21 January 2008
Gordon Brown has announced an aid package of £825 million to fund development programmes in India with a focus on health and education.
Speaking ahead of talks with his Indian counterpart, Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister said he wanted every child to be given the"basic right to education". Around £500 million of the package will go towards health and education projects such as tackling HIV/AIDS and buidling schools, while the rest will be used on projects such as microfinance and slum development.
The funding will pay for 300,000 more teachers and 300,000 classrooms, placing four million more children in school by 2011.
Mr Brown said:
"I am inspired to see how many girls have benefited from literacy, how many girls who lost out at an early stage are now going back to school and getting training and getting jobs in India.
"But we must give every young child the basic right to education and that is what the £825 million programme is designed to achieve."
Last week the PM said that the British Council will also start a programme in India to recruit "Master Trainers" charged with developing the skills of 750,000 teachers of English over a five-year period.
Image copyright Reuters
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