Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Promises To Children Should Never Be Broken.: Making Education For All A Reality
Promises To Children Should Never Be Broken.: Making Education For All A Reality
Promises to children
should never be broken.
NELSON MANDELA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA
Making Education For All a Reality
PROMISES TO KEEP
Ten years ago, in the warm breeze of an African Spring, world leaders gathered to
discuss Education For All in Dakar, Senegal. A stark UN assessment revealed a brewing
crisis in education provision, with more children out of school at the end of the 90s than
at the start. In response, UN agencies and campaigners joined together to strike a new
deal that went well beyond the warm words of the past. They pledged that all children
should have a good quality education, that girls would have the same chance as boys
and that the number of adults unable to read or write would be halved. Crucially, the rich
and poor world entered into a pact – a global contract – with shared responsibilities on
both sides, to guarantee that good policies for education would be funded
“We affirm that no country seriously committed to education for all will
be thwarted in their achievement of this goal by a lack of resources.”
EDUCATION FOR ALL: MEETING OUR COLLECTIVE COMMITMENTS, DAKAR FRAMEWORK FOR
ACTION, WORLD EDUCATION FORUM, APRIL 2000
Later that same year, both the G8 and the UN Millennium Summit adopted the same
goals. At every major development event since then, the centrality of education in ending
poverty and achieving other development goals has been strongly affirmed, and repeated
commitments have been made to ensuring universal primary education and gender
equality.
One decade after it was first made, the promise from world leaders to give every boy and
girl the best chance to realise their potential through the power of education has never
been more relevant. Yet it remains an unfulfilled promise. 72 million children, the majority
of them girls, do not go to primary school. This is more than all the children in school
in Europe and North America. Over half the out-of-school children are in Africa. 759
million adults, the majority of them women, cannot read or write. The UN estimates that
business as usual would leave 56 million children still waiting at the school gates by the
end of 2010.
This situation is due, in large part, to the fact that the rich countries have not kept their
side of the bargain. Developing countries, especially across Africa, have fought hard to
make education free and increase domestic spending. Although many need to go further
and faster, their effort has played the largest part in making progress over recent years.
In contrast, few donors have increased aid to basic education to levels needed to make a
breakthrough. Scandalously, most of the world’s richest nations – the G8 – have failed to
pay their fair share of the funding needed.
1GOAL seeks to put right this wrong. Backed by FIFA and the football world, 1GOAL
will ensure that the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa leaves the legacy of Education
For All. In a stunning campaign around the tournament, 1GOAL will bring footballers,
supporters, and campaigners together to call for world leaders to fulfill the promise that
every child will have the chance to live in the light and hope that education brings. Never
before has a sporting event tried to deliver a legacy of social change. 1GOAL’s campaign
with the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa is a unique opportunity to ensure the spirit
of sporting endeavor is harnessed to achieve real and lasting benefits for the world.
2.
Making Education For All a Reality
LANDS
RUUD GULLIT, NETHER US H
JESS
ICA A
PET ER BA LKE NENDE, ONO LBA,
AND JAN R
IRA HERLANDS 1GOA ARY CO-
SHAK PRIME MINISTER, NET L WIT CH
H BO AIR,
NO
Since its launch 1GOAL has also galvanized the support of the global football
community, signing top clubs Manchester United, Barcelona, Inter Milan and over
150 world class footballers including; Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Michael Ballack
(Germany), Rio Ferdinand (England), Aaron Mokoena (South Africa) and Ji-Sung Park
(South Korea) as well as football legends such as Zinedine Zidane (former France
international), Paolo Maldini (former Italy international), Ruud Gullit (former Holland
international) and Pele (former Brazil international).
Alongside the football community, 1GOAL is delighted to have the support of major
international charities including Save the Children, ActionAid, ONE, Comic Relief, Sight
Savers and, through the Global Campaign for Education, Oxfam, Care, Plan, and global
teachers’ federation Education International. Among our key private sector partners are
GSMA, EA Sports, MTN, AT&T, Cisco and Intel.
