Written question asked by Seema Malhotra (Labour) on Wednesday, 1 May 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 7 May 2024. It was answered by Andrew Mitchell (Conservative) on Thursday, 9 May 2024 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Development Aid: Education

Question: To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many girls have been supported by UK Official Development Assistance funding to (a) enter and (b) continue education.

Answer: Girls' education is a UK international development priority. We champion the right of every girl to access 12 years of quality education. Since 2015, UK Official Development Assistance has supported over 10 million girls to gain a decent education. The FCDO supports girls to access education through a number of mechanisms. Our Girls' Education Challenge programme has enabled over 1.6 million of the most marginalised girls to access education. We have 18 bilateral education programmes globally, and we are one of the leading donors to the global funds for Education - the Global Partnership for Education and Education Cannot Wait (ECW). Between 2017 and 2021, ECW supported over 6.9 million children (48 percent girls) to access education.

Secondary information