Education: UK, others to raise $5bn for out-of-school children
From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The United Kingdom (UK), in partnership with the Government of Kenya and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), has concluded plans to raise $5 billion for out-of-school children in 90 countries.
British High Commission, Abuja, in a statement, yesterday, said President Muhammadu Buhari and other senior government officials will attend the event, tagged: ‘Global Education Summit (GES)’.
The summit which is billed to take place in London on July 28 and 29, 2021, according to the British High Commission, will urge world leaders to invest in education and improve access for girls.
“At the summit, the GPE aims to raise, at least, US$5 billion from donors to support education systems in up to 90 countries and territories, where 80 percent of the world’s out-of-school children live.
“The UK has been a donor to the GPE since 2005. At the G7, the UK prime minister already secured a landmark commitment from G7 partners to pledge at least, $2.7 billion to the GPE ahead of the GES. This includes £430 million from the UK, an uplift of 15 percent and the UK’s largest ever pledge to GPE.
“The GPE also provides an opportunity for Nigeria to share commitments to protect and progressively increase domestic education spending towards the global benchmark of 20 percent of total government expenditure.
“Nigeria already receives substantial funding from the GPE. In June 2021, the GPE formally announced the approval of a new grant for Nigeria of $125 million, an education programme that will be implemented by the World Bank in Oyo, Katsina and Adamawa states,” the British High Commission said.
The British High Commission further said over the past 10 years in Nigeria, bilateral UK support has improved education systems for 11 state governments, reaching over eight million children.
“This support has helped to reach out-of-school children and ensure they can access school and receive quality learning, including basic literacy and numeracy.
“Educating girls is one of the best investments for reducing poverty and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and, therefore, is a priority for the UK, also in Nigeria. Since 2012, the UK has supported over one million girls to access schooling in six states through the Girls Education Project Phase Three, in partnership with UNICEF.
“Since 2018, UK aid support through the education in emergencies programme, reached over 200,000 conflict affected children in the North East of Nigeria with formal and informal education.
“As part of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s global campaign to promote the aims and objectives of the GES, and in another demonstration of Nigeria’s importance to the UK’s global education ambitions, Nigerian students from a government secondary school in Abuja, joined children from around the world to record messages about what education means to them,” the British High Commission also said.