International celebrity supporters include actors Jessica Alba, Will Ferrell, Matt Damon,
Clive Owen, Salma Hayek, Kevin Spacey and Gerard Butler as well as global stars and
humanitarian figures Bono and Shakira. All of 1GOAL’s supporters are committed to
making Education For All the lasting legacy of the first ever FIFA World Cup to be held
3. in Africa.
Making Education For All a Reality
A BREAKTHROUGH IN 2010
2010 is a pivotal year for education. The world is currently off track to meet the Education
For All goals by 2015, and renewed commitment from all governments is desperately
needed.
Rich and poor countries alike must agree to redouble their efforts to end the education
crisis. They have the power to set the world on track to achieve sustainable economic
growth and strong equitable development. An educated world would be a happier,
healthier, more peaceful and more prosperous one.
4.
Making Education For All a Reality
7. Help girls and others left behind, such as children from marginalised and
poor communities, children with disabilities and others
• Experience from countries like Brazil, Mexico and Bangladesh shows that it
is possible to see big increases in enrolment and attendance at school with
targeted interventions to help overcome the barriers created by poverty.
• Conditional cash transfers, school feeding programmes, uniform grants and
stipends for girls are all proven strategies for success.
• The strong positive benefits of getting girls into school far outweigh the small
costs involved.
• Specific measures may be needed to include children affected by disabilities,
HIV and AIDS and those living in hard-to-reach communities.
All countries in the world should reach minimum standards to guarantee education to
their citizens. While some richer countries have achieved mass education, all should
ensure that their efforts are consistent and that legally binding commitments are made
to continue them.
5.
Making Education For All a Reality
• At the South Africa Education Summit, Heads of State sign a joint declaration
which renews their shared commitment to achieving Education For All,
with specific pledges to upscale aid, increase domestic support and
implement a global plan to accelerate progress.
• At the G8 and G20, world leaders agree a new accountability framework
for their promises on education.
• At the UN MDG Review Summit: Heads of State set out their plans to deliver
on the Pretoria Declaration in their addresses to the General Assembly.
• At the South Korea G20, world leaders place education at the heart of their
Seoul Framework for Strong, Stable and Balanced Growth.
6.
Making Education For All a Reality
A life without education is a life half-lived. When people cannot read or write, when
they do not have the skills and abilities that a good quality education offers, they are
condemned to a life of poverty, ill-health and social deprivation. This disadvantage gets
handed down through generations. The children of illiterate parents are more vulnerable
to a range of serious threats and problems that can blight their lives forever. And it is not
only individuals who suffer - nations as a whole are affected: lack of quality education
holds back economic growth and hampers democratic participation. Indeed the impacts
are even felt beyond borders. Research shows that education deprivation contributes to
conflict and population growth - and thus to environmental pressure and climate change
- issues of pressing concern to the global community.
Mahder
TEN TIRED. MY LITTLE BR
WHO’S 6, IS VERY SICK. I OT HER NATHANIEL,
HELP MUM LOOK AFTE
UPSET WHEN WE CLEAN R HI M. IT MAKES ME
HIS SORES BECAUSE HE’S
ILL TO GO TO SCHOOL, SO IN PAIN. HE’S TOO
I’M TEACHING HIM TO
MAKES ME ANGRY THAT RE AD AND WRITE. IT
NOT ALL CHILDREN IN ET
GET THE CHANCE TO GO HIOPIA
TO SCHOOL.
The other side of the story is that children who do go to school and learn are
healthier, better-nourished, and live longer and more prosperous lives than those
who are excluded. When children attend school they become aware of their own
potential in the world, and are equipped with the life skills necessary to make informed
choices and live well in society. Education also promotes tolerance and understanding
between people – both individually and on a national level. Ultimately this leads to greater
political participation, stability and transparency, strengthened democratic systems and
a reduction in corruption.
