I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2780 

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide assistance for 

developing countries to promote quality basic education and to establish 

the achievement of quality universal basic education in all developing 

countries as an objective of United States foreign assistance policy, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 22, 2013 

Mrs. LOWEY (for herself and Mr. REICHERT) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide 

assistance for developing countries to promote quality 

basic education and to establish the achievement of quality universal basic education in all developing countries 

as an objective of United States foreign assistance policy, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Education for All Act 

5 of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Throughout the world, an alarming number 

4 of children and youth are not receiving a basic edu5 cation. According to the Global Monitoring Report, 

6 approximately 57,000,000 children of primary school 

7 age are not in school and tens of millions drop out 

8 of school annually. Globally, progress is slowing, and 

9 if current trends continue, there could be as many 

10 as 72,000,000 children of primary school age out of 

11 school in 2015. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, the 

12 number of primary age children out of school has re13 mained at approximately 30,000,000 over the past 

14 five years. Additionally, there were an estimated 

15 69,000,000 adolescents not enrolled in school in 

16 2011 and an estimated 122,000,000 youth (15 to 24 

17 years old) who could not read and write in 2010, 

18 needing a second chance to acquire even basic lit19 eracy and numeracy skills. 

20 (2) Of the approximately 57,000,000 children 

21 of primary school age and 69,000,000 adolescents of 

22 lower secondary school age who were not in school 

23 in 2011, 53 percent were girls. The proportion of 

24 out-of-school primary age girls is highest in Arab 

25 states, Central Asia, South and West Asia, and sub26 Saharan Africa. Over half of the world’s out-ofVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:07 Jul 24, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2780.IH H2780

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1 school children live in sub-Saharan Africa, and more 

2 than 28,000,000 live in countries affected by con3 flict. A significant number of such children have 

4 been orphaned or otherwise negatively affected by 

5 HIV/AIDS, while others have been victims of child 

6 labor or human trafficking. Of the estimated 

7 120,000,000 to 150,000,000 children with disabil8 ities under the age of 18 around the world, an esti9 mated 98 percent of children with disabilities in de10 veloping countries do not attend school. Without ac11 cess to quality education, such children will not have 

12 the skills to contribute to reconstruction and sta13 bilization of their countries. 

14 (3) The final report of the National Commis15 sion on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States 

16 (hereafter in this section referred to as the ‘‘Re17 port’’) concluded that education that teaches toler18 ance, the dignity and value of each individual, and 

19 respect for different beliefs must be a key element 

20 in any global strategy to eliminate terrorism. The 

21 Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Com22 mission on Smart Power determined that ‘‘education 

23 is the best hope of turning young people away from 

24 violence and extremism’’. 


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1 (4) The vision for educational opportunity de2 scribed in the Report to all developing countries, in3 cluding countries affected by armed conflict, is crit4 ical to achieve the Education for All Goals and pre5 vent the rise of violent extremism worldwide. 

6 (5) The Report concluded that the United 

7 States Government must offer an example of moral 

8 leadership in the world and offer parents and their 

9 children a vision of the future that emphasizes indi10 vidual educational and economic opportunity. 

11 (6) The Report noted that the United Nations 

12 has rightly equated ‘‘literacy as freedom’’, and while 

13 gains have been made in Arab states in reducing the 

14 out-of-school population, an estimated 25 percent of 

15 the adult population in the Arab states, or 

16 50,286,000 people, lack basic literacy or numeracy 

17 skills needed in everyday life. 

18 (7) The Report concluded that ensuring edu19 cational opportunity is essential to the efforts of the 

20 United States to defeat global terrorism. 

21 (8) At the World Education Forum held in 

22 Dakar, Senegal, in 2000, the United States joined 

23 more than 180 other countries in committing to the 

24 6 Education For All goals, including quality uni25 versal basic education. 


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1 (9) Since the World Education Forum in 2000, 

2 the number of children out of school has decreased 

3 at an average approximate rate of more than 

4 4,090,000 children per year. Despite this progress, 

5 the goal of achieving quality universal basic edu6 cation will not be met, and 72,000,000 children may 

7 still be out of school by 2015, while millions of chil8 dren in school are not acquiring foundational skills 

9 in literacy and numeracy. 

10 (10) In fiscal year 2012, the United States 

11 Agency for International Development’s bilateral as12 sistance helped to deliver a quality basic education 

13 to approximately 23,000,000 learners enrolled in 

14 United States Government-supported primary and 

15 secondary schools around the world. USAID has ex16 pertise in a number of key areas, including teacher 

17 training, reaching marginalized groups and quality 

18 measurement and has provided technical assistance 

19 to governments in order to create sustainable edu20 cational systems. 

