GPE Provides $250 million Education Fund for Children in Developing Countries Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) has provided a $250 million education fund for children living in developing countries. The fund will be used to sustain learning for up to 355 million children amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

GPE works closely with 70 partners across developing countries to develop and implement quality education strategies. It has mobilized more than $7 billion for educational intervention initiatives within several communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic is creating a global educational emergency that could impact negatively on children in developing countries. “Unless we act now to support education systems, millions of vulnerable children, especially the poorest girls, may not be able to resume learning when this crisis is over,” said Julia Gillard, GPE Board Chairman.

There are at least 630 million children out of schools within the developing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Many schools have been directed to shut down in some countries as a result of the global pandemic.

This has affected over 350 million children and could expose the vulnerable ones to sexual exploitation and child abuse. Teachers may also be forced to find other sources of income after the health crisis has been tackled.

GPE will make the funds available to support country-driven responses to bridge the learning gap. The Ministries of education in about 67 countries and local educational partners are required to ensure that learning continues, particularly for the most vulnerable children. The funds should be used to support teaches and to produce educational content for distribution via radio and television programs.