Tackling tax evasion could raise $57 more per school child in Kenya, says UNESCO

By Standard Reporter

A new paper released by the Education For All Global Monitoring Report (EFA GMR) at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) reveals that improving Kenya’s tax system and modestly increasing the share of the Government’s budget allocated to education could raise over $700 million (Sh60.9b) more for education and allow for spending per primary school aged child to increase by $57 (Sh4,959).

This could dramatically improve education quality and go a long way in helping over a million children who are still out of school to access education for the first time.

 The paper shows that similar improvements in 67 countries could raise an additional $153 billion for the sector in 2015. 

This would fill over half of the finance gap for achieving quality universal basic and lower secondary education.

Manos Antoninis, acting Director of the EFA GMR, said ambitions for education up until 2015 and beyond require funding, but funds will not come out of thin air.