Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of the aid budget goes to projects which work to fulfil the UN sustainable development goal of 12 years of education for every girl.

The Prime Minister has publicly stated that education, particularly girls’ education, is a priority for the UK. All UK aid education programmes have a focus on girls and young women.

Between 2009 and 2018 DFID’s spend on education doubled from almost £500 million to nearly £1 billion.

The latest data, from Statistics on International Development shows that 7% of total bilateral ODA is spent on bilateral education, all of which benefits girls. Between 2015 and 2019 DFID supported 14.8 million children to gain a decent education, of which at least 5.8 million were girls. DFID reaches and supports girls through our education investment in multilateral, international and non-governmental organisations, international influencing with other donors, foundations and non-governmental organisations.

The UK is also multilaterally the largest donor to the Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait and the new International Finance Facility for Education and we will continue to ensure that these deliver for the most marginalised girls.