Uncovering the Hidden Flows: How Foreign Aid Supports Higher Education in Developing Nations

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For years, I've watched with concern as global development debates and policies have largely sidelined higher education in favor of a near-exclusive focus on basic education. While providing quality primary schooling is undoubtedly crucial, the chronic neglect of tertiary education has always struck me as short-sighted and counterproductive. This report confirms my hunch that higher education has been receiving substantial foreign aid all along, despite flying under the radar in international development circles. But more importantly, it raises troubling questions about how effectively those funds are being used to build capacity and empower institutions in the Global South. Having witnessed firsthand the struggle of universities in developing countries to secure resources and assert themselves on the global stage, I am convinced that optimizing and localizing foreign aid flows could be game-changing. Imagine the potential if more of that funding was channeled to strengthen higher education institutions themselves, fostering homegrown knowledge creation and innovation. For me, this report is a powerful reminder of why investing in higher education is so vital for sustainable development. In the wake of a devastating pandemic, rethinking the role of universities will be more important than ever for driving recovery and building resilience in the face of future challenges. My hope is that the development community will heed the wake-up call in these pages and commit to a more holistic, higher ed-inclusive approach going forward. The stakes could not be higher -- for economic growth, for scientific advancement, and for nurturing the leaders and changemakers our world so urgently needs.

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