THE two-day Global Education Summit in London, hosted by Kenya and the United Kingdom ended on Thursday. International governments and corporations pledged to donate $4bn for the Global Partnership for Education, which provides fair access to public education in 90 countries and territories that account for 80 percent of children out of school.
The summit emphasised the importance of equitable access to education amid warnings that Covid-19 has exacerbated already under-resourced public education programs in less economically developed countries. Experts alerted the organisation that it was unlikely for those forced out of schools due to the pandemic to return.
Julia Gillard, former Australian prime minister and chair of the partnership, noted that the pandemic affected access to education in all nations but poorer countries where families may lack internet connection or electricity were devastated.
Gillard said that this pledge puts the partnership on track for completing the goal of raising $5bn over five years.
Ambassador Raychelle Omamo, Kenyan Cabinet secretary for foreign affairs, warned of the pandemic’s devastating impact on global education, saying ‘education is the pathway, the way forward.’
Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel Peace Prize winner from Pakistan and activist for female education, spoke to the summit leaders and stressed the significance of accessible education for young girls who are often discriminated against. She warned that 130 million girls were unable to attend school because of the pandemic and said that ‘their futures are worth fighting for.’
Addressing the conference with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his government’s commitment to girls’ education and its goal of enrolling 40 million more girls in school by 2026.
‘Enabling them to learn and reach their full potential is the single greatest thing we can do to recover from this crisis,’ Johnson said.
Johnson faced criticism for advocating for girls’ education while simultaneously cutting the UK’s overseas aid budget. The prime minister pledged $602 million to the Global Partnership for Education, while slashing $5.6bn from the UK’s international development allowance.
British officials said that the budget cut is temporary and was a necessary action due to the economic strain from pandemic recovery.
The Global Partnership for Education also received criticism for continuing funding to partner countries that openly discriminate against students. Investigations by Human Rights Watch uncovered open exclusion of pregnant students in Tanzania and Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh.