The 'Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education, co-organised by the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union on Thursday 11 April in Brussels, provided an opportunity to demonstrate the European Union’s contribution to the transformation of education on a global scale, and its role in promoting complementary skills to offset existing deficits.
The European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, affirmed the EU’s strong commitment to quality education, underlined by the allocation of €3 billion to educational initiatives between 2021 and 2023. This sum represents around 13% of the EU budget dedicated to international partnerships, in line with the objective of increasing spending on education to at least 10% by 2027.
During the event, Commissioner Urpilainen signed agreements for programmes totalling €245 million, covering areas such as girls’ education in Zambia, support for learning and research mobility in Nigeria and the launch of an Africa-Europe Youth Academy. These initiatives are aimed at improving access to quality education and enhancing the skills needed for future employability.
“With Global Gateway, we have made the strategic decision to prioritise investment in inclusion and access to education, in quality teaching and learning, and in future-proof skills”, Ms Urpilainen told the press.
The EU has also renewed its support for girls’ education and youth mobility with a €110 million grant for Zambia, aimed at improving primary and secondary education and reducing the drop-out rate among girls. An €18 million cooperation agreement with Nigeria aims to strengthen research and development in the pharmaceutical sector, demonstrating the EU’s commitment to capacity building and innovation.
Team Europe’s regional initiative on vocational education and training, with a budget of €75 million for 2024-2028, aims to improve employability in sub-Saharan Africa by aligning training programmes with the employment opportunities generated by Global Gateway investments.
The event’s thematic sessions also addressed major issues such as the quality of education, funding, equity, inclusion and green and digital skills, with the aim of taking stock of achievements and identifying future opportunities to ensure significant progress.
This event follows on from the Transforming Education Summit in 2022, when the EU already expressed its commitment to investing in education. It marks a further step towards the 2024 Future Summit and the 2025 World Social Summit to make education a key investment for the future. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)