§ Sir Archy KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the projects being funded by his Department which will lead to more primary school places being made available in developing countries in the current financial year. [169373]
Mr. Gareth ThomasThe UK Government are working in the poorest countries in the world and with the international community to help governments1708W provide education for millions of children who are out of-school. Total investment in education from 1997–2002 was around £820 million. During the last financial year of 2003–04 DFID has spent over £170 million on education in developing countries, providing books and equipment, building new schools, paying teacher salaries and providing training for teachers. This figure is set to rise to over £250 million per year for the next four years.
Progress has already been made in many countries; global enrolment in primary education increased from £596 million in 1990 to £648 million children in 2000.
There are projects supporting primary education in several countries including Bangladesh, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria (with the World Bank), Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Vietnam and Zambia. Projects in Nepal are also under development. In addition, DFID supports education in Mozambique and Uganda through budget support.
In Vietnam, DFID supports the implementation of the Governments recently approved National Education for All action plan. This includes support for a range of actions to ensure sufficient primary school places of reasonable quality for all children in educationally disadvantaged districts.
In India for example, the UK Government are providing funds to the Indian Government to help children from four of the poorest states attend and complete a full cycle of basic schooling. In Kenya, the Government recently stopped school fees at primary school. Making education free has brought a dramatic rise in the number of children going to school—over one million extra children. DFID is supporting the Kenyan Government to provide enough school places to keep up with demand and to ensure that quality is sustained. Finally, in Ethiopia the Government has prioritized primary education. Although enrolment is among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, progress is on track and the Gross Enrolment Rate has doubled over the last 10 years to 65 per cent.