In Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, only 6% of third-grade government school students could read a second-grade text in 2014. As of last year, that figure has jumped to 27.9% — the highest learning levels the state has seen in two decades. This dramatic improvement, achieved through targeted interventions, exemplifies why the Gates Foundation is betting big on education even as traditional donors retreat.
The transformation in Uttar Pradesh comes at a critical moment for global education funding. Traditional donors around the globe have announced funding cutbacks, with the latest news from Washington suggesting U.S. foreign assistance for global education via bilateral partners will reduce by a fifth in 2026.
But amid this crisis, in April, the Gates Foundation announced a Global Education Strategy, committing more than $240 million of investment in foundational learning over the next four years in India and sub-Saharan Africa. The philanthropic organization hopes this financial injection, around $38 million more per year than its previous strategy pledged, will provide learning opportunities in partnerships with governments to 15 million children.
About the author
Gabriella Jóźwiak@GabriellaJ
Gabriella Jóźwiak is an award-winning journalist based in London. Her work on issues and policies affecting children and young people in developing countries and the U.K. has been published in national newspapers and magazines. Having worked in-house for domestic and international development charities, Jóźwiak has a keen interest in organizational development, and has worked as a journalist in several countries across West Africa and South America.
