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.
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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.
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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
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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%.
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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.
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