The UK Government believes that education is both a right, and a route out of poverty. It is an investment in our common future. The achievement of the Millennium Development Goals for Education – ensuring that by 2015 all children are able to complete a full course of primary schooling, and that gender disparities in all levels of education are eliminated – are at the heart of our commitment to eliminate poverty.

The world has made good progress in addressing these goals, and the UK Government has played a key role in this effort. In 2006 we committed to spend £8.5 billion on education by 2015. This commitment is reaffirmed in our new White Paper ‘Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future’.

The context in which we must deliver our commitments has changed dramatically. More than half of the worlds’ out of school children live in fragile or conflict affected states. Investments in education can help re-build states and promote social stability. The global economic crisis threatens to diminish the resources available to families and countries to invest in education precisely at the time when we should be investing in the skills needed to build stronger, more resilient economies. Tackling climate change means educating people from an early age to take individual and collective action in their everyday lives. It also means that developing countries – many of which will be worst hit by the effects of climate change – need to develop greater research capability and scientific competence in order to develop and make use of new low carbon technologies.

We know going to school makes a difference to people’s lives. But it is learning – the acquisition of skills and competencies – that holds the key to unlocking the human potential needed to secure a more peaceful, prosperous and greener future for us all. The White Paper identified three complementary priorities for education. These are:

• to increase access to education everywhere – particularly fragile countries – for girls as well as boys;
• to give priority to improving the quality of education;
• to strengthen the links between schools, skills and employment.

This consultation document outlines some preliminary ideas on these key areas, and poses a series of questions. We would very much welcome your contributions to this dialogue, and look forward to working with you in refining this important agenda.

Mike Foster
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Department for International Development

August 2009