Better Data Needed to Guide Education Funding in Crises
Better Data Needed to Guide Education Funding in Crises: In crisis settings—from armed conflict to natural disasters. Education often becomes one of the first casualties and the last service to be restored. Yet, it’s a proven engine of recovery, stability, and long-term development. Despite this, education receives less than 3% of humanitarian aid—an imbalance aggravated by fragmented and opaque funding data. To ensure every crisis-affected child has their right to learn upheld, we urgently need more coherent, transparent, and actionable data.
The Crippling Effect of Data Fragmentation
Education financing in emergencies is currently tracked across three separate systems:
- OECD’s Creditor Reporting System (CRS)
- UN OCHA’s Financial Tracking Service (FTS)
- International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI)
This fragmentation hampers visibility, strategic planning, and coordination. A recent ECW–GEM policy paper shows only 29% of education funding needs. Were met in 2024—and that shortfall is worsening.
Stark Data-Driven Realities
- 127 million school-aged children in crisis zones are out of school—nearly half of the global out-of-school youth.
- In 2023, humanitarian funding for education dropped 4%, breaking a decade-long growth trend.
- Meanwhile, development aid’s share in fragile countries rose from 6.4% (2017) to 7.2% (2022). Highlighting a growing reliance on development funding.
Why Better Data Matters?
- Strategic allocation: Coordinated insights drive funding to where it’s most needed—not where it’s easiest to trace.
- Enhanced advocacy: Transparent data empowers donors, governments, and advocates to make informed commitments.
- Accountability and trust: Harmonized reporting fosters trust and demonstrates efficient use of scarce funds.
- Bridging humanitarian and development siloes, allowing seamless multi-year responses to protracted crises.
Promising Steps Toward Data Unity
- Align CRS, FTS, and IATI systems through synchronized markers and taxonomies.
- Strengthen reporting standards and classification for easier comparison across platforms.
- Build cross-referencing and data interoperability to reduce duplication.
- Make consolidated funding data publicly accessible and actionable for stakeholders.
Case for Urgency
Education in Emergencies isn’t short-term—it’s often a protracted struggle, with appeals lasting over a decade in 91% of cases.
In crisis hotspots, like Sudan, UNICEF reports that only 23% of aid needs under the global humanitarian plan are met—pushing children toward irreversible harm.
Conclusion
Without cohesive and transparent data systems, we risk misdirecting scarce resources and leaving vulnerable children behind. Integrating the fragmented systems—toward a unified, user-friendly system. And action-oriented data platform—is both an urgent need and a practical step forward. Education cannot wait.
FAQs
What’s the latest on crisis-related education funding?
Funding remains severely inadequate. In Sudan, only 23% of the humanitarian plan is funded, jeopardizing services like education.
Why is education often de-prioritized in crisis funding?
Education is perceived as a long-term need. Making it lower priority during immediate life-saving responses.
What are the main data systems tracking education funding?
The CRS, FTS, and IATI—each managed by different institutions with varied frameworks.
How can better data improve funding outcomes?
It enables strategic allocation, strengthens accountability, and bridges humanitarian and development responses.
Who is pushing for unified data systems?
Organizations like Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report, and the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) are leading advocacy and technical efforts.