WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today two new contract mechanisms designed to provide worldwide support to basic education programs for children and youth around the world. The awards are structured to support up to $1 billion in activities over five years, subject to the availability of funds: $500 million in activities to increase access to education in crisis and conflict-affected environments for 15 million children; and $500 million in activities to improve reading skills for up to 100 million children in primary grades. USAID Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment Charles North detailed the awards today at the Mobiles for Education Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C.

“Basic education is the key to a better life and a stronger economy,” said North. “Return on investment from education is significant. A person’s earnings increase by 10 percent with each year of school they complete. However 58 million children worldwide are out of school—and 40 percent of them live in countries in crisis and conflict. USAID works to ensure that children—including girls and other disadvantaged populations—gain access to a quality education.”

Reading is the basis for learning and is a survival skill in today’s world. However, many children worldwide cannot read a single word. In addition, in conflict situations, children face stark barriers to education and many are out of school. The goal of USAID’s “Advancing Basic Education: Access for All” contract is to support safe and equitable access to education for children and youth living in crisis- and conflict-affected and lawless environments. The new “Advancing Basic Education: All Children Reading” contract will concentrate on improving student reading for children in grades 1-3. Both awards will provide technical assistance and services including examination of education policy, delivery of services, management information systems, data management, planning, teacher training, student assessment, reading interventions, and community engagement.

These USAID education efforts, which will be carried out by seven large and five small businesses, are designed to provide children and youth with a pathway out of extreme poverty by ensuring that children can read, and that children and youth in conflict-affected areas learn basic skills that will provide them with jobs, economic opportunities, and a better quality of life.

USAID’s new awards will address two key challenges that prevent people in developing countries from overcoming extreme poverty.  First, improved access to inclusive quality education can reduce extreme poverty by creating a more skilled workforce, improving health outcomes, empowering marginalized groups, reducing inequality (girls, minorities, chronically poor), and building resiliency. Second, for regions in crisis or conflict, children face stark barriers to education, including displacement, weak national and local governance that divert public resources for education, and dangerous security environments.

The Mobiles for Education (mEducation) Alliance Symposium is a three-day event that brings together a broad coalition of international donor and private sector partners interested in the use of mobile technology to support quality education outcomes in developing countries.