I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2705 

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 29, 2011 

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 2011’’. 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 2705 IH

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 67,000,000 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. Additionally, there were an esti12 mated 74,000,000 adolescents not enrolled in school 

13 and an estimated 130,000,000 youth (15 to 24 years 

14 old) who could not read and write in 2008. 

15 (2) Of the approximately 67,000,000 children 

16 of primary school age and 74,000,000 adolescents of 

17 lower secondary school age who were not in school 

18 in 2008, 53 percent were girls. The proportion of 

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

20 states, Central Asia, South and West Asia, and sub21 Saharan Africa. Almost 43 percent of the world’s 

22 out-of-school children live in sub-Saharan Africa, 

23 and more than 40,000,000 live in countries affected 

24 by conflict and fragility. A significant number of 

25 such children have been orphaned or otherwise nega26 tively affected by HIV/AIDS while others have been 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 2705 IH

1 victims of child labor or human trafficking. Without 

2 access to quality education, such children will not 

3 have the skills to contribute to reconstruction and 

4 stabilization of their countries. 

5 (3) The final report of the National Commis6 sion on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States 

7 (hereafter in this section referred to as the ‘‘Re8 port’’) concluded that education that teaches toler9 ance, the dignity and value of each individual, and 

10 respect for different beliefs must be a key element 

11 in any global strategy to eliminate terrorism. The 

12 Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Com13 mission on Smart Power determined that ‘‘education 

14 is the best hope of turning young people away from 

15 violence and extremism’’. 

16 (4) Extending the vision of educational oppor17 tunity described in the Report to all developing 

18 countries, including countries affected by armed con19 flict, is critical to achieve the Education for All 

20 Goals and prevent the rise of violent extremism 

21 worldwide. 

22 (5) The Report concluded that the United 

23 States Government must offer an example of moral 

24 leadership in the world and offer parents and their 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 2705 IH

1 children a vision of the future that emphasizes indi2 vidual educational and economic opportunity. 

3 (6) The Report noted that the United Nations 

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

5 gains have been made in Arab states in reducing the 

6 out-of-school population, an estimated 28 percent of 

7 the adult population in the Arab states, or 

8 60,000,000 people, lack basic literacy or numeracy 

9 skills needed in everyday life. 

10 (7) The Report concluded that ensuring edu11 cational opportunity is essential to the efforts of the 

12 United States to defeat global terrorism and rec13 ommended that the United States Government 

14 ‘‘should offer to join with other nations in gener15 ously supporting [spending funds] . . . directly on 

16 building and operating primary and secondary 

17 schools in those Muslim states that commit to sen18 sibly investing financial resources in public edu19 cation.’’. 

20 (8) At the World Education Forum held in 

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

22 more than 180 other countries in committing to the 

23 6 Education For All goals, including quality uni24 versal basic education. 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 2705 IH

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 4,000,000 chil4 dren per year. Despite this progress, the goal of 

5 achieving quality universal basic education will not 

6 be met, and 72,000,000 children may still be out of 

7 school by 2015, while millions of children in school 

8 are not acquiring foundational skills in literacy and 

9 numeracy. 

10 (10) The United States Agency for Inter11 national Development’s bilateral assistance helps to 

12 deliver a quality basic education to 61,000,000 

13 learners enrolled in United States Government-sup14 ported primary schools around the world. USAID 

15 has expertise in a number of key areas, including 

16 teacher training, reaching marginalized groups and 

17 quality measurement and has provided technical as18 sistance to governments in order to create sustain19 able educational systems. 

20 (11) Basic education is fundamental to develop21 ment. No country has reached sustained economic 

22 growth without achieving near universal primary 

23 education. Quality education reduces poverty and in24 equity, lays the foundation for sound governance, 

25 civic participation, and strong institutions, and 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 2705 IH

1 equips people with the knowledge, skills, and self-re2 liance they need to increase income and expand op3 portunities for employment. 

4 (12) Investing in girls’ education delivers sub5 stantial returns not only in educational attainment 

6 but also in increasing women’s and household in7 comes, delaying the start of sexual activity, reducing 

8 infant mortality, increasing women’s political partici9 pation, spurring economic growth, and delaying mar10 riage. 

