EDUCATION: Last in Line, Last in School - how donors are failing children in conflict-affected fragile states

Today 77 million children are out of school; over half of them, 39 million, live in conflict affected fragile states (CAFS). Although universal primary education is a Millennium Development Goal to be reached by 2015, at the current rate of progress the goal will not be met.

One of the key reasons this goal will not be met is that, despite the high numbers of out of school children in CAFS, the financing of education in conflict affected fragile states is extremely low: only 18 % of all education aid is given to CAFS despite them being home to over 50 % of children out of school.

In the attached report Save the Children shows that even though all states have a legally binding obligation to ensure that all children receive free primary education, they are often not able to take on this responsibility: education for children in conflict affected fragile states is under-funded. The report analyses the allocation of education aid to CAFS and highlights what needs to change to ensure that all children - no matter where they live - have the opportunity to go to school.

The report calls on donors to:

• increase overall education funding to meet the US$9bn annual financing requirement for universal primary education
• increase allocations of education aid to CAFS in line with their needs
• make education a greater priority in CAFS
• include education as part of humanitarian aid and response, and increase the allocation of funding to education in humanitarian crises to a minimum of 4.2 per cent in line with need.