21 (11) Basic education is fundamental to develop22 ment. No country has reached sustained economic 

23 growth without achieving near universal primary 

24 education. Quality education reduces poverty and in25 equity, lays the foundation for sound governance, 


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1 civic participation, and strong institutions, and 

2 equips people with the knowledge, skills, and self-re3 liance they need to increase income and expand op4 portunities for employment. 

5 (12) Investing in girls’ education and skills 

6 building programs not only delivers substantial re7 turns in educational attainment but also empowers 

8 girls to address conditions of poverty, low status, 

9 and social norms by increasing women’s and house10 hold incomes, delaying the start of sexual activity, 

11 reducing infant mortality, increasing women’s polit12 ical participation, spurring economic growth, and de13 laying marriage. 

14 (13) Education can help to protect children in 

15 conflict situations from physical harm, exploitation, 

16 and sexual abuse, as well as to avoid the recruitment 

17 of children into armed groups and gangs, and pro18 mote good governance and poverty reduction. Addi19 tionally, every additional year of schooling for males 

20 can reduce their risk of becoming involved in conflict 

21 by 20 percent. 

22 (14) In front line states, education remains a 

23 significant challenge. Of the 57,000,000 children of 

24 primary school age who are out of school, 

25 28,000,000, or 42 percent, are in conflict-affected 


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1 poor countries. In Yemen, nearly 80 percent of girls 

2 are unlikely to enroll in school, and in Afghanistan, 

3 girls average only 4 years of schooling. 

4 (15) Multilateral mechanisms have been proven 

5 to marshal critical resources to reach global develop6 ment challenges. Funds that are transparent, in7 crease partnership and coordination among govern8 ments, private sector, and civil society, support na9 tional plans, are monitored for results, and hold all 

10 stakeholders accountable have been effective at pro11 viding resources to reach global challenges. 

12 SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO ACHIEVE QUALITY UNIVERSAL 

13 BASIC EDUCATION. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign 

15 Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amend16 ed by inserting after section 105 the following new section: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 105A. ASSISTANCE TO ACHIEVE QUALITY UNIVERSAL 

18 BASIC EDUCATION. 

19 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 

20 ensure that United States resources and leadership are 

21 utilized in a way to best ensure a successful international 

22 effort to provide all children with a quality basic education 

23 in order to achieve the goal of quality universal basic edu24 cation agreed to at the World Education Forum held in 

25 Dakar, Senegal, in 2000. 


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1 ‘‘(b) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States 

2 to work with other countries and international and local 

3 civil society organizations in order to achieve quality uni4 versal basic education by— 

5 ‘‘(1) assisting developing countries to provide 

6 all children with a quality basic education, including 

7 through strengthening host countries’ educational 

8 systems; 

9 ‘‘(2) assisting nongovernmental and multilateral 

10 organizations working in developing countries to pro11 vide all children with a quality basic education; and 

12 ‘‘(3) promoting education as the foundation for 

13 communities’ development, including integrating en14 trepreneurial and leadership training, disaster pre15 paredness, conflict and violence prevention and miti16 gation, disease prevention and treatment, economic 

17 growth and agricultural activities, early childhood 

18 development, and democracy promotion into holistic 

19 assistance programs. 

20 ‘‘(c) PRINCIPLES.—In developing the policy referred 

21 to in subsection (b), the United States shall be guided by 

22 the following principles: 

23 ‘‘(1) UNITED STATES RESOURCES.—To lead a 

24 global commitment to achieving quality universal 

25 basic education in developing countries, including in 


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1 countries affected by or emerging from armed con2 flict or humanitarian crises, the United States shall 

3 commit sufficient resources for education in devel4 oping countries to equitably expand access to quality 

5 educational opportunity and inspire confidence in 

6 such countries that efforts to reform education will 

7 receive adequate assistance. 

8 ‘‘(2) INTEGRATED BILATERAL AND MULTILAT9 ERAL APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.— 

10 United States assistance shall integrate bilateral and 

11 multilateral assistance modalities within the strategy 

12 developed pursuant to subsection (e), to be directly 

13 responsive to host country needs, capacity, and com14 mitment, and lead to sustainable development. The 

15 United States shall engage on a multilateral basis in 

16 a manner that leverages overall impact and best re17 inforces United States bilateral aid efforts, which 

18 are central to United States efforts in basic edu19 cation. Bilateral and multilateral assistance should 

20 be undertaken in close partnership with nongovern21 mental organizations and other development part22 ners, including women-led groups. 