11 (13) Education can help to protect children in 

12 conflict situations from physical harm, exploitation, 

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

14 of children into armed groups and gangs, and pro15 mote good governance and poverty reduction. Addi16 tionally, every additional year of schooling for males 

17 can reduce their risk of becoming involved in conflict 

18 by 20 percent. 

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

20 significant challenge. Of the 67,000,000 children of 

21 primary school age who are out of school, 

22 28,000,000, or 42 percent, are in conflict-affected 

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

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

25 girls average only 4 years of schooling. 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 2705 IH

1 (15) Credible estimates indicate that approxi2 mately $16,000,000,000 per year of financing assist3 ance is necessary for developing countries to achieve 

4 quality universal basic education. 

5 (16) Multilateral mechanisms have been proven 

6 to marshal significant resources to reach global de7 velopment challenges. Funds that are transparent, 

8 increase partnership and coordination among gov9 ernments, private sector, and civil society, support 

10 national plans, are monitored for results, and hold 

11 all stakeholders accountable have been effective at 

12 providing resources to reach global challenges. 

13 SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO ACHIEVE QUALITY UNIVERSAL 

14 BASIC EDUCATION. 

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

16 Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amend17 ed by inserting after section 105 the following new section: 

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

19 BASIC EDUCATION. 

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

21 ensure that the United States provides the resources and 

22 leadership to ensure a successful international effort to 

23 provide all children with a quality basic education in order 

24 to achieve the goal of quality universal basic education 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 2705 IH

1 agreed to at the World Education Forum held in Dakar, 

2 Senegal, in 2000. 

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

4 to work with other countries and international and civil 

5 society organizations in order to achieve quality universal 

6 basic education by— 

7 ‘‘(1) assisting developing countries to provide 

8 all children with a quality basic education, including 

9 through strengthening host countries’ educational 

10 systems; 

11 ‘‘(2) assisting nongovernmental and multilateral 

12 organizations working in developing countries to pro13 vide all children with a quality basic education; and 

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

15 communities’ development, including integrating en16 trepreneurial and leadership training, disaster pre17 paredness, conflict and violence prevention and miti18 gation, disease prevention and treatment, economic 

19 growth and agricultural activities, early childhood 

20 development, and democracy promotion into holistic 

21 assistance programs. 

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

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

24 the following principles: 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 2705 IH

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

2 global commitment to achieving quality universal 

3 basic education in developing countries, including in 

4 countries affected by or emerging from armed con5 flict or humanitarian crises, the United States shall 

6 commit substantial new resources for education in 

7 developing countries to expand access to quality edu8 cational opportunity and inspire confidence in such 

9 countries that efforts to reform education will re10 ceive adequate resources. 

11 ‘‘(2) INTEGRATED BILATERAL AND MULTILAT12 ERAL APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.— 

13 United States assistance shall integrate bilateral and 

14 multilateral assistance modalities within the strategy 

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

16 responsive to host country needs, capacity, and com17 mitment, and lead to sustainable development. The 

18 United States should contribute on a multilateral 

19 basis in a manner that leverages overall impact and 

20 best reinforces United States bilateral aid efforts, 

21 which should remain central to United States efforts 

22 in basic education. Bilateral and multilateral assist23 ance should be undertaken in close partnership with 

24 nongovernmental organizations and other develop25 ment partners, including women-led groups. 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 2705 IH

1 ‘‘(3) UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE TO MULTI2 LATERAL EDUCATION INITIATIVES.—The United 

3 States shall support multilateral coordination and fi4 nancing education initiatives, including the Edu5 cation for All Fast-Track Initiative or a multilateral 

6 global fund for education. United States assistance 

7 shall build upon its comparative advantages and pro8 ficiencies in basic education programs, while 

9 leveraging the efforts of existing country-level devel10 opment partnerships. Multilateral mechanisms 

11 should be aligned with globally established aid effec12 tiveness principles, including— 

13 ‘‘(A) alignment with recipient country pri14 orities, education plans, and planning processes; 

15 ‘‘(B) governance shared by donors, devel16 oping country governments, and civil society; 

17 ‘‘(C) coordination among governments, 

18 multilateral organizations, private sector, and 

19 civil society; 

20 ‘‘(D) mutual accountability between donors 

21 and recipients for achieving measurable results 

22 in access and quality; 

23 ‘‘(E) transparency with respect to financ24 ing, policy decisions, and impact; and 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 2705 IH

1 ‘‘(F) predictable, long-term funding dis2 bursed in a timely manner. 

