Our cooperation in promoting universal access to education - Our work and impact

Despite this, many countries are still struggling to meet their populations’ educational needs: 

• 273 million of children and adolescents did not attend school in 2024
• There is a global shortage of 44 million teachers to ensure universal basic education by 2030
• The annual financing gap needed to achieve education targets by 2030 is estimated at nearly $100 billion. In Africa, aid to education also fell by 7% in 2024.

We work across the entire education continuum and support employment and decent work policies to guarantee universal access to basic skills and support fair transitions (especially in the energy and digital sectors). We do this as part of our broader objectives to reduce inequalities and strengthen social cohesion. 

One of our key goals is to empower people to realise their full potential throughout their personal and professional lives, from infancy to old age. More specifically, we aim to directly promote universal education, higher education and training, entry to the labour market and access to paid employment, entrepreneurship and decent work, especially to support fair climate and energy transitions, now and in the future. Particular emphasis is placed on: 

• Ensuring universal access to a shared wellspring of fundamental knowledge and skills, in particular by training teachers and education managers and setting up good-quality education systems
• Empowering girls and women by supporting gender equality across the entire education continuum
• Supporting the development of higher education systems, the training of trainers and the development of training courses and curricula by promoting dialogue between French stakeholders and partner countries to showcase French higher education around the world

Our work covers the following focus areas: 

1. Support the development, management and evaluation of public policies for education, higher education and research
2. Improve governance in education and higher education systems
3. Strengthen the institutional capacities of public bodies responsible for primary and secondary education
4. Professionalise higher education
5. Support digital transformation (system management, digital training opportunities, strengthening digital skills) and promote the use of digital technology
6. Promote inclusiveness in education (access to education for girls and vulnerable groups)
7. Improve training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers, head teachers and supervisors, as well as the management and attractiveness of the teaching profession
8. Promote research in the field of education
9. Strengthen regional cooperation in inclusive, good-quality basic education, including in sustainable development and digital technology. Promote knowledge management in research (in terms of producing new knowledge and building on existing knowledge), science, technology and innovation
10. Foster collaboration between European agencies and promote a “Team Europe” approach, as well as peer-to-peer dialogue at regional level and with Europe
11. Set up emergency education schemes to guarantee children’s continued and safe education in crisis contexts, and integrate these schemes into international emergency response plans

The transformative power of education, as described in UNESCO’s “Education 2030” Incheon Declaration and Framework for Action, ensures individual fulfilment, promotes stability and security, and provides opportunities for full employment and access to decent work as a means to fight poverty. 

Our Contract of Objectives and Means, an agreement between Expertise France and the French government that sets out our budget and strategic priorities for the coming years, stipulates “action for universal education, higher education, vocational training and entry to the labour market” as one of our objectives. We also work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 4 about “ensuring equitable access to quality education for all, and promoting lifelong learning opportunities”. This is why we pay special attention to the education-training continuum and access to employment for young people in all our projects.

Our work further aligns with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Group’s education strategy, as well as with the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative, which aims to invest in quality education and lifelong learning, especially for vulnerable groups.

Our services in the field of education cover two components – basic education; and higher education and research: 

• Basic education: Promote inclusiveness in education (access for girls and vulnerable groups); support the development, steering and evaluation of public policies for education; provide institutional capacity building; improve training and CPD for teachers, head teachers and supervisors; improve the management and attractiveness of the teaching profession; and support the digital transformation.
• Higher education and research: Improve governance in higher education systems; increase access for vulnerable groups; professionalise training courses; enhance the quality of teaching in line with market needs and Global Gateway priorities; strengthen international exchange and research; and develop blended learning, MOOCs and connectivity in higher education and research institutions.

For more about education, higher education and research