§ Mr. ChallenTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what resources to support the Education for All programme were agreed at the G8 Summit. [69252]
§ Clare ShortAt Kananaskis, G8 leaders undertook to significantly increase the support provided by their bilateral aid agencies to basic education for countries with a strong policy and financial commitment to the sector, particularly in Africa; but no specific sums were pledged. Leaders agreed that each G8 donor will make public the steps it will take to fulfil this commitment. And they
259Wviewed the World bank's Fast Track proposal as a welcome first step in mobilising financial resources for countries committed to Education for All and demonstrating credible performance.
G8 Leaders also called upon the World bank and the Regional Development banks to provide additional support to countries that have made a strong commitment to education and gender equality, and have a proven track record of strong management or are demonstrating strong management progress.
§ Mr. ChallenTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that qualified teachers in developing countries are encouraged to contribute to the Education for All initiative in their own countries. [69253]
§ Clare ShortAttaining universal primary education by 2015 will require a major increase in the supply and retention of trained teachers. National governments will need to determine appropriate policies and strategies for achieving this. Teachers' salaries absorb a very large share of education expenditure and in many countries national resources will need to be supplemented by external financing. We believe the international community should provide recurrent expenditure support for basic education to countries that are clearly committed to Education for All and are demonstrating strong management of their resources. The World bank's Fast Track initiative provides an opportunity for accelerating such support and we are working closely with the bank on taking this forward.
§ Mr. ChallenTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contribution her Department is making to the Education for All initiative. [69251]
§ Clare ShortThe Government believe that education is a basic human right which enables people to transform their own lives and the society in which they live. Education also has a vital role to play in enabling developing countries to achieve the levels of economic growth that are necessary for tackling poverty and achieving sustainable development. We are strongly committed to the Millennium Development Goals on education: achieving universal primary education by 2015 and eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary schooling by 2005. We believe that these goals are achievable if the governments of poor countries implement effective policies and receive the right assistance from the international community.
Since May 1997, DFID has committed over £700 million to support primary education for poor people. We are using these funds to support national education policies which form part of developing country governments' broader poverty reduction strategies. We want to see an end to the fees and other costs which have prevented many poor children from attending school in the past. We also seek a commitment from developing country governments to prioritise primary education, especially of girls, in their own spending plans.
The Government are also working to mobilise the international community in support of Education for All. Our aim is to achieve consensus by the end of 2002 on well co-ordinated international action for mobilising new resources and better co-ordinated programmes designed to
260Wmeet this goal. We are working with the World bank to develop its new Action Plan for accelerating progress towards Education for All. We believe the Action Plan's fast-track initiative marks an opportunity to try to ensure that no country genuinely committed to economic development, poverty reduction and good governance is denied the chance to achieve universal primary education through lack of resources.
DFID is committed to further increasing UK support for basic education, particularly in Africa. We will continue to work with the World bank to support their fast-track proposals. Our target Strategy Paper "The challenge of universal primary education" and Issues Paper "Children Out of School" provide further details of DFID's policy and proposals.