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

4 States Government should encourage other donors to 

5 contribute commensurate amounts to support quality 

6 universal basic education, through bilateral and mul7 tilateral mechanisms and to coordinate their efforts 

8 with recipient countries, private entities, and other 

9 donors, in line with the principles of the Paris Dec10 laration. 

11 ‘‘(5) PRIVATE SECTOR AND NONGOVERN12 MENTAL PARTICIPATION AND CONTRIBUTIONS.— 

13 United States efforts shall include explicit strategies 

14 to encourage and integrate contributions of strategic 

15 direction and financial resources from local and 

16 international private sector and civil society organi17 zations, including organizations that represent 

18 teachers, students, and parents, interested in sup19 porting quality universal basic education efforts. 

20 ‘‘(6) SCHOOL ACCESS, QUALITY, AND COMPLE21 TION.—United States assistance for basic education 

22 in developing countries shall seek to expand access 

23 to quality schools and teachers for all children, par24 ticularly marginalized and vulnerable groups, includ25 ing girls, children affected by or emerging from 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 2705 IH

1 armed conflict or humanitarian crises, children with 

2 disabilities, children in remote or rural areas, includ3 ing those that lack access to safe water and sanita4 tion, religious or ethnic minorities, indigenous peo5 ples, orphans and children impacted by HIV/AIDS, 

6 child laborers, and victims of trafficking; to promote 

7 gender equity; and to improve the quality of edu8 cation, including foundational skills in literacy and 

9 numeracy, in order to increase the number of chil10 dren completing and benefitting from a basic edu11 cation. 

12 ‘‘(7) COORDINATION WITHIN THE UNITED

13 STATES GOVERNMENT.—The United States Govern14 ment, led by the United States Agency for Inter15 national Development, shall support improved co16 ordination and collaboration among all departments 

17 and agencies of the United States Government in18 volved in providing assistance for basic education to 

19 developing countries to ensure efficient and effective 

20 use of the resources, including efforts to provide a 

21 continuity of assistance for basic education in hu22 manitarian and other emergency situations. 

23 ‘‘(8) SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITIES OF LEARN24 ING.—United States assistance shall support the co25 ordination of development assistance for the holistic 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 2705 IH

1 development of communities, and where appropriate 

2 and to the extent practicable, utilize schools as the 

3 foundation for communities’ development and inte4 grate assistance programs, including health and de5 velopment programs, nutrition and school feeding 

6 programs, sanitation and hygiene education, adult 

7 literacy, leadership development, prevention of 

8 school-related violence, community gardens, entre9 preneurial training, agricultural extension work, civic 

10 education, and housing programs. 

11 ‘‘(9) COORDINATION WITH NATIONAL EDU12 CATION PLANS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PRO13 GRAMS.—United States assistance for basic edu14 cation in developing countries shall be provided in 

15 collaboration and coordination with, where possible, 

16 national education plans, to reduce poverty and spur 

17 sustained economic growth, including through the 

18 promotion of the value of education and increasing 

19 community and family awareness of the positive im20 pact of education. The United States shall seek to 

21 encourage developing countries to utilize schools as 

22 platforms for the development of communities. Such 

23 assistance, to the extent practicable, shall support 

24 programs and activities that are appropriate for and 

25 meet the needs of the local and indigenous cultures 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 2705 IH

1 and carry out programs and activities through im2 plementation by country-based civil society organiza3 tions that support national education plans. 

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

5 assistance for basic education in developing coun6 tries shall include sufficient resources for monitoring 

7 and evaluating the effectiveness and quality of basic 

8 education programs. 

