The Foreign Affairs Committee’s Sub-Committee on the Overseas
Territories today issues a call for written evidence
on how the UK Government supports the education of students from
the Overseas Territories both in the UK and in their respective
territories.
The provision of education is devolved to local Overseas
Territory governments. However, the UK Government has a
responsibility under Article 73 of the United Nations Charter to
promote their political, economic, social, and educational
advancement.
There currently three Overseas Territories that do not have
access to higher education facilities in territory: The Falkland
Islands; Pitcairn; and St Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da
Cunha.
The 2012 Government White Paper named education as a “priority”
for aid assistance, including teacher training, UK-Territory
partnerships, and related infrastructure improvements, such as
schools and internet access.
This call for evidence focuses on the support students and
institutions get from the UK Government and asks what areas there
are for improvement to their approach, particularly in relation
to higher education provision.
The deadline for submitting written evidence is 25 March 2024,
after which the Sub-Committee intends to hold a public evidence
session.
The Sub-Committee welcomes written evidence addressing
the following:
- In what ways is the UK Government supporting the education of
students from the Overseas Territories?
- Is the Government reaching its aspiration to prioritise aid
assistance for education to Official Development Assistance (ODA)
eligible territories?
- What challenges do Overseas Territories students looking to
study in the UK face, and what can the UK Government do to
help?
- To what extent are the various responsible Government
departments working together in achieving their goals regarding
education and the Overseas Territories?
- To what extent have they been responsive to requests and
concerns raised by the Overseas Territories and their
students?
