The Department for International Development has successfully supported developing countries in progress against goals of universal enrolment in primary education and improved educational prospects for girls. DFID's 22 priority countries have made significant progress towards universal enrolment: from typically 50 per cent of children or lower in the mid-1990s to 70 per cent to 90 per cent now. But pupil drop-out is high; typical drop-out rates are 10 per cent to 15 per cent in year one and completion of primary education is low, ranging from 57 per cent of children in Nepal to 17 per cent in Malawi. Because pupil and teacher attendance is poor, there are insufficient teaching hours. And, although pupil attainment has been poorly measured, the information that is available shows low levels of literacy and numeracy. since 2001 DFID, along with other donors and recipient governments, has focused on enrolment more than the quality of education. It has started to redress this imbalance but needs to focus more on key factors like teacher and pupil attendance, quality and attainment in its interventions. Typically, salaries - mostly those of teachers - consume 90 per cent of education budgets in developing countries, yet pay is not routinely monitored. Wage-bills have reached levels which limit the affordability of educational expansion in DFID priority countries. There are other opportunities to work with governments to help raise cost-effectiveness: non-formal education initiatives designed to reach remote or migrant communities have features which could be applied successfully in formal schools.

The coalition Government has committed to increasing the Department for International Development's total aid spending from £7.8 billion in 2010-11 to £11.5 billion in 2014-15. The Department aims to improve and expand state primary education, focusing on sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. It works largely by influencing and financing developing country governments to pursue Millennium Development Goals. The Committee supports these aims, but expresses concerns about its ability to assess the value for money of its spending. Fourteen of the 22 countries the Department supports are on track to meet Millennium Development Goals for primary enrolment by 2015. The Committee also expresses concern that the Department cannot adequately attribute impacts to its spending and its influence. Even for its largest programmes, such as India, it typically contributes a low proportion of the countries' education spend. For the Committee, the Department needs to place value for money as the primary focus when allocating resources or assessing the performance of its education programmes. It needs to focus on how many children attend and complete primary education, along with the literacy and numeracy they achieve.

This report provides a summary of the recent contribution of the Department for International Development to delivering the Millenium Development Goals. It includes details by country describing progress made and DFID's contribution. It discusses aims for bilateral and multilateral aid and the statistical information on monies spent

This paper examines the policy implications of structural changes in financial markets. Domestic financial markets have become less segmented, and the major financial centers more integrated. At the same time, the structural changes in financial markets have improved efficiency by lowering intermediation costs, increasing the ability to hedge financial risks associated with currency, interest rate, and price volatility and opening up access to new sources of savings. The widespread application of computer and telecommunications technology to financial markets has permitted markets to process a significantly larger volume of transactions.

What is the relationship between education and natural disasters? Can education play a role in ameliorating and mitigating them, preparing people in how to respond, and even helping to prevent them? If so, how? Drawing on research carried out in a number of different countries, including Australia, China, India, Japan, the UK and the USA, the contributors consider the role of education in relation to natural disasters. The case studies expand conceptual and empirical understandings of the understudied relationship between education and natural disasters and uncover the potential and the limitations of education for mitigating, responding to, and potentially preventing, natural disasters. The contributors also consider the extent to which so-called natural disasters, such as mudslides caused by deforestation and flooding areas built on known flood plains, are linked to human behaviour and how education can impact on these.

NOW IN ITS SEVENTH ANNUAL EDITION, The Reality of Aid 2000 looks at how the performance of OECD donor countries on aid and development cooperation has matched up to the challenge of eliminating absolute poverty. The report charts some improvements at the level of donor policy and rhetoric. But its stark conclusion is that the potential of aid to combat poverty is constantly undermined by governments, both North and South, who fail to address the extreme inequalities of income and the structural, social and political injustices that entrench people in poverty. Part I of The Reality of Aid 2000 presents an overview of poverty in the current global context and an analysis of recent trends in aid - looking particularly at basic education. In Part II, chapters by experts from NGOs in OECD countries and the European Union show how donor aid administrations approach poverty - and highlight the weakness of political commitment in the North to the needs of the poor. Part III sets out Southern perspectives on development cooperation. Part IV provides 'at a glance' comparisons of donors' aid outlook and commitment to development cooperation in the 21st century, poverty eradication, gender and public support. Throughout the book, information is presented in easily interpreted diagrams and graphs. The Reality of Aid has established itself as a unique source of independent evaluation and comment on aid policies and development. It is indispensable for all in the field, whether in the official or voluntary sectors, providing a regular reality check on just how much the international community is doing to realise the achievable goal of eliminating poverty. 'Indispensable ... it gives you most of the hard facts you need to know about the major issues' Nett-' Internationalist 'The most comprehensive and rigorous independent analysis of the aid and development policies of the world's wealthiest nations ... Essential reading' Charity World 'The Reality of Aid remains an essential purchase by the libraries of development institutions and an invaluable reference for development practitioners' Development & Change 'A reliable 'watchdog' for anyone interested in this important aspect of international relations' ORBIT 'An accessible reference ... [it] encompasses many key issues and stimulates further research' Commonwealth & Comparative Politics Originally published in 1999

The Department for International Development (DFID) has decided to close its bilateral aid programme in Burundi in 2012. Burundi is a fragile country which has experienced decades of civil war. It is one of the poorest countries in the world and is unlikely to meet most of the Millennium Development Goals. DFID's states that despite such closure, it will: continue funding Burundi both through a regional programme Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA) and multilateral donors (the EU, the World Bank, African Development Bank) to which DFID is a major contributor; that, other donors will take over bilateral programmes which it has been funding and that the cost of the office in Burundi is too high in relation to the size of the programme. The Committee believes though that the Government should reinstate a bilateral aid programme to Burundi for the following reasons, including: that the UK currently has bilateral programmes with all the countries in the Eastern Africa and Great Lakes Region and that the UK's engagement continues to be critical throughout this region both in perception and reality; that Trade Mark East Africa (TMEA), has already helped to increase Burundi's collection of tax revenues; that there are funding gaps in many sectors in Burundi; that there is a regional dimension to conflicts in the Great Lakes area and Burundi is particularly fragile. The Committee states if DFID does cease bilateral aid to Burundi, a responsible exit strategy is the least it can do to minimise the negative consequences.

Working towards the 2015 millennium development goals, this global report marks the midterm point and provides a rich evidence-based assessment of the provision of education on a global scale. Based on specialized commissions, extensive consultations and multiple research sources, the report provides an authoritative, comparative reference.