Last year, many developing countries spent more on debt than on education. The UN agency Unesco reported this problem. In sub-Saharan Africa, countries spent 3.6 times more on debt than on schools. This situation is getting worse because of funding cuts.
Low-income countries lost 21% of their education aid in 2023. They could lose up to 30% by 2027. Some countries, like Afghanistan and Mali, lost more than 40% of their school fundingfunding/ˈfʌndɪŋ/L2资金；资助Money that is provided for a particular purpose, especially by an organization or government.. As a result, schools cannot pay teachers or buy books.
Min Jeong Kim, director of Unesco's education division, said: "Current approachesapproaches/əˈproʊtʃɪz/L2方法；途径Ways of dealing with a problem or situation. really keep the countries trappedtrapped/træpt/L2陷入困境的；被束缚的Stuck in a bad situation that is difficult to escape from. in a cycle of austerity, underinvestment and stalled developmentdevelopment/dɪˈvɛləpmənt/L2发展；开发The process of growing, changing, or becoming more advanced.." Also, aid cuts from the US and Europe made the problem worse. In 2024, education funding dropped by $600 million.
When schools have no money, children cannot learn well. This keeps poor countries from growing their economies. Unesco says countries need a new way to handle debt reliefrelief/rɪˈliːf/L2减免；救济Help or money given to people or countries in need, often to reduce a burden.. This change will help them pay for schools and other important services.
