Halfway there? Global Campaign for Education Week of Action

Rachel Carpenter urges us to pressure our leaders to honour their promise to make education available for all.

''I see education as a basic human right. It empowers people with dignity and freedom, and helps them to build their own way out of poverty.'' ''A 15-year long goal can easily fade into “ideals” that are never reached. We need to constantly remind our leaders of the promises they made in the year 2000'' ''Take this chance at the halfway point to remind our leaders of their promises, so that we might really see universal primary education by 2015.''

It’s normally halfway through an exam when I start to panic. I realise that yet again my timing has gone out of the window, and I’m left with half the time to frantically scribble answers for three quarters of the questions.

Similarly, 2007 is pretty much halfway through the planned timescale for the Millennium Development Goals (a set of targets signed by countries in the UN to help reduce poverty). And the progress figures for the education goal make it clear that a sudden frantic dash of activity will be needed if the target of universal primary education is to be met by 2015.

I see education as a basic human right. It empowers people with dignity and freedom, and helps them to build their own way out of poverty. An educated woman has more bargaining power within her family and is more likely to persuade her husband/mother/mother-in-law to give her permission and the necessary money to take a sick baby to a health clinic. Education also reduces illness as people learn basic hygiene, prevention against diseases such as AIDS, and how to cope with problems during childbirth. This not only reduces the mortality rate, but the economy will strengthen with less people taking time off work due to personal sickness or taking care of sick children.

The Global Campaign for Education’s Week of Action (23 - 29 April) is important because a 15-year long goal can easily fade into “ideals” that are never reached. We need to constantly remind our leaders of the promises they made in the year 2000 and guarantee that money continues to be invested to train teachers, ensuring female and disabled children are not forgotten.

Progress has definitely been made since the Millennium; a higher percentage of children go to school now than they did 7 years ago, but things need to speed up dramatically if they have any chance of reaching the 2015 targets.

This year the theme for the Week of Action is “Chains”, representing people standing in solidarity and reminding campaigners of the importance of each individual link.
During the week, long human chains of people holding hands will be formed across the world. You can get involved in the online human chain here.

For those who prefer more traditional methods, how about making your own paper chains/ paper people holding hands or even taking photos of you and your friends making human chains, and send them to Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany and current president of the EU and the G8.

Take this chance at the halfway point to remind our leaders of their promises, so that we might really see universal primary education by 2015.