Education is one of the most effective tools for breaking the cycle of poverty. However, for children living in poverty, quality education can be a luxury families simply can’t afford. Through education programs in Asia, Opportunity's local partners are invested in helping parents keep their kids in school and improving learning and school quality.

Although government schools are often low-cost or free, many suffer from overcrowding, underfunding, chronic teacher absenteeism and lack suitable infrastructure like toilets, all of which make it nearly impossible for students to learn even basic literacy and numeracy skills. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the barriers to education for children in developing countries in Asia and caused widespread learning losses.

The fourth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Before COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders disrupted schools around the world, the world was already off-track to achieve its education targets. Without a bigger investment into education:

• only one in six countries will meet SDG4 and achieve universal access to quality education by 2030.
• an estimated 84 million children and young people will still be out of school
• an estimated 300 million student will still not have the basic numeracy and literacy skills they need to succeed in life.

To deliver SDG4, schools and education must be re-imagined with children at the centre, and education financing must become a high priority for countries that are falling behind.

Study shows the importance of affordable non-state schools in India

Opportunity EduFinance recently completed its largest market research study to date in India, with 360 affordable non-state schools and 754 parents interviewed across five states. The study aimed to provide a deeper understanding of both the willingness and ability to borrow amongst schools and parents.

With an estimated 32 million children out of school in India, the public sector has not been able to provide education to all of India’s school-aged population. Affordable non-state schools fill part of that gap, with 33 per cent of the overall share of enrolments in private unaided schools (schools with no government funding). The demand from parents who perceive a better learning environment in low-cost private schools, and the profitability of these schools are key for their growth in the future.

However, affordable non-state schools remain underserved by mainstream finance. The hesitancy amongst financial institutions partly stems from the perceived ‘higher risk’ of lending to not-for-profit organisations such as schools. However, the research demonstrates that well-run private schools can generate a good income to take on loan finance and invest in increased capacity and improved quality of education.

Yumna's story

Yumna is a young learner in grade 4 in India, attending a local school In Vaniyambadi, which goes above and beyond to equip its students to be future-ready. The school is part of Opportunity's Education program, helping school leaders continually improve the quality of the education that children receive and creating a supportive learning environment.

Yumna is an enthusiastic and inquisitive learner, driven by a curiosity about the world. Science captivates her interest the most, especially as Yumna is eager to learn more about the universe. Her teacher, acknowledging her talents, remarked, "She is so talented and creative minded. She always gives an excellent performance in all subjects – particularly in science because it is her favourite subject." Yumna's love for science sparked her dream of becoming a doctor to help those in need. But before diving into medicine, Yumna is excited about attending university to study computer science!

Reflecting on her school experience, Yumna fondly expressed, "My school is special because of caring teachers, fun activities, great friends, and a positive learning environment that makes me happy always.” 

• Learn more about how Opportunity is investing in education - particularly for girls - and improving school quality in Asia.
• To support more girls like Yumna, please consider giving to our Back to School Appeal.