Promoting and expanding equitable access to quality basic education so that all children and youth learn and thrive. | | Basic Education News & Events | | | | |
All is Not Lost: USAID's Education Data Has Been Preserved
Thanks to all-star Basic Education Coalition alumni, Hetal Thukral & Amber Gove, PhD, among others, all USAID-funded education data - almost 1,000 datasets - have been rescued!
Check out this blog on BEC's site to get the full story, access the data, & learn how you can help.
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South Sudan: New Climate Resilience Schools to Support more than 200,000 Children Hit by Climate Disasters
Save the Children, with funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), has launched a US$17 million project to strengthen climate resilience through education across South Sudan, by adapting school infrastructure to a changing climate (e.g. better ventilation, installing solar panels, water harvesting, and installing water and sanitation systems).
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The Price of Inaction: The Global Private, Fiscal and Social Costs of Children and Youth Not Learning
This article shows that Bangladesh could avert an economic loss equivalent to ~11 % of GDP by ensuring no child drops out, and up to ~26 % if basic skills are attained. The report warns that without urgent investment in education, Bangladesh could face higher youth unemployment, early pregnancies and social instability—costs far outweighing the investment needed to keep children in school and learning.
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How Can Maps Help Combat Violence against Children with Disabilities?
BEC member Sightsavers leads an innovative research study in Sierra Leone using participatory mapping to amplify the voices of children with disabilities—especially girls—in tackling school-related gender-based violence, empowering them to identify risks, influence community action plans, and drive safer, more inclusive schools.
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BEC Member Team4Tech Named Finalist for 2025 Global EdTech Prize
Team4Tech has been named a finalist for the Global EdTech Prize 2025 in the Nonprofits Category for our use of technology to close learning gaps, boost skills and accelerate impact in education. We are honored to be recognized among this group of innovative finalists for our global, online Community of Practice, a network for knowledge exchange, free resources, and access to regional and volunteer support. Launched in 2022, our Community of Practice has grown to nearly 3,500 members representing 1,100+ NGOs from 100+ countries. These NGOs report they are making an impact on over 49M learners around the world.
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EDC Launches Leaders in Teaching Liberia, an initiative of the Mastercard Foundation, led by EDC in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education
The program will strengthen Liberia’s education system by training and supporting teachers to deliver inclusive, high-quality instruction that equips youth—especially girls and learners with disabilities—with 21st-century skills for work and entrepreneurship, reaching 2,000 schools and 50,000 students nationwide.
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2025 Spotlight Report on foundational learning in Africa is out now!
How can school leaders drive better learning outcomes? The new report, Lead for foundational learning, explores how African education systems can empower principals and local officials to move from administrators to instructional leaders.
Produced by the GEM Report and the African Centre for School Leadership, this third edition in the Spotlight series highlights leadership as a key driver of learning.
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Baltimore Sun Op-Ed: US Aid Cuts are a Blow to Global Education
This op-ed, written by Global Campaign for Education-US's Giulia McPherson, is now available on BEC's website. The piece highlights how steep U.S. aid cuts—especially the termination of nearly all USAID basic education programs—pose a serious threat to global education access and progress. BEC and GCE-US are prouder than ever to unite on critical advocacy for USG international basic education.
| | | Government Relations Updates | | |
Congressional Updates
Appropriations
The House National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Committee has approved their annual funding bill, which included $737 million for basic education programs! While this is lower than the FY 25 enacted level of $922 million, it is a substantial win for our community. We are still waiting for the Senate to release its bill State and Foreign Operations funding bill. Until the House and Senate agree on an FY 2026 bill, the basic education account will operate at the FY 2025 level of $922 million.
READ Act added to the State Authorization Bill
The House Foreign Affairs Committee approved the State Authorization bill. BEC and the education advocacy community worked with Congresswoman Radewagen (R-AS) and committee staff to include an education amendment, which was passed, transferring the authorities of the READ Act to the Department of State and designating a senior official with oversight authority for implementing the legislation.
10th Anniversary of the Basic Education Caucus
In September BEC celebrated the 10th anniversary of the International Basic Education Caucus in the House of Representatives, featuring remarks from Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY). The event was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the caucus, but also a call to action to protect international basic education programs. As Congressman Quigley noted during his remarks:
"We support basic education because it's the right thing to do, it's the smart thing to do, and it helps our national security. As one of Trump’s former generals has said, 'if you cut foreign aid, you better buy me more bullets.’ Research shows that youth who complete primary and secondary education are far less likely to support political violence, including terrorism. When young people abroad receive an education from programs associated with the U.S. government, those students and communities are more likely to see the United States in a good light. Investing in basic education is the smart thing to do."
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State Department Updates
Special Envoy for Best Future Generations
Over the summer, the Administration announced that Charles Harder will serve as the Special Envoy for Best Future Generations, overseeing initiatives impacting the well-being of children (0-17) both in the U.S. and globally.
In September, Special Envoy harder shared highlights of his first 90 days and his work to “advocate for ensuring all children have universal access to quality education, nutritious school meals, and greater family engagement to support children’s health and nutrition.”
The article noted, “Bold steps are needed to get children what they need to live healthy, full lives, thrive, and become strong, responsible and visionary leaders of tomorrow. Investments into children today benefit local, national, regional, and global societies and economies, and secures our shared future. These first three months are just the beginning of much more to come. Stay tuned.”
| | Advocacy and Communications Resources | | |
Impact Map:
How Cuts to Foreign Assistance Impact American Business & Economy
Cuts to foreign assistance have halted learning for millions of children globally; threatened hundreds of American organizations; caused tens of thousands of Americans to lose their jobs and hundreds of thousands of jobs globally; and cost the US economy billions of dollars.
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Advocacy Toolkit
Our current circumstances now demands that we ALL become advocates now!
BEC is proud to equip you with the tools you need to ignite your inner advocate, including:
- How to contact your Representatives
- How to write a letter to the editor
| | Thank you to our 2025 BEC Members for their continued leadership in international education: | | The Basic Education Coalition (BEC) coordinates implementing partners and convenes stakeholders to strengthen U.S. Government-funded international education programming, in support of global stability and economic growth. BEC leverages collective technical expertise and combines advocacy efforts to raise a unified voice to ensure U.S. policy-makers support and strengthen basic education for low- and middle-income countries. | | Banner Photo Credit: Room to Read | | | |
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