£1bn in education aid fails to teach basics

A £1 BILLION programme of British aid for education in three east African countries has failed to teach basic reading, writing and maths skills to most of the children involved, an independent report has found.

The report warned that “inadequate” attention was paid to the quality of education provided by the schemes in Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania, and urged the Department for International Development (DFID) to revise its strategy to focus on results, rather than numbers.

The ten-year programme has succeeded in boosting attendance at schools “substantially”.

However, the quality of education provided is “so low that a large majority is failing to achieve basic literacy and numeracy”, said the Independent Commission for Aid Impact.

ICAI gave the programme an “amber/red” rating, meaning “significant improvements should be made”.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell accepted that there had not been enough emphasis on teaching quality, but said the government had already taken action by launching pilots of “payment for results” schemes.

Mr Mitchell said the coalition government set up ICAI in 2011 “to shine a light on development spending”, adding: “We will use their findings to further improve the way we deliver aid around the world.”

Oxfam senior policy adviser Claire Godfrey said: “We are pleased that UK aid to East Africa has given more children the chance to go to school, but DFID needs to act urgently to raise standards.”