Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Switzerland pledges extra funds for education in developing world

classroom
Knowledge is power: a classroom in the Philippines. Keystone

Switzerland has announced it is stepping up its contribution to the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), an international fund dedicated to improving education in developing countries.

Speaking to the Swiss News Agency, ATS, on the sidelines of a GPE meeting in Dakar, Thomas Gass of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation said that Switzerland would contribute CHF33.2 million ($35.6 million) to the scheme between 2018 and 2020.

This marks an increase of CHF3.2 million for the coming year, and brings the total Swiss input to CHF40 million over a period of four years. This represents an increase of some 50% on its previous contributions.

The Dakar conference, sponsored by France and Senegal, takes place in the framework of the 17 UN Sustainable Development GoalsExternal link, one of which aims to promote inclusive and quality life-long learning.

However, Gass added, the cost of improving education should not be shouldered solely by international funding mechanisms. “Countries from the South should pledge to raise, by up to 20%, the proportion of their national budgets spent on education,” he said.

He also called for more professional training courses for youth, to boost their employability and skills upon leaving school.

To this end, Switzerland also contributes about CHF200,000 annually to another Dakar-based program, for the improvement of education systems in International Organisation of La FrancophonieExternal link countries.

+ How Switzerland’s apprenticeship tradition is part of its success

Most Read
Swiss Abroad

Most Discussed

News

No Swiss bank in phase with environmental objectives

More

Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF

This content was published on None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.

Read more: Swiss banks failing environment, says WWF
UNRWA provides emergency assistance to just over one million Palestine refugees, or about 75 per cent of all Palestine refugees in Gaza, who lack the financial means to cover their basic food.

More

Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

This content was published on The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: Lazzarini: no alternative to UNRWA in Gaza

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR