Developing countries rich in natural resources can make huge gains towards universal schooling if they managed resource revenues better and devoted a significant share to education, says a United Nations study.

The Education for All Global Monitoring Report study, produced by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), argues that by maximising and transparently managing the revenues from their extractive industries, 17 focus countries could raise an extra $5-billion in funding for education every year – or about two and a half times the amount they received in aid to education in 2010.