Alignment of external aid for education is a strategic and structural approach in development cooperation, with the aim of strengthening national systems and accelerating education outcomes.

Its underlining principle is the use of national institutions, human resources, procedures and tools to implement external aid, in close structural coordination with domestic financing under the national budget.

Alignment provides unique opportunities to strengthen national systems for the education sector, leverage improvements in the effectiveness and efficiency of public expenditure and support better education funding at scale.