Written question asked by Sarah Champion (Labour) on Tuesday, 23 May 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 25 May 2023. It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Thursday, 1 June 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Education: Teenage Pregnancy

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to embed support and advocacy for pregnant girls and teenage mothers into the UK’s global education priorities.

Answer: The FCDO is committed to addressing barriers to education. Through the UK-led Girls' Education Challenge (GEC), over 64,000 girls excluded from school due to becoming mothers are now in education. In 2022, the GEC conducted research with pregnant girls and adolescent mothers and then published the findings, setting out how to support them to thrive in school. This includes listening to the girls, reducing financial barriers to education, strengthening systems to support these girls to complete their education and ensuring policies actively encourage their participation. In this way we can ensure these girls can continue to receive a quality education.

Secondary information