Education Above All

Education Above All
Name	Education Above All
Type	Non-profit foundation
Founded	2012
Founder	Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
Headquarters	Doha
Region	Global
Fields	Education

Education Above All is an international philanthropic foundation focused on expanding access to learning and improving outcomes for vulnerable populations. It operates global programs addressing barriers faced by refugees, displaced persons, and marginalized communities, coordinating with international agencies, universities, and donor states. The foundation engages with diplomatic networks, humanitarian organizations, and private-sector partners to implement large-scale initiatives in crisis-affected regions.

Overview

The foundation works across regions including Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, and Latin America, partnering with entities such as the United Nations, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNESCO, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Commission, African Union, and Arab League. It focuses on interventions that link formal frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals to field operations alongside institutions such as Harvard University, University of Oxford, Columbia University, University of Cambridge, Georgetown University, Qatar University, UCL, and New York University. Operational collaborations include work with Médecins Sans Frontières, International Rescue Committee, Save the Children, Oxfam, World Food Programme, CARE International, and Mercy Corps.

History and Founding

Founded in 2012 under the patronage of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the foundation emerged amid global attention to crises such as the Syrian civil war, the Iraq War, and displacement linked to the Libyan Civil War. Its creation followed diplomatic initiatives involving the State of Qatar and aligned with multilateral agendas advanced at forums like the UN General Assembly, the World Humanitarian Summit, and meetings of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Early strategic direction drew on precedents in philanthropic models exemplified by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and Open Society Foundations.

Programs and Initiatives

Core programs address access, quality, and protection. The foundation administers scholarship schemes comparable to those of Chevening, Fulbright Program, Erasmus Mundus, Rhodes Scholarship, and Commonwealth Scholarship. It supports curriculum development with partners like Cambridge Assessment, Pearson PLC, Khan Academy, and UNICEF Education Sector. Emergency education and child protection projects have deployed alongside UNHCR operations in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Greece, and Bangladesh. Health-education linkages coordinate with World Health Organization initiatives and nutrition programs with World Food Programme sites. Technology-led efforts involve collaborations with Google, Microsoft, Apple Inc., Cisco Systems, Samsung, and Huawei Technologies to deliver digital learning in contexts such as post-conflict reconstruction in places affected by the Yemen conflict and the South Sudanese Civil War.

Partnerships and Funding

The foundation secures funding and executes projects with state donors including the State of Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, United States Department of State, and multilateral lenders like the Asian Development Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. Corporate partners have included multinational firms and philanthropic arms such as Amazon (company), Microsoft Philanthropies, Google.org, Mastercard Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Open Society Foundations. Implementation partners range from humanitarian NGOs like International Rescue Committee and Save the Children to academic consortia including MIT, Stanford University, Yale University, and regional institutions such as American University of Beirut and University of Cape Town. Financial oversight and auditing have engaged firms in the Big Four accounting firms and consulting collaborations with McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluations compare outcomes to benchmarks used by UNICEF and the World Bank Education Sector, employing metrics similar to those in studies by UNESCO Institute for Statistics and reports from the Overseas Development Institute. Impact assessments examine enrollment trends in refugee-hosting countries like Jordan, Lebanon, and Uganda and learning outcomes against standardized measures such as the Programme for International Student Assessment and assessments by International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement partners. Independent reviews have involved think tanks including the Chatham House, Brookings Institution, RAND Corporation, International Crisis Group, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International.

Governance and Organization

Governance structures include a board with international figures from diplomacy, academia, and business, reflecting networks linked to institutions like the Qatar Foundation, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, United Nations Development Programme, UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report contributors, and regional ministries such as the Ministry of Education (Qatar). Operational leadership coordinates program units, monitoring and evaluation teams, legal counsel, and field offices engaging with local ministries in countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Colombia. Strategic advisory panels have featured experts associated with OECD, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Global Partnership for Education, and specialist NGOs like Right To Play.

Category:International educational organizations