23 ‘‘(3) UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE TO MULTI24 LATERAL EDUCATION INITIATIVES.—The United 

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1 nancing education initiatives, including the Global 

2 Partnership for Education (GPE). United States as3 sistance shall build upon its comparative advantages 

4 and proficiencies in basic education programs, while 

5 leveraging the efforts of existing country-level devel6 opment partnerships. Multilateral mechanisms 

7 should be aligned with globally established aid effec8 tiveness principles, including— 

9 ‘‘(A) alignment with recipient country pri10 orities, education plans, and planning processes; 

11 ‘‘(B) governance shared by donors, devel12 oping country governments, and civil society; 

13 ‘‘(C) coordination among governments, 

14 multilateral organizations, private sector, and 

15 civil society; 

16 ‘‘(D) mutual accountability between donors 

17 and recipients for achieving measurable results 

18 in access and quality; 

19 ‘‘(E) transparency with respect to financ20 ing, policy decisions, and impact; and 

21 ‘‘(F) sufficient, predictable resources dis22 bursed in a timely manner. 

23 ‘‘(4) OTHER MAJOR DONORS.—The United 

24 States Government should encourage other donors to 

25 contribute commensurate amounts to support quality 


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1 universal basic education, through bilateral and mul2 tilateral mechanisms and to coordinate their efforts 

3 with recipient countries, private entities, and other 

4 donors, in line with the principles of the Paris Dec5 laration. 

6 ‘‘(5) PRIVATE SECTOR AND NONGOVERN7 MENTAL PARTICIPATION AND CONTRIBUTIONS.— 

8 United States efforts shall include explicit strategies 

9 to encourage and integrate contributions of strategic 

10 direction and financial resources from local and 

11 international private sector and civil society organi12 zations, including organizations that represent 

13 teachers, students, and parents, interested in sup14 porting quality universal basic education efforts. 

15 ‘‘(6) SCHOOL ACCESS, QUALITY, AND COMPLE16 TION.—United States assistance for basic education 

17 in developing countries shall seek— 

18 ‘‘(A) to expand access to quality schools 

19 and teachers for all children, particularly 

20 marginalized and vulnerable groups, including 

21 girls, children affected by or emerging from 

22 armed conflict or humanitarian crises, children 

23 with disabilities, children in remote or rural 

24 areas, including those that lack access to safe 

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1 ties, indigenous peoples, orphans and children 

2 impacted by HIV/AIDS, child laborers, married 

3 adolescents and victims of trafficking; 

4 ‘‘(B) to promote gender equity; and 

5 ‘‘(C) to improve the quality of education, 

6 including foundational skills in literacy and 

7 numeracy, critical thinking, and civic education 

8 in order to increase the number of children 

9 completing and benefitting from a basic edu10 cation. 

11 ‘‘(7) COORDINATION WITHIN THE UNITED

12 STATES GOVERNMENT.—The United States Govern13 ment, led by the United States Agency for Inter14 national Development, shall support improved co15 ordination and collaboration among all departments 

16 and agencies of the United States Government in17 volved in providing assistance for basic education to 

18 developing countries to ensure efficient and effective 

19 use of the resources, including efforts to provide a 

20 continuity of assistance for basic education in hu21 manitarian and other emergency situations. 

22 ‘‘(8) SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITIES OF LEARN23 ING.—The United States shall support the coordina24 tion of development assistance for the holistic devel25 opment of communities, and where appropriate, utiVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:07 Jul 24, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2780.IH H2780

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1 lize schools as the foundation for communities’ de2 velopment and integrate assistance programs, in3 cluding health and development programs, nutrition 

4 and school feeding programs, sanitation and hygiene 

5 education, adult literacy, leadership development, 

6 prevention of school-related violence, entrepreneurial 

7 training, agricultural extension work, civic edu8 cation, and housing programs. 

9 ‘‘(9) COORDINATION WITH NATIONAL EDU10 CATION PLANS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PRO11 GRAMS.—United States assistance for basic edu12 cation in developing countries shall be provided in 

13 collaboration and coordination with, where possible, 

14 national education plans, to reduce poverty and spur 

15 sustained economic growth, including through the 

16 promotion of the value of education and increasing 

17 community and family awareness of the positive im18 pact of education. The United States shall seek to 

19 encourage developing countries to utilize schools as 

20 platforms for the development of communities. Such 

21 assistance should support programs and activities 

22 that are appropriate for and meet the needs of the 

23 local and indigenous cultures and carry out pro24 grams and activities through implementation by 


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1 country-based civil society organizations that sup2 port national education plans. 

