Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's policy is on the provision of funding for education through religious organisations in Burma.

DFID Burma’s funding for education through religious organisations has the key policy objective of increasing the number and proportion of children who complete a quality basic education. The programme is delivered through the Myanmar Education Consortium which works with a range of Non-Governmental Organisations, including faith-based organisations, provided that i) the education services are available to members of different religious communities, ii) the project activities supported do not aim to proselytize or explicitly promote a particular religion, iii) where possible promote inter-communal peace and conflict resolution, and iv) do not engage in any action that could promote inter-communal tensions.