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

10 ‘‘(1) HIV/AIDS.—The term ‘HIV/AIDS’ has 

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

12 ‘‘(2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT13 TEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional com14 mittees’ means— 

15 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Appropriations and 

16 the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen17 ate; and 

18 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Appropriations and 

19 the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 

20 of Representatives. 

21 ‘‘(3) BASIC EDUCATION.—The term ‘basic edu22 cation’— 

23 ‘‘(A) means an education, generally con24 sisting of completion of 9–10 years of schooling, 

25 including efforts to improve early childhood deVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:23 Jul 30, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2705.IH H2705

smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 2705 IH

1 velopment, primary education, secondary edu2 cation, literacy and numeracy training, and life3 skills training that prepares an individual to be 

4 an active, productive member of society and the 

5 workforce; and 

6 ‘‘(B) includes efforts to facilitate and sup7 port the activities described in subparagraph 

8 (A), including efforts to— 

9 ‘‘(i) build the institutional capacity of 

10 a country to manage basic education sys11 tems and measure results; 

12 ‘‘(ii) construct and rehabilitate 

13 schools; 

14 ‘‘(iii) train quality teachers; 

15 ‘‘(iv) increase parent and community 

16 involvement in schools; 

17 ‘‘(v) provide learning materials; and 

18 ‘‘(vi) develop curricula. 

19 ‘‘(4) EDUCATION FOR ALL FAST-TRACK INITIA20 TIVE.—The term ‘Education for All Fast-Track Ini21 tiative’ means the Fast-Track Initiative launched in 

22 2002 to mobilize donor resources and accelerate 

23 progress toward the achievement of Education for 

24 All, an international commitment to bring the bene25 fits of basic education to every individual. 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 2705 IH

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 Education For All Fast6 Track Initiative; and 

7 ‘‘(B) includes explicit, credible strategies to 

8 achieve quality universal basic education, in9 cluding strategies to— 

10 ‘‘(i) address key constraints to achiev11 ing universal basic education in the areas 

12 of policy, data, capacity, gender equity, 

13 and financing; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) coordinate priorities within the 

15 elements of basic education, such as early 

16 childhood development, primary education, 

17 and secondary education (delivered in for18 mal and nonformal settings), and training 

19 in literacy, numeracy, and other basic 

20 skills, including life and leadership skills, 

21 for adults and out-of-school youth, and pri22 orities between basic education, workforce 

23 development, and higher education. 

24 ‘‘(6) PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT.—The term ‘psy25 chosocial support’ has the meaning given that term 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 2705 IH

1 in section 135 (relating to assistance for orphans 

2 and other vulnerable children). 

3 ‘‘(7) RELEVANT EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES

4 AND OFFICIALS.—The term ‘relevant executive 

5 branch agencies and officials’ means— 

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

7 States Agency for International Development, 

8 the Department of the Treasury, the Depart9 ment of Labor, the Department of Education, 

10 the Department of Health and Human Services, 

11 the Department of Agriculture, and the Depart12 ment of Defense; 

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

14 Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Coordi15 nator of United States Government Activities to 

16 Combat HIV/AIDS Globally, the National Secu17 rity Advisor, the Director of the Peace Corps, 

18 and the National Economic Advisor; and 

19 ‘‘(C) any other department, agency, or offi20 cial of the United States Government that par21 ticipates in activities to promote quality uni22 versal basic education pursuant to the authori23 ties of such department, agency, or official or 

24 pursuant to this Act. 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 2705 IH

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

2 ‘INEE Minimum Standards’ refers to standards for 

3 education developed by the Inter-Agency Network on 

4 Education in Emergencies designed for use in emer5 gency response, emergency preparedness, and in hu6 manitarian advocacy, and applicable in a wide range 

7 of situations, including natural disasters and armed 

8 conflicts. 

