WLE Mekong
  • About Us
    • About us
      • Our objectives
      • Our team
      • Contact us
    • Our partners
        • Cambodian Partners
        • Chinese Partners
        • International Partners
        • Lao Partners
        • Myanmar Partners
        • Thai Partners
        • Vietnamese Partners
    • Close
  • Changes
    • Where We Work
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
      • View all projects
    • Our Work
      • Benefit-sharing
      • Catchments & Landuse
      • Gender & Diversity
      • Research for Development
      • River Food Systems
      • River Monitoring
      • Water Governance
      • Capacity Building & Professional Development
    • Our Research
      • Greater Mekong Dams Observatory
      • State of Knowledge Series
      • Water Knowledge Series
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
    • Close
  • Dialogue
    • Stories
      • Irrawaddy River Basin
      • Mekong River Basin
      • Red River Basin
      • Salween River Basin
      • Mekong Citizen
    • Greater Mekong Fora
      • 2018 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2017 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2016 Greater Mekong Forum
      • 2015 Greater Mekong Forum
    • Close

Mekong Blog

  • Mekong River Basin

Natural resources could pay for nationwide primary education: Report

  • Stories
  • Greater Mekong Forums
  • Mekong Citizen

Natural resources could pay for nationwide primary education: Report

cpwf.mekongJune 13, 2013Uncategorized, Vientiane Times

Vientiane Times, 09 May 2013

Laos could raise almost US$100 million a year for education if 30 percent of its share of copper and gold mining resources were converted into public revenue and 20 percent of this sum invested in education. This could double Laos’ education budget and achieve primary education for all. The amount raised would be equivalent to almost two-thirds of the money Laos receives annually in aid to education.

The recommendation was made in UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report, which was released in the same week as the World Economic Forum on Africa (Cape Town, South Africa, May 8-10). The report covered 17 developing countries that are rich in natural resources such as minerals, oil and gas but still face many challenges in terms of education.

Titled ‘Turning the resource curse into a blessing for education’, the report raises the possibility of dedicating a greater proportion of mineral and petroleum revenues towards basic education in many countries that are rich in resources.

The potential gains for education are enormous. Several countries, including Ghana, Guinea, Laos, Malawi, Uganda and Zambia, could achieve universal primary education without needing any more aid from donors, according to the report. “In a group of 17 countries where extra revenue could be raised,  natural resources could fund schooling for 86 percent of the 12 million out-of-school children and 42 percent of the 9 million out-of-school adolescents.”

While the potential is considerable, so are the challenges. Some mineral-rich countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone and Zambia, currently receive less than 10 percent of export income as government revenue.

They are still struggling with the first step: bargaining with extracting companies. Nigeria, on the other hand, retains 72 percent of oil exports as government revenue, meaning that the extra funding for education from the scenario presented here could send only 23 percent of the country’s 10.5 million out-of-school children to  primary school.  In this case the challenge is to manage, distribute and use the revenue better and to ensure that education is a top priority for the government.

In Laos, revenue from copper and gold mining in 2012 was worth more than double its value in 2008, which could double the education budget, stated the report, saying that education as a share of total public spending in Laos was only 13 percent in 2010.

Laos is one of the 17 countries analysed in the report. The findings show that revenues sourced from mineral extraction could see every child enrolled in school. This is an investment in future generations that should be seized now. Director of the Education for All Global Monitoring Report, Pauline Rose, said many countries have mismanaged the income from their natural resources, have negotiated poorly with extractive companies, or have made misguided spending choices.“If they managed their income revenue better and put 20 percent of the revenue into education, 10 of the 17 countries we analysed could achieve universal primary education,” she said.

 

Previous
Story
Next
Story

Related Stories

  • mekong
    June 14, 2013
    Xayaboury dam project plans massive recruitment drive
  • mekong
    March 27, 2013
    IFC backs Lao hydropower development policy
  • mekong
    March 10, 2015
    Laos Faces Pressure to Stall Decision on Lower Mekong River Dam
  • mekong
    March 28, 2013
    Dam builders upgrade roads for relocated villagers
  • mekong
    March 1, 2013
    Lao energy investor's revenues surge
  • mekong
    May 2, 2013
    Xayaboury dam designed to protect fish species
  • mekong
    March 7, 2013
    Officials seek solutions to community resettlement issues
  • mekong
    October 27, 2012
    Water resources to be preserved for hydropower
  • mekong
    May 2, 2013
    Mekong Agreement backs sustainable development in the region
  • mekong
    January 8, 2013
    Feasibility study underway on new Nam Theun II dam watergate
  • mekong
    June 14, 2013
    Laos explains its hydropower policy
  • mekong
    April 24, 2014
    Chinese company to develop hydropower in Xaysomboun
  • mekong
    June 26, 2014
    Laos Agrees to More Scrutiny on Mekong Dam After Calls for Delay
  • mekong
    February 12, 2013
    Govt pledges to release Xayaboury dam design data
  • mekong
    May 6, 2017
    Did hydropower kill the Lancang River?
    River Monitoring
  • mekong
    February 17, 2015
    WLE Greater Mekong at the ADB EMM4 meeting
  • mekong
    December 28, 2012
    Companion Modelling Part 1: Water management learning-by-doing in Laos
  • mekong
    April 24, 2014
    Study documents being processed for Nam Theun 2 expansion
  • mekong
    June 16, 2013
    Construction commences on Huaphan hydropower plant
  • mekong
    February 5, 2015
    Extraordinary Meeting of the Friends of the Lower Mekong

The sustainable development of the Greater Mekong depends on the fair and equitable governance of its water.

ABOUT WLE

  • Our objectives
  • Our team
  • Our partners
  • Terms of use
  • Newsletters
  • Contact us

CO-SUPPORTED BY

WLE Greater Mekong is funded in part by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Water, Land & Ecosystems Mekong - footer logos
© All rights reserved - WLE CGIAR
Subscribe to our newsletter SIGN UP
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy