The Netherlands is allocating 2.5 billion euros for developing world education over the next five years as part of a government drive to focus the traditionally generous Dutch aid budget on priority social and environmental issues, particularly in 36 designated "partner countries".
The massive Dutch commitment gives a real fillip to the World Bank's Education for All initiative, which aims to deliver universal primary education by 2015. The Bank has been struggling to mobilise money for the campaign.
Development Cooperation Minister Agnes van Ardenne said the cash all on grant terms will be targeted at partner countries, NGOs and Education for All.
But to make room for these increased education outlays she has had to make painful spending choices. "We are going to spend less on rural development, health and agriculture, urbanisation," Ardenne told Gulf News.
Since assuming the development portfolio in the Christian Democrat-led administration that took power in The Hague last year, Ardenne has sought to tighten the focus of aid spending. For the past few years the aid budget has been fixed at 0.8 per cent of GDP but at a time of economic stagnation this big increases in the total outlay.
She is trimming the list of countries where the Netherlands has bilateral aid programmes to 36, from the 53 inherited from Eveline Herfkens, her predecessor in the previous Labour-led coalition.
The new many priority list includes Yemen, many African states, Vietnam and parts of the Balkans, much of central America and Surinam a former Dutch colony.
In both country and sector terms, Ardenne believes it makes sense to focus on major programmes where the Netherlands can deliver real spending clout.
The education money for partner countries will go largely to those 14 that already have established basic education programmes, which could be beefed up further. Ardenne is prepared to consider other countries, but only where the national poverty reduction plan has already identified this as a key area.
"We are not going to do anything outside the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, because these have set the countries' own strategies and we think that it's more sustainable to work through the PRSPs."
Support for NGOs, the second string of the education funding drive, will be concentrated on those that have strong programmes in basic education, adult literacy and vocational training.
Ardenne explains that, frequently, groups such as Oxfam or Plan International are able to work at a deeper grassroots level than the Dutch government cooperation programme could manage itself.
The third element, funding for Education for All, builds on the 135 million euros that The Hague had already committed. It is intended to help provide the long-term financial base for this initiative that the World Bank believes is essential; Ardenne hopes the extra money will help in allowing the first 10 candidate countries to launch their programmes.
Long-term funding security is essential for the scheme. But Ardenne is fairly confident that, because of the broad public support for development aid among Dutch voters, her country will continue providing large-scale support for progress towards the Millenium Development Goals well into the future, whatever the political complexion of the government that happens to be in power at the time.
Netherlands Funding Pledges for Education, 2003-2007
2003-2007 2.5 billion of which 1.9 billion for basic education and 0.6 billion for higher educations* Basic education on an annual basis 2003220 million 2004250 million 2005350 million 2006450 million 2007650 millionThus, in 2007 the annual total of 650 million would mean the Netherlands will have reached its target of 15% of total ODA spent on basic education.Approximate value: 1=4.20 DirhamsGulf News graphic
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