Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking at an international level to agree a global plan to ensure the safe return of all children to school.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, two thirds of the academic year have been lost on average worldwide. It is important that schools in low and lower middle income countries reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.

The FCDO is playing a leading role in championing every girl's right to 12 years of quality education. We are using our G7 presidency to ensure the safe return of all children to school. We are asking our international partners to get behind two ambitious global targets - to see 40 million more girls into education, and a third more reading by the age of 10 in low and middle income countries by 2025. On 28 and 29 July, the UK and Kenya will co-host the Global Education Summit: Financing the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) in London. GPE aims to raise $5 billion over the next five years to help education systems build back better following COVID-19, and ensure all children return to school to learn.