Over the past half-century, gains in education and learning have boosted economic growth and reduced poverty, with just one additional year of schooling raising individual earnings by nearly 10 percent. Yet at a moment of unprecedented opportunity, global education financing is under severe strain—confronted by economic shocks, rising debt, and funding models that remain fragmented, short-term, and misaligned with global needs. With 270 million children out of school and 70 percent of children in lower-income countries unable to read simple texts by age 10, the case for rethinking education financing has never been more urgent.
On the sidelines of the 2026 World Bank Spring Meetings, the Center for Global Development and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) will convene a high-level dialogue bringing together leading experts to examine how a sustainable financing approach can meet today’s education challenges. The discussion will explore why long-term, system-level investments—rooted in domestic financing and strategically complemented by external support—are essential to delivering quality education at scale. This event offers a timely opportunity to advance a shared agenda for sustainable financing that can equip all children with the skills they need to thrive.
Opening Remarks
Rachel Glennerster, President, CGD
Introduction
David Evans, Director, Global Education and Child Well-Being Program and Senior Fellow, CGD
Panelists
David Andrew, Minister of Education, Grenada
Laura Frigenti, Chief Executive Officer, GPE
Mulele M. Mulele, Permanent Secretary for Economic Management and Finance at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, Zambia
Conrad Sackey, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Sierra Leone
Moderator
Masood Ahmed, President Emeritus, CGD