3 ‘‘(10) MEASURING OUTCOMES.—United States 

4 assistance for basic education in developing coun5 tries shall include sufficient resources for monitoring 

6 and evaluating the effectiveness and quality of basic 

7 education programs. 

8 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT10 TEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional com11 mittees’ means— 

12 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Appropriations and 

13 the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen14 ate; and 

15 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Appropriations and 

16 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 

17 of Representatives. 

18 ‘‘(2) HIV/AIDS.—The term ‘HIV/AIDS’ has 

19 the meaning given that term in section 104A(h). 

20 ‘‘(3) BASIC EDUCATION.—The term ‘basic edu21 cation’— 

22 ‘‘(A) means an education, generally con23 sisting of completion of 9–10 years of schooling, 

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1 cation, literacy and numeracy training, and life2 skills training that prepares an individual to be 

3 an active, productive member of society and the 

4 workforce; and 

5 ‘‘(B) includes efforts to facilitate and sup6 port the activities described in subparagraph 

7 (A), including efforts to— 

8 ‘‘(i) build the institutional capacity of 

9 a country to manage basic education sys10 tems and measure results; 

11 ‘‘(ii) construct and rehabilitate 

12 schools; 

13 ‘‘(iii) train quality teachers; 

14 ‘‘(iv) increase parent and community 

15 involvement in schools; 

16 ‘‘(v) provide learning materials; and 

17 ‘‘(vi) develop curricula. 

18 ‘‘(4) GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION.— 

19 The term ‘Global Partnership for Education’ means 

20 the organization formally known as the Fast-Track 

21 Initiative launched in 2002 to mobilize donor re22 sources and accelerate progress toward the achieve23 ment of Education for All, an international commit24 ment to bring the benefits of basic education to 

25 every individual. 


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1 ‘‘(5) NATIONAL EDUCATION PLAN.—The term 

2 ‘national education plan’ means a comprehensive na3 tional education plan that— 

4 ‘‘(A) may be developed in accordance with 

5 the provisions of the Global Partnership for 

6 Education; and 

7 ‘‘(B) includes explicit, credible strategies 

8 informed by effective practices and standards to 

9 achieve quality universal basic education, in10 cluding strategies to— 

11 ‘‘(i) address key constraints to achiev12 ing universal basic education in the areas 

13 of access, policy, data, capacity, gender eq14 uity, learning, sustainability of efforts, and 

15 financing; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) coordinate priorities within the 

17 elements of basic education, such as early 

18 childhood development, primary education, 

19 and secondary education (delivered in for20 mal and non-formal settings), and training 

21 in literacy, numeracy, and other basic 

22 skills, including life and leadership skills, 

23 for adults and out-of-school youth, and pri24 orities between basic education, workforce 

25 development, and higher education. 


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1 ‘‘(6) PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT.—The term ‘psy2 chosocial support’ has the meaning given that term 

3 in section 135 (relating to assistance for orphans 

4 and other vulnerable children). 

5 ‘‘(7) RELEVANT EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES

6 AND OFFICIALS.—The term ‘relevant executive 

7 branch agencies and officials’ means— 

8 ‘‘(A) the Department of State, the United 

9 States Agency for International Development, 

10 the Department of the Treasury, the Depart11 ment of Labor, the Department of Education, 

12 the Department of Health and Human Services, 

13 the Department of Agriculture, and the Depart14 ment of Defense; 

15 ‘‘(B) the Chief Executive Officer of the 

16 Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Coordi17 nator of United States Government Activities to 

18 Combat HIV/AIDS Globally, the National Secu19 rity Advisor, the Director of the Peace Corps, 

20 and the National Economic Advisor; and 

21 ‘‘(C) any other department, agency, or offi22 cial of the United States Government that par23 ticipates in activities to promote quality uni24 versal basic education pursuant to the authoriVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:07 Jul 24, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2780.IH H2780

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1 ties of such department, agency, or official or 

2 pursuant to this Act. 

3 ‘‘(8) INEE MINIMUM STANDARDS.—The term 

4 ‘INEE Minimum Standards’ refers to standards for 

5 education developed by the Inter-Agency Network on 

6 Education in Emergencies designed for use in emer7 gency response, emergency preparedness, and in hu8 manitarian advocacy, and applicable in a wide range 

9 of situations, including natural disasters and armed 

10 conflicts. 

