education was estimated
at US$2.3 billion for fiscal year 2005. One of our top
priorities is to help countries put in place sound education
policies with an emphasis on the quality of education.
As with all World Bank assistance to its client countries,
lending is only one part of a broader package of services. The
Bank complements its financing work with policy advice,
analysis, sharing ‘tried and true’ global knowledge and best
practice, technical assistance, and other support.
The Bank is also at the forefront of global efforts to advance
education opportunities for people in developing and
middle-income countries the world over. The past few years have
seen marked progress toward Education for All (an international
commitment to educate all the world’s boys, girls, and adults,
first made in 1990, and then established in 2000 within the
Millennium Development Goals) as we have worked with countries
and global partners to reach this target.
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