Enabling access to education for more people, especially girls and women, is an aim of Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). Some success has been achieved in recent years in primary education and vocational and technical education and training, but about 70 million children worldwide still cannot attend school.

Promoting higher education

Assuring "education for all" (Dakar Framework of Action, 2000) is thus still a priority issue in the international community. Besides the challenge of giving all the children in the world access to primary schools, there is also a growing demand for vocational training and higher education. This is exactly where Austrian Development Cooperation is involved, because a functional and efficient system of higher education is essential for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals as well as for sustainable national social and economic development. Well-trained people can meet local needs for qualified labour and are also properly prepared to cope with the demands of the global knowledge society. That is why ADC sets it sights on strengthening educational institutions and building expert capacity.

Science and research cooperation

Besides broad access to education in its partner countries, Austria is committed to improving and safeguarding quality in the education sector. In South-Eastern Europe, for example, support is given to university reforms. Student competitions and scholarship programmes are run to boost international knowledge exchange. Cooperation in the research sector seeks to free developing countries from scientific and technological dependence and narrow the North-South divide. ADC also promotes South-South cooperation and networking between universities in Austria and its partner countries. The programme APPEAR strengthens for example institutional capacities in higher education, research and management.

Vocational training and the labour market

Technical and vocational education and training is aimed at enabling people to gain access to adequately paid work and afford them prospects of productive employment. Austrian Development Cooperation therefore helps to establish and develop modern national systems of vocational and technical education and training. School and out-of-school education measures for imparting occupational skills and knowledge are particularly important for underprivileged populations and regions and ADC takes particular account of this.

Principles of cooperation in East and South

In its programmes and projects, ADC aligns its measures with the development, education and science strategies of its partner countries and collaborates with other bilateral donors, multilateral organisations, specialist bodies and the European Union. Austria pays special attention to the sustainability of its programmes as the only way to ensure lasting development.