Effective support to education can be perceived as a combination of: (i) setting the right policies and (ii) allocating enough human resources: professionals both at HQ and Embassy levels; and (iii) allocating funding for both bi-lateral and global level programs.
Referring to the Education Timeline (re. Paragraph 9), the Netherlands focused on support to basic education from 1993 onwards. The publication of the policy paper “Education: a basic human right”(1999) highlighted the importance of quality and relevance of education, especially primary education. From then onwards the Netherlands allocated adequate resources to basic education. The Dutch Parliament's support and policy were in accordance with the policies of many other national and external actors in the education sector, who adhered to the international declaration on “Education for All (EFA) and the Millennium Development Goals in Education (MDGs) in 2000.
Between 1999 and 2007, education (specifically primary education) was regarded as a driving force for poverty reduction. The 2001 policy document which came as a response to the upcoming second WCEFA conference in Dakar boosted education spending, setting an ambitious 15% target for the education of the overall Dutch official development assistance (ODA).
Between 2007 and 2009, education remained important, although less important than other priorities such as “growth and redistribution” and fragile states. Regretfully, since 2010 political priorities changed and education was declared a ‘posteriority’ – though it retains a function in support of other priorities such as safety and security. It was agreed that support to higher education through NUFFIC (Orange Knowledge Program) continued to be funded.
Much has been achieved in the past few decades, particularly with regard to increased enrolment and closing the gender gap in education. In the 1960s, 25% of the world’s children and 40% of girls worldwide did not go to school. Now, about 10% of all primary school-aged children are not enrolled. Access to education for girls has also improved, though gender parity in the majority of developing countries has not been achieved. Adhering to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 the Netherlands is actively supporting the SDGs on Education and Gender goals.
It is interesting to note that in our times, with the growing importance of social media, the internet, and innovations in an ever-connected universe, there is an increased interest in private initiatives and Partnerships to support education, in particular for girls. Higher education, as always, is and will remain on the agenda. Support to vocational education (TVET), albeit important, but due to its complex and expensive nature (one needs tools, practical approaches, and workplaces, skilled teachers, etc.) and with no guarantee for employment afterward, support to TVET remains challenging.
Dutch support for basic education is still “unfinished business”. Continued focus on access to quality basic education for the most disadvantaged and poor people, and especially girls and women to close the gender gap. Moreover, education has a particular role to play in promoting at least two of the four priorities of the current development policy: security and rule of law and sexual- and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including maternal health.
In the view of the Minister: education offers “stability, security, prospects for the future, and opportunities to acquire vital knowledge and skills”. The Netherlands will also expand its support plans for education, especially in crisis areas such as West African Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa, Africa's Great Lakes region, and Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Due to the rise of unrest in our world, in the year 2020 more funds, including for education, were allocated to emergency funding and funding to programs in conflict and crisis-affected countries. In March 2021 Minister Kaag made a promise of providing an additional €50 million for children of developing countries to secure their education/school attendance. As with most of the Dutch aid, this will also go through the Global Partnership on Education. This is coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemics. Therefore, Minister Kaag decided to allocate these funds to education because: “the coronavirus pandemic has undercut educational prospects for many children, and young girls are disproportionately affected. We need to take action immediately so that they can benefit from the development opportunities that education offers”.