11 ‘‘(e) DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A

12 COMPREHENSIVE UNITED STATES STRATEGY ON EDU13 CATION FOR ALL.— 

14 ‘‘(1) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—The President 

15 shall develop a comprehensive integrated strategy of 

16 the United States to promote quality universal basic 

17 education that will— 

18 ‘‘(A) seek to equitably expand access to 

19 basic education for all children, particularly 

20 marginalized and vulnerable groups, including 

21 girls, children affected by or emerging from 

22 armed conflict or humanitarian crises, children 

23 with disabilities, children in remote or rural 

24 areas, religious or ethnic minorities, indigenous 

25 peoples, orphans and children impacted by 


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1 HIV/AIDS, child laborers, and victims of traf2 ficking, as well as to promote gender equity; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(B) improve the quality of basic edu5 cation, particularly as reflected in measurable 

6 learning outcomes, as appropriate. 

7 ‘‘(2) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required by 

8 paragraph (1) shall be formulated and implemented 

9 in consideration of the principles set forth in sub10 section (c) and shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) include specific objectives, indicators, 

12 including indicators to measure learning out13 comes, and approaches to increase access and 

14 quality of basic education in developing coun15 tries; 

16 ‘‘(B) seek to build capacity within devel17 oping countries for basic education programs in 

18 order to make progress toward the goal of 

19 achieving sustainable development; 

20 ‘‘(C) outline how the United States Gov21 ernment will ensure a transition and continuity 

22 of educational activities in countries affected by 

23 or emerging from armed conflict or humani24 tarian crises; 


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1 ‘‘(D) assign priorities to relevant executive 

2 branch agencies and officials; 

3 ‘‘(E) improve coordination and reduce du4 plication among relevant executive branch agen5 cies and officials, foreign donor governments, 

6 and international organizations at the global 

7 and country levels; 

8 ‘‘(F) project general levels of resources 

9 needed to achieve the stated objectives; 

10 ‘‘(G) utilize public private partnerships, 

11 where appropriate, in order to leverage re12 sources; 

13 ‘‘(H) target the activities of the United 

14 States to leverage contributions from other bi15 lateral donors to provide quality universal basic 

16 education; 

17 ‘‘(I) support efforts to reduce the adverse 

18 impact of HIV/AIDS on education systems, in19 cluding by equipping teachers with skills needed 

20 for HIV/AIDS prevention and support for per21 sons with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS; 

22 ‘‘(J) promote gender equity and improve 

23 educational opportunities for women and girls, 

24 and strive to ensure safe schools, equal access, 

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1 ment, and the preservation of dignity and re2 spect; 

3 ‘‘(K) support local actors to review cur4 ricula, textbooks, and educational materials, 

5 with the goal of incorporating content on peace, 

6 human rights, civic education and respect for 

7 diversity; 

8 ‘‘(L) work with governments of conflict-af9 fected states and governments assisting in pre10 venting or limiting conflict to limit the effects 

11 of conflict on students, teachers, and schools 

12 and to promote and fund inclusive, good-quality 

13 education; to establish respect for schools as 

14 sanctuaries or zones of peace; to develop mecha15 nisms to protect threatened students, teachers, 

16 and education personnel; and to develop ways to 

17 rapidly reconstruct, repair, and resupply at18 tacked educational institutions and to support 

19 the continuation of education in alternative 

20 places or via alternative methods; 

21 ‘‘(M) adopt a ‘Communities of Learning’ 

22 approach that integrates, where appropriate 

23 and to the extent practicable, school and edu24 cational programs with health and development 

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1 grams, sanitation and hygiene education, adult 

2 literacy, leadership development, prevention of 

3 school-related violence, entrepreneurial training, 

4 agricultural extension work, civic education, and 

5 housing programs; and 

6 ‘‘(N) best utilize United States capabilities 

7 in the areas of technical assistance and train8 ing. 

9 ‘‘(3) GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.—The 

10 strategy required by paragraph (1) should be in11 cluded in any overall United States global develop12 ment strategy. 

13 ‘‘(4) REQUIREMENT TO CONSULT.—In devel14 oping the strategy required by paragraph (1), the 

15 President shall consult with— 

16 ‘‘(A) the appropriate congressional com17 mittees; 

18 ‘‘(B) relevant executive branch agencies 

19 and officials; and 

20 ‘‘(C) nongovernmental organizations, in21 cluding organizations representing students, 

22 teachers, and parents, and other development 

23 partners and individuals who are involved in the 

24 promotion and implementation of education as25 sistance programs in developing countries. 


