International Day of Education
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 28556 on International Day of Education, how much funding his Department will provide in (a) 2025-26 and (b) subsequent years for (i) girls' education overseas, (ii) Education Cannot Wait and (iii) the Global Partnership for Education.
Answered by Stephen Doughty
The difficult decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) to fund an increase in defence spending to 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2027 has been taken by the Prime Minister to address the imperative of national security. Impacts on future ODA budgets are currently under review as part of the wider Spending Review process. Given the multi-year nature of many commitments, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is reassessing its ODA spending plans for 2025/26 to ensure they deliver maximum value for money in the context of the transition to spending 0.3% of GNI on ODA by 2027. Initial budget allocations for FCDO ODA in 2025/26 will be set later in March 2025, with final allocations for 2025/26 agreed in the summer. We therefore cannot at this time confirm how much funding will be provided in 2025/26 and beyond for global education; however, the UK remains committed to playing a significant role in international development. Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education remain important partners for the UK.
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