Asked by: Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to increase access to education for children who are missing out on education because of conflict, natural disaster and other emergencies.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The UK is committed to increasing access to education to ensure children and young people are able to access a quality education in emergencies and crises. A key example is the Syria region. Through the No Lost Generation Initiative, DFID has announced a further £240million for education in Jordan and Lebanon over the next four years, on top of the £115million already provided to give every child in the region access to education. The recent London Syria conference has resulted in international pledges to get every refugee and vulnerable child in the host countries bordering Syria, into quality education by the 2016/17 school year.
The UK has also played a leading role in the development of the Education Cannot Wait fund, which is designed to attract multi-year additional funding for education in emergencies and protracted crises. The UK pledged £30 million to Education Cannot Wait at its launch at the World Humanitarian Summit in May, which will contribute towards over 4.5million children receiving a better education over the next two years.