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1 ‘‘(5) PUBLIC COMMENT.—The President shall 

2 provide an opportunity for public comment on the 

3 strategy required by paragraph (1), including com4 ments on how to operationalize the strategy through 

5 a country specific planning process. 

6 ‘‘(6) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 270 

7 days after the date of the enactment of the Edu8 cation for All Act of 2013, the President shall trans9 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a 

10 report setting forth the strategy required by para11 graph (1) and make the report available to the pub12 lic. 

13 ‘‘(f) ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT NA14 TIONAL EDUCATION PLANS.— 

15 ‘‘(1) ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—The President 

16 is authorized to provide funds and other assistance 

17 to assist foreign countries to create the policies, 

18 processes, and infrastructure to develop and imple19 ment national education plans, including both in20 terim and comprehensive plans, to allow all children 

21 of such countries to access and complete a quality 

22 basic education. 

23 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 

24 In providing assistance under this subsection, the 

25 President shall give priority to foreign countries in 


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1 which there is the greatest need and opportunity to 

2 expand universal access and to improve the quality 

3 of basic education, and in which the assistance can 

4 produce a substantial, measurable impact on chil5 dren and educational systems. Priority should also 

6 be considered in countries where there are chron7 ically underserved and marginalized populations that 

8 must be reached in order to achieve universal basic 

9 education. 

10 ‘‘(3) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance pro11 vided under this subsection may be used to support 

12 efforts to expand access and to improve the quality 

13 of basic education, including efforts— 

14 ‘‘(A) to ensure an adequate supply of 

15 trained quality teachers and to build systems to 

16 provide continuing support, training, and pro17 fessional development for all educators; 

18 ‘‘(B) to support the design and implemen19 tation of effective, relevant curricula; 

20 ‘‘(C) to assist education authorities to im21 prove education management practices and sys22 tems, including through promoting community 

23 participation in school management; 


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1 ‘‘(D) to promote the development and ef2 fective use of systems for monitoring and evalu3 ating student-learning outcomes; 

4 ‘‘(E) to provide adequate infrastructure; 

5 ‘‘(F) to eliminate fees for educational serv6 ices, including fees for tuition, uniforms, and 

7 materials as part of a comprehensive education 

8 financing plan; 

9 ‘‘(G) to identify and replicate successful 

10 interventions that improve access to and quality 

11 of education; 

12 ‘‘(H) to build systems to ensure continuing 

13 information collection, monitoring, and evalua14 tion of education services and financing; 

15 ‘‘(I) to ensure that schools are not incuba16 tors for violent extremism; 

17 ‘‘(J) to provide human rights, gender eq18 uity, and conflict-resolution education; 

19 ‘‘(K) to promote programs that teach civic 

20 education, critical thinking, leadership and life 

21 skills; 

22 ‘‘(L) to take steps to make schools safe 

23 and secure places where children and youth, in24 cluding girls and women, can learn without fear 


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1 of violence, harassment, or exploitation, includ2 ing— 

3 ‘‘(i) promoting efforts to establish and 

4 enforce strong laws and policies against 

5 school-related violence; 

6 ‘‘(ii) supporting efforts to train all 

7 teachers and school administrators on 

8 school-related violence; 

9 ‘‘(iii) working to ensure the safety of 

10 students during their travel to and from 

11 schools and on school grounds; 

12 ‘‘(iv) improving school infrastructure 

13 to increase safety, such as by constructing 

14 separate latrines for boys and girls; 

15 ‘‘(v) carrying out programs for school 

16 and community participation on the 

17 unacceptability of violence; 

18 ‘‘(vi) providing counseling and support 

19 systems for students affected by school-re20 lated violence; 

21 ‘‘(vii) conducting national and base22 line surveys to collect data on school-re23 lated violence, including against women 

24 and girls; and 


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1 ‘‘(viii) providing programs that enable 

2 schools to continue providing education for 

3 the most poor or marginalized children, 

4 particularly adolescent girls, which includes 

5 flexible learning opportunities, accelerated 

6 and second chance classes, and opportuni7 ties that support leadership development; 

8 ‘‘(M) to work with communities to achieve 

9 equity in schools and address gender norms to 

10 build support for girls’ education; 

11 ‘‘(N) to support other initiatives that have 

12 demonstrated success in increasing access, im13 proving learning outcomes, and increasing edu14 cational opportunities for the most disadvan15 taged populations, including girls, children af16 fected by or emerging from armed conflict or 

17 humanitarian crises, children with disabilities, 

18 children in remote or rural areas, religious or 

19 ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, orphans 

20 and children impacted by HIV/AIDS, child la21 borers, and victims of trafficking; and 

22 ‘‘(O) to carry out other activities to sup23 port the Global Partnership for Education. 

