To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the education of girls in lower income countries worldwide.
Answered on
5 March 2021
No development intervention is more transformational than 12 years of quality education for girls. That is why it is a major priority for this government, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Between 2015 and 2020, the UK supported at least 15.6 million children in gaining a decent education, of which 8.1 million were girls. However, COVID-19 has raised the stakes for girls' education, deepening the crisis in basic skills that they already face. In response, we have adapted our education programmes in 18 countries, and provided new funding to support refugees and displaced children access education in some of the toughest parts of the world.
As FCDO, we will continue to deploy the UK's diplomatic clout and world-leading development expertise to secure greater global ambition and investment in girls' education. We will soon be publishing an Action Plan, calling on the world to do more to step up in giving every girl access to 12 years of quality education. We will also use our G7 presidency this year to rally the international community in stepping up on support to girls' education, and co-host with Kenya the replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education in July 2021.