Nigeria eyes GPE’s $250 million Coronavirus support fund

Nigeria and other 38 African countries are set to secure the $250 million funding provided by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

The purpose of the fund is to help developing countries deal with the disruption the Coronavirus pandemic has brought to their education sectors.

According to the GPE Board Chair, Julia Gillard, the funds would help up to 355 million children across countries to sustain learning during this pandemic period. Gillard also stated that the focus of the organization is on ensuring that girls and poor children, who will be the worst-hit by school closures, can continue their education.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is creating an education emergency that could have devastating impacts 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,” Gillard said.

Also commenting on the funds was the GPE Board Vice-Chair, Serigne Mbaye Thiam, who said:

“GPE has acted swiftly in the face of an unprecedented challenge, These funds will ensure that developing countries, like Senegal, are able to act quickly to mitigate the detrimental impact COVID-19 will have on the most vulnerable children and maintain the resilience of education systems.

The Global Partnership for Education basically supports developing countries in ensuring children have access to basic quality education by prioritizing the poorest, the most vulnerable, and those living in countries affected by fragility or conflict.