24 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED FOR

25 COUNTRIES AFFECTED BY CONFLICT OR CRISES.—In 


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1 addition to the activities supported under paragraph 

2 (3), assistance provided under this subsection under 

3 the headings ‘Development Assistance’ and ‘Eco4 nomic Support Funds’ to foreign countries or those 

5 parts of the territories of foreign countries that are 

6 affected by or emerging from armed conflict, human7 itarian crises, or other emergency situations may be 

8 used to support efforts— 

9 ‘‘(A) to ensure a continuity of educational 

10 activities for all children as an essential human11 itarian need and that all relevant executive 

12 branch agencies and officials collaborate and co13 ordinate to help provide this continuity; 

14 ‘‘(B) to ensure that education assistance of 

15 the United States Government to countries in 

16 emergency settings, including countries affected 

17 by or emerging from armed conflict or humani18 tarian crises, shall be informed by the Minimum 

19 Standards of the Inter-Agency Network for 

20 Education in Emergencies (INEE Minimum 

21 Standards); 

22 ‘‘(C) wherever possible, to reestablish for23 mal or provide support for formal and informal 

24 education services, or to complement services 

25 that are available to ensure that children are 


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1 able to continue their education and to protect 

2 children from physical harm, psychological and 

3 social distress, recruitment into armed groups, 

4 family separation, and abuses related to their 

5 displacement; 

6 ‘‘(D) to promote the creation of out-of7 school programs and flexible-hour schooling in 

8 areas in which security prevents students from 

9 attending regular schools; 

10 ‘‘(E) to provide safe spaces, especially for 

11 girls, with such facilities providing access to 

12 water, sanitation, health-related education, psy13 chosocial support, and landmine awareness; 

14 ‘‘(F) to provide assistance for temporary 

15 and permanent education facility construction 

16 and minor rehabilitation and equipping of edu17 cational structures; 

18 ‘‘(G) to provide essential educational serv19 ices and materials that assist in building sys20 tems to support, train, and provide professional 

21 development for educators; 

22 ‘‘(H) to build national capacity to coordi23 nate and manage education in emergency re24 sponse and recovery; 


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1 ‘‘(I) to promote efforts to ensure the re2 integration of teachers and students in conflict, 

3 whether refugees or internally displaced, into 

4 educational systems, including regional ap5 proaches where appropriate to coordinate and 

6 recognize the educational efforts of these teach7 ers and students and other school systems; and 

8 ‘‘(J) to promote efforts to ensure safe pas9 sage to and from school, designate schools as 

10 conflict-free zones respected by all parties, and 

11 adopt and support community-owned protective 

12 measures to reduce the incidence of attack on 

13 education by local actors, armed groups and 

14 armed forces. 

15 ‘‘(g) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 31 

17 of each year, the President shall transmit to the ap18 propriate congressional committees a report on the 

19 implementation of this section for the prior fiscal 

20 year and make the report available to the public. 

21 ‘‘(2) REPORT ELEMENTS.—The report required 

22 by paragraph (1) shall include— 

23 ‘‘(A) a description of efforts made by rel24 evant executive branch agencies and officials to 

25 implement the strategy developed pursuant to 


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1 subsection (e), with a particular focus on the 

2 activities carried out under this section; 

3 ‘‘(B) a description of the programs estab4 lished by each foreign country receiving assist5 ance pursuant to subsection (f) that provides a 

6 detailed explanation of the extent to which the 

7 strategy developed pursuant to subsection (e) 

8 and the assistance provided pursuant to sub9 section (f) are contributing to the goal of qual10 ity universal basic education in the foreign 

11 country; and 

12 ‘‘(C) a description of the extent to which 

13 each foreign country selected to receive assist14 ance pursuant to subsection (f) meets the pri15 ority criteria specified in subsection (f)(2). 

16 ‘‘(3) DATA.—Where possible, all data should be 

17 disaggregated by sex and age. 

18 ‘‘(h) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.—The Presi19 dent shall exercise the authority provided in this section 

20 in accordance with other applicable law. 

21 ‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

22 carry out this section, there are authorized to be appro23 priated to the President such sums as may be necessary 

24 for fiscal year 2014 and each subsequent fiscal year.’’. 