9 ‘‘(e) DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A

10 COMPREHENSIVE UNITED STATES STRATEGY ON EDU11 CATION FOR ALL.— 

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

13 shall develop a comprehensive integrated strategy of 

14 the United States to promote quality universal basic 

15 education that will— 

16 ‘‘(A) seek to expand access to basic edu17 cation for all children, particularly marginalized 

18 and vulnerable groups, including girls, children 

19 affected by or emerging from armed conflict or 

20 humanitarian crises, children with disabilities, 

21 children in remote or rural areas, religious or 

22 ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, orphans 

23 and children impacted by HIV/AIDS, child la24 borers, and victims of trafficking, as well as to 

25 promote gender equity; and 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 2705 IH

1 ‘‘(B) improve the quality of basic edu2 cation, particularly as reflected in measurable 

3 learning outcomes, as appropriate. 

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

5 paragraph (1) shall be formulated and implemented 

6 in consideration of the principles set forth in sub7 section (c) and shall— 

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

9 including indicators to measure learning out10 comes, and approaches to increase access and 

11 quality of basic education in developing coun12 tries; 

13 ‘‘(B) seek to build capacity within devel14 oping countries for basic education programs in 

15 order to make progress toward the goal of 

16 achieving sustainable development; 

17 ‘‘(C) outline how the United States Gov18 ernment will ensure a transition and continuity 

19 of educational activities in countries affected by 

20 or emerging from armed conflict or humani21 tarian crises; 

22 ‘‘(D) assign priorities to relevant executive 

23 branch agencies and officials; 

24 ‘‘(E) improve coordination and reduce du25 plication among relevant executive branch agenVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:23 Jul 30, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2705.IH H2705

smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 2705 IH

1 cies and officials, foreign donor governments, 

2 and international organizations at the global 

3 and country levels; 

4 ‘‘(F) project general levels of resources 

5 needed to achieve the stated objectives; 

6 ‘‘(G) expand public-private partnerships in 

7 order to leverage resources; 

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

9 States to leverage contributions from other bi10 lateral donors to provide quality universal basic 

11 education; 

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

13 impact of HIV/AIDS on education systems, in14 cluding by equipping teachers with skills needed 

15 for HIV/AIDS prevention and support for per16 sons with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS; 

17 ‘‘(J) promote gender equity and improve 

18 educational opportunities for women and girls, 

19 and strive to ensure safe schools, equal access, 

20 workforce opportunities, leadership role develop21 ment, and the preservation of dignity and re22 spect; 

23 ‘‘(K) support local actors to review cur24 ricula, textbooks, and educational materials, 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 2705 IH

1 with the goal of incorporating content on peace, 

2 human rights, and respect for diversity; 

3 ‘‘(L) work with governments of conflict-af4 fected states and governments assisting in pre5 venting or limiting conflict to limit the effects 

6 of conflict on students, teachers, and schools 

7 and to promote and fund inclusive, good-quality 

8 education; to establish respect for schools as 

9 sanctuaries or zones of peace; to develop mecha10 nisms to protect threatened students, teachers, 

11 and education personnel; and to develop ways to 

12 rapidly reconstruct, repair, and resupply at13 tacked educational institutions and to support 

14 the continuation of education in alternative 

15 places or via alternative methods; 

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

17 approach that integrates, where appropriate 

18 and to the extent practicable, school and edu19 cational programs with health and development 

20 programs, nutrition and school feeding pro21 grams, sanitation and hygiene education, adult 

22 literacy, leadership development, prevention of 

23 school-related violence, community gardens, en24 trepreneurial training, agricultural extension 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 2705 IH

1 work, civic education, and housing programs; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(N) maximize United States capabilities 

4 in the areas of technical assistance and train5 ing. 

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

7 strategy required by paragraph (1) should be in8 cluded in any overall U.S. global development strat9 egy. 

10 ‘‘(4) REQUIREMENT TO CONSULT.—In devel11 oping the strategy required by paragraph (1), the 

12 President shall consult with— 

13 ‘‘(A) the appropriate congressional com14 mittees; 

15 ‘‘(B) relevant executive branch agencies 

16 and officials; and 

17 ‘‘(C) nongovernmental organizations, in18 cluding organizations representing students, 

19 teachers, and parents, and other development 

20 partners and individuals who are involved in the 

21 promotion and implementation of education as22 sistance programs in developing countries. 

