Global Action Week on Education
18 April 2008 (Updated 28 April)
Image courtesy of Giacomo Pirozzi/Panos Pictures
The week of 21-27 April was the Global Week of Action on education. Around the
world, the
Global Campaign for Education
highlighted the importance not just
of education for all, but of quality education for all.
On Wednesday 23, the
World's Biggest Lesson
took place. This saw
7.5 million schoolchildren, teachers and politicians in over 100 countries join up to learn together. Secretary of State
for International Development Douglas Alexander took part from an
African-style classroom in London. Thousands of UK pupils also joined in,
with many local MPs going back to school to support this world record-breaking
event. Read about how the lesson went and
see photos from the day
The World's Biggest Lesson also marked the launch of
Send My Friend '08.
Pupils invited their MPs to complete a "Missing Out" action card with a
pledge to get all children in school by 2015. The cards they receive will be
passed on to the Prime Minister just before he sets off for June's G8 meeting in
Japan.
Education: Essential to beating poverty
Now is a crucial time for progress on education in the developing world. In 2008, we are at the half-way point to 2015, the target year for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The MDG on education is for all boys and girls to complete a full course of primary schooling. However, worldwide, there are still 72 million children of primary school age out of school, and some 41 million of these are girls.
If poverty is to be beaten, it is essential that everyone receives the education that is their human right. The world's poorest people must have the opportunity to go to school and acquire the skills that will allow them to make better lives for themselves. A skilled workforce is vital for increasing economic growth and building prosperity in poor countries.
DFID: Committed to getting all kids into school
Image courtesy of Ash Sweeting/Panos Pictures
DFID is committed to seeing that all children - both girls and boys - get a
decent education. This means improving access to schools, and improving the
quality of the education that children receive once they are in school. Properly
trained teachers, adequate learning materials, reasonably sized classes, and
decent facilities, including water and sanitation, are all integral to a quality
education.
The UK has committed £8.5 billion over a ten-year period (up to 2015/16) to help achieve these aims, with spending set to rise to £1 billion a year by 2010.
DFID is also the second largest donor to the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (FTI), contributing £150 million to accelerate progress towards the education MDG. And a £20 million grant to UNICEF will help children in countries that have experienced conflict.
Making a difference
Working with the governments of developing countries, as well as with civil society organisations and UN agencies, DFID funds a wide variety of education-sector projects. These deal with priorities such as getting more girls into school, training more teachers, renovating school buildings, providing better lessons, and educating children about HIV/AIDS.
Read our case studies to find out how DFID has helped to bring about some real changes:
- Secondary schools open their doors in Tanzania - Kiromo Secondary School has a just-moved-in feel. Though building work is not yet finished, head teacher Evance Haule is full of hope about the future. Tanzania's Government, supported by DFID, is spending more money on schools like Kiromo as it attempts to meet the huge demand for secondary education ... More
- More toilets, more girls in school in Malawi - M’buka Primary was bursting at the seams after school fees were abolished. Many more kids were getting an education, but facilities were badly over-stretched. Shockingly, the school had no toilets for its 3,000 pupils. A DFID/UNICEF project came up with a practical solution ... More
- The Faisalabad experiment: Putting children at the centre of education - In Pakistan, to be a child of school age is no guarantee of a place in school. And having a place in school is itself no guarantee of a quality education. Which is why, in Faisalabad, DFID is funding an innovative experiment in schooling ... More
Impacts on education
Image courtesy of David Rose/Panos Pictures
DFID's commitment to education is improving children's life chances around
the developing world. In Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya, more than 1 million
children are enrolling in primary school after DFID helped to fund the abolition
of fees.
In Bangladesh, DFID is contributing £100 million to the national education programme, and more girls than ever before now have access to schooling. DFID's £70 million funding to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund has helped to get some 6 million children - one-third of them girls - back into class.
In response to a UK initiative, 21 African countries have made significant progress in developing education sector plans. And, in 25 focal DFID countries, the numbers of children in primary education are increasing - with five countries recording enrolment rates over 90%.
A time for action
Between 1999 and 2005, the global enrolment rates for primary education increased from 83% to 87% - reducing the number of children out of education by 24 million. Progress is being made - but, as the Global Action Week made clear, more progress on education is needed now.
The goal of offering all children an education is achievable, but it is time to accelerate the pace of action. Unless a quality education is available to all children, male and female, world poverty will not be beaten.
Links
- How we fight poverty: Education
- Millennium Development Goal 2: Education
- $1 billion kick start to get African children into education - 28 March 2008
- UK to provide £150 million for education in India - 4 March 2008
- World view: Children's lives in 2008 - 31 January 2008
- It’s time to talk - Scottish and African children link up by live video - 10 December 2007
