§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support she plans to give to programmes to increase the number of computers in schools in developing countries. [49621]
§ Clare ShortAs our White Paper makes clear, we are strongly committed to the key international targets of universal primary education and gender equality in
Bilateral aid to Sri Lanka £000 Technical co-operation (exc ATP) 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 Financial aid (exc ATP) 2,181 4,848 5,289 1,654 1,658 1,260 445 1,163 1,530 896 Generation and transfer of knowledge 4,060 5,498 5,463 4,979 5,437 4,645 4,378 4,122 3,875 3,367 Grants and other aid in kind 1,900 1,832 1,818 4,274 2,467 1,941 2,250 2,058 1,918 2,371 Aid and trade provision 5,496 7,230 1,248 2,845 591 573 166 67 71 127 Programme aid — — — — — — — — — — Emergency aid1 163 350 178 194 570 282 584 519 100 — DFID debt relief2 1,589 1,589 1,589 1,589 1,427 1,174 1,013 764 526 350 Total DFID programme 15,389 21,348 15,586 15,537 12,149 9,876 8,836 8,693 8,020 7,111 CDC investments 7,575 4,157 2,042 2,042 288 6,740 4,010 2,787 6,605 12,526 Other3 — — — — 13 — 29 1 23 — Total gross public expenditure 22,964 25,505 17,628 17,579 12,450 16,616 12,875 11,481 14,647 19,637 1Emergency Aid includes disaster relief and short term refuge 2This comprises only principal forgone under Retrospective Terms Adjustment 3This is all drug related assistance funded by the Home Office and the FCO Source:
Statistics Department Database
26Wprimary education by 2005. These targets will not be achieved unless we take advantage of appropriate technologies at all levels of education to up-grade teaching skills and enhance teaching and learning at all levels. In this respect books, journals and computer technology all have a significant part to play.
The Department for International Development (DFID) education projects are being implemented in many of the poorer areas of developing countries which lack basic school infrastructure, such as secure buildings and electricity, to support computer technology. In such places, our priority is geared towards the attainment of basic literacy and the provision of at least minimum facilities.
Nevertheless, we understand the increasing importance of computer technology in education. We support the Commonwealth of Learning (COL). Based in Vancouver, its purpose is to create and widen access to opportunities for learning via the application of communication technologies to education. We are funding a number of studies through COL to increase understanding of problems and practicalities of introducing new technologies and distance education in developing countries.
A number of our bilateral education projects include the provision of computers in, for example, resource centres where they are used to deliver teacher education programmes.