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

24 provide an opportunity for public comment on the 

25 strategy required by paragraph (1). 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
23 

•HR 2705 IH

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

2 days after the date of the enactment of the Edu3 cation for All Act of 2011, the President shall trans4 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a 

5 report setting forth the strategy required by para6 graph (1) and make the report available to the pub7 lic. 

8 ‘‘(f) ASSISTANCE TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT NA9 TIONAL EDUCATION PLANS.— 

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

11 is authorized to provide funds and other assistance 

12 to assist foreign countries to create the policies, 

13 processes, and infrastructure to develop and imple14 ment national education plans, including both in15 terim and comprehensive plans, to allow all children 

16 of such countries to access and complete a quality 

17 basic education. 

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

19 In providing assistance under this subsection, the 

20 President shall give priority to foreign countries in 

21 which there is the greatest need and opportunity to 

22 expand universal access and to improve the quality 

23 of basic education, and in which the assistance can 

24 produce a substantial, measurable impact on chil25 dren and educational systems. Priority should also 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
24 

•HR 2705 IH

1 be considered in countries where there are chron2 ically underserved and marginalized populations that 

3 must be reached in order to achieve universal basic 

4 education. 

5 ‘‘(3) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance pro6 vided under this subsection may be used to support 

7 efforts to expand access and to improve the quality 

8 of basic education, including efforts— 

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

10 trained quality teachers and to build systems to 

11 provide continuing support, training, and pro12 fessional development for all educators; 

13 ‘‘(B) to support the design and implemen14 tation of effective, relevant curricula; 

15 ‘‘(C) to assist education authorities to im16 prove education management practices and sys17 tems; 

18 ‘‘(D) to promote the development and ef19 fective use of systems for monitoring and evalu20 ating student-learning outcomes; 

21 ‘‘(E) to provide adequate infrastructure; 

22 ‘‘(F) to eliminate fees for educational serv23 ices, including fees for tuition, uniforms, and 

24 materials as part of a comprehensive education 

25 financing plan; 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
25 

•HR 2705 IH

1 ‘‘(G) to identify and replicate successful 

2 interventions that improve access to and quality 

3 of education; 

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

5 information collection, monitoring, and evalua6 tion of education services and financing; 

7 ‘‘(I) to ensure that schools are not incuba8 tors for violent extremism; 

9 ‘‘(J) to provide human rights, gender eq10 uity, and conflict-resolution education; 

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

12 education and life skills; 

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

14 and secure places where children and youth, in15 cluding girls and women, can learn without fear 

16 of violence, harassment, or exploitation, includ17 ing— 

18 ‘‘(i) promoting efforts at the national 

19 level to establish and enforce comprehen20 sive legislation and strong policies against 

21 school-related violence; 

22 ‘‘(ii) supporting efforts and providing 

23 resources to train all teachers and school 

24 administrators on school-related violence; 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
26 

•HR 2705 IH

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

2 students during their travel to and from 

3 schools and on school grounds; 

4 ‘‘(iv) improving school infrastructure 

5 to increase safety, such as by constructing 

6 separate latrines for boys and girls; 

7 ‘‘(v) carrying out programs for school 

8 and community participation on the 

9 unacceptability of violence; 

10 ‘‘(vi) providing counseling and support 

11 systems for students affected by school-re12 lated violence; 

13 ‘‘(vii) conducting national and base14 line surveys to collect data on school-re15 lated violence, including against women 

16 and girls; and 

17 ‘‘(viii) providing programs that enable 

18 schools to continue providing education for 

19 the most poor or marginalized children, 

20 particularly adolescent girls, which includes 

21 flexible learning opportunities, accelerated 

22 and second chance classes, and opportuni23 ties that support leadership development; 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
27 

•HR 2705 IH

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

2 equity in schools and address gender norms to 

3 build support for girls’ education; 

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

5 demonstrated success in increasing access, im6 proving learning outcomes, and increasing edu7 cational opportunities for the most disadvan8 taged populations, including girls, children af9 fected by or emerging from armed conflict or 

10 humanitarian crises, children with disabilities, 

11 children in remote or rural areas, religious or 

12 ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, orphans 

13 and children impacted by HIV/AIDS, child la14 borers, and victims of trafficking; and 

15 ‘‘(O) to carry out other activities to sup16 port a Education for All Fast-Track Initiative 

17 or other multilateral Educational for All initia18 tives, including a multilateral global fund for 

19 education. 

20 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED FOR

21 COUNTRIES AFFECTED BY CONFLICT OR CRISES.—In 

22 addition to the activities supported under paragraph 

23 (3), assistance provided under this subsection under 

24 the headings ‘Development Assistance’ and ‘Eco25 nomic Support Funds’ to foreign countries or those 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
28 

•HR 2705 IH

1 parts of the territories of foreign countries that are 

2 affected by or emerging from armed conflict, human3 itarian crises, or other emergency situations may be 

4 used to support efforts— 

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

6 activities for all children as an essential human7 itarian need and that all relevant executive 

8 branch agencies and officials collaborate and co9 ordinate to help provide this continuity; 

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

11 the United States Government to countries in 

12 emergency settings, including countries affected 

13 by or emerging from armed conflict or humani14 tarian crises, shall be informed by the Minimum 

15 Standards of the Inter-Agency Network for 

16 Education in Emergencies (INEE Minimum 

17 Standards); 

18 ‘‘(C) wherever possible, to reestablish for19 mal or provide support for formal and informal 

20 education services, or to complement services 

21 that are available to ensure that children are 

22 able to continue their education and to protect 

23 children from physical harm, psychological and 

24 social distress, recruitment into armed groups, 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
29 

•HR 2705 IH

1 family separation, and abuses related to their 

2 displacement; 

3 ‘‘(D) to promote the creation of out-of4 school programs and flexible-hour schooling in 

5 areas in which security prevents students from 

6 attending regular schools; 

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

8 girls, with such facilities providing access to 

9 water, sanitation, health-related education, psy10 chosocial support, and landmine awareness; 

11 ‘‘(F) to provide funding for temporary and 

12 permanent education facility construction and 

13 minor rehabilitation and equipping of edu14 cational structures; 

15 ‘‘(G) to provide essential educational serv16 ices and materials that assist in building sys17 tems to support, train, and provide professional 

18 development for educators; and 

19 ‘‘(H) to promote efforts to ensure the re20 integration of teachers and students in conflict, 

21 whether refugees or internally displaced, into 

22 educational systems, including regional ap23 proaches where appropriate to coordinate and 

24 recognize the educational efforts of these teach25 ers and students and other school systems. 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
30 

•HR 2705 IH

1 ‘‘(g) ANNUAL REPORT.— 

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

3 of each year, the President shall transmit to the ap4 propriate congressional committees a report on the 

5 implementation of this section for the prior fiscal 

6 year and make the report available to the public. 

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

8 by paragraph (1) shall include— 

9 ‘‘(A) a description of efforts made by rel10 evant executive branch agencies and officials to 

11 implement the strategy developed pursuant to 

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

13 activities carried out under this section; 

14 ‘‘(B) a description of the programs estab15 lished by each foreign country receiving assist16 ance pursuant to subsection (f) that provides a 

17 detailed explanation of the extent to which the 

18 strategy developed pursuant to subsection (e) 

19 and the assistance provided pursuant to sub20 section (f) are contributing to the goal of qual21 ity universal basic education in the foreign 

22 country; and 

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

24 each foreign country selected to receive assistVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:23 Jul 30, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2705.IH H2705

smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
31 

•HR 2705 IH

1 ance pursuant to subsection (f) meets the pri2 ority criteria specified in subsection (f)(2). 

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

4 disaggregated by sex and age. 

5 ‘‘(h) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS.—The Presi6 dent shall exercise the authority provided in this section 

7 in accordance with other applicable law. 

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

9 carry out this section, there are authorized to be appro10 priated to the President such sums as may be necessary 

11 for fiscal year 2012 and each subsequent fiscal year.’’. 

