Creating a learning generation
There is certainly space for developing countries to boost investment in education. Eliminating energy subsidies would free up public funds for scientific research and education, improving the wellbeing and prospects of the poor
Former President of Mexico Special to Gulf News
Learning Generation: Investing in Education for a Changing World, provides a series of recommendations that will enable low- and middleincome countries to boost education quality and enrolment rates within a generation. It was presented last week to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who has already agreed to act on the recommendations it contains.
Innovation and inclusiveness
The report’s recommendations focus on several fundamental objectives, including innovation, inclusiveness (with the lowestincome citizens getting particular attention), and a comprehensive, long-term investment plan for education. Of course, achieving these goals will cost money. That is why the Education Commission calls for a financing compact between developing countries and the international community, whereby wealthier countries offer increased finance and guidance to developing countries that commit to educational reform and investment.
There is certainly space for developing countries to boost investment in education. Fuel subsidies are widespread in developing countries, consuming some 25-30 per cent of government revenues — much more than education spending, in most cases.
These subsidies do not just undermine efforts to reduce environmental damage from emissions; they also tend to benefit the rich significantly more than the poor.
Eliminating energy subsidies would free up public funds for scientific research and education, generating benefits for the environment and improving the wellbeing and prospects of the poor. Though reducing subsidies can be politically challenging, Ghana and Indonesia have shown that reallocating funds to social sectors can help build popular support for it. I plan to do my part by pushing for subsidy cuts in my own country, Mexico.
As I have argued before, if money for energy subsidies was reallocated to education, the environmental benefits would be compounded. After all, the better people understand the science of climate change and its effects, the greater their capacity to help mitigate it. With the right knowledge, people can build resilience to climate change, thereby safeguarding their livelihoods. Moreover, they can help to advance important innovations, such as clean energy and solar power, and develop tailored climate-smart solutions that bring social and economic benefits to their communities.
There is no justification for neglecting education, the foundation on which social and economic development is built. By combining the resources and capabilities of national and sub-national governments, the private sector, and civil society, we can create a learning generation: children with the knowledge and skills they need to lead lives of meaning and purpose. Only then will we be able to realise the hope of a more just and sustainable world. Felipe Calderon is also chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate.