Second, basic education. I believe it is time we lifted the cap on funding for basic education. The needs are far greater than this cap permits and the returns we get on our investments in education make it a wise priority. A farmer with just four years of school produces 9 percent more than an uneducated farmer. Educating girls is a certain route to better prenatal care, health, nutrition, scholastic success and to fewer childhood deaths and smaller families.
Education is the best hope for preventing sexual exploitation and child labor.
And no country has grown significantly until it achieved universal primary education. American leaders from both political parties, and a wide range of American citizens, share this conviction. I urge you to bring this investment in line with our national priorities and closer to the real needs. Focusing on the 22 nations where 80 percent of the world's TB cases are would increase the impact of our investment, save countless lives, and support the work of the American Lung Association and other respected organizations participating in this campaign. This sum is just 10 percent of what experts say is needed, but investing it now would be a timely precaution against the far higher costs that Americans will pay if this disease spreads further into our country.