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

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

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

15 second section 135 (as added by section 5(a) of the Sen16 ator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public 

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

18 SEC. 4. COORDINATOR OF UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT 

19 ACTIONS TO PROVIDE BASIC EDUCATION AS20 SISTANCE. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF POSITION.— 

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

23 United States Agency for International Development 

24 shall designate an individual to serve as the Coordi25 nator of United States Government Actions to ProVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:23 Jul 30, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2705.IH H2705

smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
32 

•HR 2705 IH

1 vide Basic Education Assistance (hereinafter in this 

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

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

4 the Administrator designates an individual to serve 

5 as Coordinator pursuant to paragraph (1), section 

6 664 (b) and (c) of division J of Public Law 110–161 

7 and section 7064(2) of division F of Public Law 

8 111–117 are repealed. 

9 (b) GENERAL AUTHORITIES.—The Coordinator, act10 ing through such nongovernmental organizations (includ11 ing organizations representing parents, teachers, and stu12 dents, faith-based and community-based organizations) 

13 and relevant executive branch agencies and officials as 

14 may be necessary and appropriate to effect the purposes 

15 of this section, is authorized to coordinate the promotion 

16 of quality universal basic education. 

17 (c) DUTIES.— 

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

19 primary responsibility for the oversight and coordi20 nation of all resources and international activities of 

21 the United States Government to promote quality 

22 universal basic education under section 105A of the 

23 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by section 

24 3(a) of this Act) or any other provision of law. 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
33 

•HR 2705 IH

1 (2) SPECIFIC DUTIES.—The duties of the Coor2 dinator shall specifically include the following: 

3 (A) Ensuring program and policy coordina4 tion among relevant executive branch agencies 

5 and officials and nongovernmental organiza6 tions, including coordination of auditing, moni7 toring, and evaluation of all such programs. 

8 (B) Ensuring that relevant executive 

9 branch agencies and officials undertake pro10 grams primarily in those areas in which the 

11 agencies and officials have the greatest exper12 tise, technical capabilities, and potential for 

13 success. 

14 (C) Ensuring coordination of activities of 

15 relevant executive branch agencies and officials 

16 in the field in order to eliminate duplication. 

17 (D) Pursuing coordination with other 

18 countries and international organizations. 

19 (E) Resolving policy, program, and funding 

20 disputes among relevant executive branch agen21 cies and officials. 

22 (F) Ensuring due diligence criteria for all 

23 recipients of funds to promote quality universal 

24 basic education under section 105A of the For25 eign Assistance Act of 1961 or any other proviVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:23 Jul 30, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2705.IH H2705

smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
34 

•HR 2705 IH

1 sion of law, and all activities carried out with 

2 such funds, subject to the coordination and ap3 propriate monitoring, evaluation, and audits 

4 carried out by the Coordinator necessary to as5 sess the measurable outcomes of such activities. 

6 (G) Convening meetings, as appropriate, 

7 but at least annually, of relevant executive 

8 branch agencies and officials to evaluate 

9 progress in carrying out the United States 

10 strategy developed pursuant to subsection (e) of 

11 section 105A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 

12 1961 (as added by section 3(a) of this Act) and 

13 recommend future changes to the strategy 

14 based upon such evaluation. 

15 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) BASIC EDUCATION.—The term ‘‘basic edu17 cation’’ has the meaning given that term in sub18 section (d)(3) of section 105A of the Foreign Assist19 ance Act of 1961 (as added by section 3(a) of this 

20 Act). 

21 (2) RELEVANT EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES

22 AND OFFICIALS.—The term ‘‘relevant executive 

23 branch agencies and officials’’ has the meaning given 

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


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
35 

•HR 2705 IH

1 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by section 

2 3(a) of this Act). 

3 (e) SPECIFICATION OF RESOURCES OF COORDI4 NATOR.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enact5 ment of this Act, the President shall specify the necessary 

6 financial and personnel resources, including detailees, 

7 from funds appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 

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

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

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

11 control of the Coordinator to establish and maintain the 

12 duties and supporting activities assigned to the Coordi13 nator by this section. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS