UK and Kenya to raise $5bn for post-COVID-19 education

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta are due to launch a call to action on Monday to raise $5bn (£3.8bn) for educating the most vulnerable children around the world.

The number of children out of school has risen sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) estimates that up to 1.3 billion learners globally are out of school and experts are warning that many may never return as their countries’ economies contract.

The two leaders will also announce plans to co-host a major education summit in the UK mid next year to rally support for this cause.

Prime Minister Johnson and President Kenyatta will urge world leaders to support their efforts to get more children to school by investing in an initiative dubbed the Global Partnership for Education.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, about a quarter of a billion children were out of school. That number increased six-fold by April of this year because of school closures meant to help slow down the spread of the virus.

The school closures have left children mostly in poor regions even more vulnerable. Girls are more likely to fall victim to female genital mutilation, early marriage, or teen pregnancy, and boys living in conflict zones are at a greater risk of being recruited into armed groups.