Out-of-School Children Program (OOSC)

The Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development (ISFD) has developed its new 2030 transformation strategy and identified Human Capital Development as a core pillar for poverty reduction.

In 2018, ISFD and Education Above All (EAA) co-developed the Out-of-School Children Program (OOSC) Program as a multi-year Financing Facility, with the objective of promoting inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all.

The OOSC Program supports enrolment and retention of out-of-school children in quality basic education. Globally, around 58 million children are out of schools, two thirds of whom are in IsDB Member Countries. Hence, the OOSC Program targets IsDB member countries with over 500,000 primary school-aged who are out of school.

Program Objectives 

The OOSC Program has been established with the overarching goal of advancing inclusive and equitable access to quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for children in target Member Countries. To achieve this, the program focuses on addressing the challenges of out-of-school children, with a particular emphasis on ensuring their enrollment and retention in educational settings, while providing them with a solid foundation of quality basic education.

ISFD Contribution 

ISFD allocated US$100 million as a concessional loan to the OOSC Program. This financing was blended with a grant of US$75 million from EAA in addition to financial contributions from other implementing partners such as NGOs, the UN agencies, and benefiting member countries.