Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase basic education Official Development Assistance investments in countries where foundational learning levels are lowest but the UK has not recently provided any assistance.

The FCDO prioritises basic reading, maths and socio-emotional skills (foundational learning) for all. In 2022, we launched the Commitment to Action on Foundational Learning to reduce learning poverty (being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10) by 50 percent by 2030. Our education research investments, including the What Works Hub for Global Education, supports middle-income countries such as Brazil, Pakistan and Kenya to learn from each other to understand what works to reduce learning poverty. The UK supports children in over 80 countries through our £430 million contribution to the Global Partnership for Education and £80 million contribution to Education Cannot Wait.