This week and up to 29 April millions of children around the world will be joining together in activities as part of Global Education Action Week.
The Global Campaign for Education initiated the idea five years ago to raise awareness about the importance of providing every child with a proper education.
Throughout the week, children will participate in events aimed to remind local and national leaders that they need to place literacy and education at the top of their political agendas.
This year, many children made human and paper chains to signify the right to education that every child has, no matter where they live. They are encouraged to send their paper chains to world leaders attending the G8 conference this June, and schools across the globe have been doing so, as well as raising awareness in other creative ways.
The Global Campaign for Education also invites people to show their support by signing up to an online chain on its Join up! website, which currently has over 40,000 participants.
And we at newstatesman.com would like to invite children, teachers, parents and education supporters all over the world to share their experiences during this week’s activities by submitting them in writing and pictures to our website at online@newstatesman.co.uk.
Manor Park Public School, Ottawa, Canada
About 600 children in grades one through six at Manor Park Public School launched Global Education Action Week on April 17 by opening the huge paper chain each had contributed to in the gymnasium. Then Irene Adanusa, President of Education International Africa Region and General Secretary of the Ghanaian Teachers’ Association, spoke about what education was like in Ghana, and Member of Parliament for Vanier, Hon. Mauril Bélange, offered his help to any of them who were willing to work on providing education to a particular worldwide community.
The children commented on their experiences.
“Education is very important for the world. Everyone, adults, teenagers, children should have and education. Throughout the world, right now, children are the most important people to have education. Many children don’t have the opportunity to be what they want to be or to do what they want to do because of a lack of education.
The week of April 23, 2007 is Global Action Week. Throughout this week people around the world joined in this campaign to raise awareness to help the children who have no education. Kids around the world made people or paper chains to show how important education is. This campaign helped a lot! But still, to give education for all by 2015 we still need 18 million more teachers. Over 80 million kids still don’t have an education.
To me, it’s very important for children to have an education. I want their dreams to come true. I want them to have a future! I hope the people from richer countries feel the same way and do something about it. Families in poor countries need the money to survive. If their children have an education they might become teachers and help their families. It’s important for everyone to have an education!”
-Laily Popal
“Why is education important? Why can’t people just “live” without it? Because without an education, you never know what the future holds for you. Drugs, alcohol, things that sometimes lead to even…DEATH! A lot of people have made promises,but why haven’t these promises been made? Doesn’t everyone deserve an education? Some children must work hard to support their families when they should be in school learning. but why are these things happening? Over 18 million teachers are needed so that EVERY SINGLE child gets an education. but we cannot do it alone. You must help. So go ahead, and save a life.”
-Matouga Mohamed
“Education is important for all children because there are over 1 million children that have dreams of becoming doctors, dentists, firemen, policemen and lots of other lifesaving professions. These children can make a difference in the
future.
All children have a right to get educated. One day you will realize that you made the right choice and maybe they might help you!
Help the uneducated!”
-Ibrahim Matar
“Why is education important for all the children in the world to have? Well,
education is one of the most important things to have in the world. If you
don’t have an education, it will be even harder to be what you want to be,
and do what you want to do. My school, Manor Park, had an assembly about
global education. We invited some people to come and talk to us about global
education. Amazingly, we had a lady come all the way from Ghana to talk
about it! For example, she stated how Africa does not have enough qualified
teachers for all the children, as well as the fact that they don’t have
enough schools. If everyone in the world could hear something like this, it
would have a huge impact on the understanding of the importance of global
education.”
-Simon Mertick
Ysgol Emmanuel, Rhyl, Wales,
On April 20, the 471 students and staff at Ysgol Emmanuel in Wales came together to show off the paper chain they had been making to local MP, Chris Ruane. The children will be sending the chain, which includes contributions from children ages four to 11, to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in preparation for the G8 meeting in June.
Some of the children shared their thoughts on the fight for global education.
“It is really good to help others.”
-Reilly, age 9
“I didn’t know there were so many children not in school, that is amazing!”
-Kelsi, age 8
“Its not fair for them. We do loads of fun things at school!”
-Cameron, age 9
“My mum says I should never break a promise so I don’t think they should!”
-Jared, age 11
Taipei, Taiwan
“The National Teacher’s Assocaiton planned the ‘Official Back to School Day’ on April 23 inviting administration representatives and legislators to schools and joining hands with the children in support of the campaign. There students asked officials to sign-up to the campaign, thereby undertaking to urge the Government to keep its promise of promoting quality education for all both in Taiwan and around the world. Through the campaign, children learned not only to cherish the education resources in Taiwan, also to take social responsibility to fight for everyone’s education rights.”
-Liao Wan-Ju, Associate Director of Dipl. Dep., NTA, Taiwan
Spain
More than 70 cities in Spain have been united in Global Education activities. Tens of thousands of students, professors, parents and mothers are making human chains. Not only the students are participating in the mobilizations. Politicians are, as well, and among them is Leyre Pajín, State Secretary of Development. He participated in the chain in Madrid and is committed to continue working so that the Education is a right for all the children of the planet.
Music, the dances and the games have brightened up the central acts, turning them an authentic celebration.
Human chains have been created in many of Spain’s large cities. In Barcelona one was created in Sagrada Family Square, in Seville, a chain was created in front of the cathedral and ,in Madrid, it took place in the Plaza Mayor. In Aragón, the Plaza del Pillar was united forming a chain.
In the Canary Islands, radio ECCA emits weekly programs, in collaboration with the UNESCO, in which the institutional children and representatives look for solutions to facilitate the right to the Education of All.
In Cantabria the mobilization will be massive in the main localities of the region. In the Basque Country all the mayors and delegates of education participate. In Navarra, they will mobilize themselves on the most centric streets. And, in La Rioja, children of two and three years will mobilize until they have gone to the patios of the schools.
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