Ghana: Schools

International Development written question – answered at on 10 December 2007.

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Photo of Greg Hands Greg Hands Conservative, Hammersmith and Fulham

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department provides for the construction of new schools or existing schools in (a) Ghana and (b) Nigeria.

Photo of Gareth Thomas Gareth Thomas Parliamentary Under-Secretary(Department for International Development) (Trade Policy) (also Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform), Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) (Trade and Consumer Affairs) (also Department for International Development), Party Chair, Co-operative Party

DFID provides support for the construction of new school buildings through two programmes which provide budget support to the Government of Ghana for the implementation of its education sector plan:

In 2007-08, £40 million is being provided through the general multi-donor budget support programme. Of this sum, over 30 per cent. will be channelled into education, along with funds from other sources, including the Government's own revenues;

An additional £10 million has been provided by DFID in sector budget support, earmarked for education.

A large proportion of these funds are used for construction of new school infrastructure in both new and existing schools. The Ministry of Education reports that 2,322 new classrooms have been built in 2007 (in primary and junior secondary schools). Toilet blocks, furniture and, in some poorer areas, housing for teachers are also provided. Smaller amounts of UK funding are also provided for school construction through EC micro-projects, through the World Bank, and through the Education For All fast track initiative.

For the last six years, DFID has been supporting the Government of Nigeria, at both state and federal level, to build the capacity to use its own resources more effectively in the provision of basic education including school construction. Support is focused on three major initiatives all of which seek to improve school facilities:

DFID's capacity building for universal basic education project (CUBE) supports capacity building in Kano, Kaduna and Kwara states, including in the implementation of the World Bank's state education sector project (SESP). The wider SESP will support the renovation and construction of classrooms in 98 schools in the three states;

The £26 million girls education project (GEP) is funded by DFID and implemented by UNICEF in six Nigerian states (all six of which have large numbers of girls out of school). GEP provides support for educational materials, some minor renovation work and water points and toilets for 720 schools in the six states.

From 2008, DFID's new £106 million education sector support programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) will provide technical assistance to up to six Nigerian states to improve the planning, procurement and construction of schools, including the provision of small grants to communities to help them manage and improve local facilities.

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