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1 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Chapter 1 of part I 

2 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended by 

3 subsection (a), is further amended by redesignating the 

4 second section 135 (as added by section 5(a) of the Sen5 ator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public 

6 Law 109–121; 119 Stat. 2536)) as section 136. 

7 SEC. 4. COORDINATOR OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT 

8 ACTIONS TO PROVIDE BASIC EDUCATION AS9 SISTANCE. 

10 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF POSITION.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

12 United States Agency for International Development 

13 shall designate an individual to serve as the Coordi14 nator of United States Government Actions to Pro15 vide Basic Education Assistance (hereinafter in this 

16 section referred to as the ‘‘Coordinator’’). 

17 (2) REPEAL.—Effective upon the date on which 

18 the Administrator designates an individual to serve 

19 as Coordinator pursuant to paragraph (1), section 

20 664 (b) and (c) of division J of Public Law 110– 

21 161, section 7064(2) of division F of Public Law 

22 111–117, and section 7034(q)(2) of Public Law 

23 112–74 are repealed. 

24 (b) GENERAL AUTHORITIES.—The Coordinator, act25 ing through such nongovernmental organizations (includVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:07 Jul 24, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2780.IH H2780

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1 ing organizations representing parents, teachers, and stu2 dents, faith-based and community-based organizations) 

3 and relevant executive branch agencies and officials as 

4 may be necessary and appropriate to effect the purposes 

5 of this section, is authorized to coordinate the promotion 

6 of quality universal basic education. 

7 (c) DUTIES.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Coordinator shall have 

9 primary responsibility for the oversight and coordi10 nation of all resources and international activities of 

11 the United States Government to promote quality 

12 universal basic education under section 105A of the 

13 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by section 

14 3(a) of this Act) or any other provision of law. 

15 (2) SPECIFIC DUTIES.—The duties of the Coor16 dinator shall specifically include the following: 

17 (A) Ensuring program and policy coordina18 tion among relevant executive branch agencies 

19 and officials and nongovernmental organiza20 tions, including coordination of auditing, moni21 toring, and evaluation of all such programs. 

22 (B) Ensuring that relevant executive 

23 branch agencies and officials undertake pro24 grams primarily in those areas in which the 

25 agencies and officials have the greatest experVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:07 Jul 24, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2780.IH H2780

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1 tise, technical capabilities, and potential for 

2 success. 

3 (C) Ensuring coordination of activities of 

4 relevant executive branch agencies and officials 

5 in the field in order to eliminate duplication. 

6 (D) Pursuing coordination with other 

7 countries and international organizations. 

8 (E) Resolving policy, program, and funding 

9 disputes among relevant executive branch agen10 cies and officials. 

11 (F) Ensuring due diligence criteria for all 

12 recipients of funds to promote quality universal 

13 basic education under section 105A of the For14 eign Assistance Act of 1961 or any other provi15 sion of law, and all activities carried out with 

16 such funds, subject to the coordination and ap17 propriate monitoring, evaluation, and audits 

18 carried out by the Coordinator necessary to as19 sess the measurable outcomes of such activities. 

20 (G) Convening meetings, as appropriate, 

21 but at least annually, of relevant executive 

22 branch agencies and officials to evaluate 

23 progress in carrying out the United States 

24 strategy developed pursuant to subsection (e) of 

25 section 105A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 


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1 1961 (as added by section 3(a) of this Act) and 

2 recommend future changes to the strategy 

3 based upon such evaluation. 

4 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

5 (1) BASIC EDUCATION.—The term ‘‘basic edu6 cation’’ has the meaning given that term in sub7 section (d)(3) of section 105A of the Foreign Assist8 ance Act of 1961 (as added by section 3(a) of this 

9 Act). 

10 (2) RELEVANT EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES

11 AND OFFICIALS.—The term ‘‘relevant executive 

12 branch agencies and officials’’ has the meaning given 

13 that term in subsection (d)(7) of section 105A of the 

14 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by section 

15 3(a) of this Act). 

16 (e) SPECIFICATION OF RESOURCES OF COORDI17 NATOR.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enact18 ment of this Act, the President shall specify the necessary 

19 financial and personnel resources, including detailees, 

20 from funds appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 

21 appropriations under subsection (i) of section 105A of the 

22 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by section 3(a) 

23 of this Act), that shall be assigned to and under the direct 

24 control of the Coordinator to establish and maintain the 


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1 duties and supporting activities assigned to the Coordi2 nator by this section. 

Æ 


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