7.
Making Education For All a Reality
Perhaps most striking of all in the current global context is the evidence that failure to
achieve universal education holds back economic growth. As the world struggles to
recover from the recent financial crisis, it has become more vital than ever to ensure that
education is a top political priority, especially in developing countries.
Getting all children into school has a direct positive impact on economic growth. Once
children are in school, ensuring that the education they receive is good quality multiplies
the impact because it provides them with the skills, knowledge and abilities needed to
thrive in the world. A recently completed study from 50 countries established that every
extra year of schooling can increase average annual GDP growth by 0.37%. Where the
education is good quality, the improvement of cognitive skills increases the impact to
1%. Another survey of 120 countries from between 1970 and 2000 provides compelling
evidence that education consistently and significantly affects economic development and
is a necessary precondition for long-term economic growth. Put simply, the better the
quality of education, the bigger the impact on growth.
Good quality education also provides people with the knowledge and skills that they
need in order to pursue their livelihoods more effectively. Completing just four years
of basic education makes a farmer an average of 8.7% more productive. Having been
to school also means that farmers can adapt more quickly to new techniques and
technologies, including those needed to adapt to climate change.
8.
Making Education For All a Reality
NZANIA.
I AM SOFIA FROM TA
MY FAMILY.
13 YE AR S OL D AN D ONE OF SEVEN IN
I AM AND BE
RE AL LY LIK E TO GO TO SCHOOL ONE DAY
I WOULD UNIFORMS.
LS IN THEIR SCHOOL
LIKE THE OTHER GIR HELP MY
TO SC HO OL , ON E DA Y I WILL BE ABLE TO
I KNOW IF I GO SPEND
A GO OD JO B TH AT PAYS WELL. I USED TO
FAMILY AS I WILL GET GO ATS FOR MY FATHER
BUT MOST
G CA TT LE AN D
MY DAYS HERD IN THER IS
E OF TH E DR OU GH T. RIGHT NOW MY FA
US
OF THEM DIED BECA N HIM TO A DISTANT HO
SPITAL FOR
TH EY HA VE TA KE THESE
VERY SICK AND DO SO M ET HING TO HELP HIM.
I CO UL D
TREATMENT - I WISH T AS WELL AS
M Y M OT HE R SE LL ING FRUITS AT MARKE K, I
DAYS, I HELP D, WH EN MY MOTHER GETS SIC
HO M E. AN
DOING MY CHORES AT E AS WE NEED THAT
MONEY TO
Sofia TH E M AR KE T AL ON
HAVE TO GO TO R NECESSITIES.
BUY FOOD AND OTHE
9.
Making Education For All a Reality
10.
Making Education For All a Reality
Yet, while the majority of developing countries have made admirable efforts to increase
spending on education since 2000, the trend is by no means universal. Around 40
countries have seen a decline in the share of national income dedicated to education
since 2000. The 2009 Education For All Global Monitoring Report noted that this includes
several countries with large numbers of children out of school, including Democratic
Republic of Congo, Eritrea and India, and that there has been little change in
Pakistan and Bangladesh. In general, South and West Asia devotes a smaller share of
government resources to education than countries in the Arab States and sub-Saharan
Africa. More consistent effort from developing countries will be needed in the period up
to and beyond 2015. This is especially true in light of the recent financial crisis, which is
expected to have a highly damaging impact.
11.
Making Education For All a Reality
Moreover, all too often, the focus and quality of aid to basic education is weak. Donors
often prefer to spend their aid according to their strategic political priorities, with the
result that middle-income countries get a disproportionately large share of the scant
aid ‘pie’. Fragile states have been particularly disadvantaged, with studies showing that
conflict-affected and fragile states receive just over a quarter of basic education aid,
despite being home to more than half of the world’s out-of-school children. And far too
little education aid is available to be spent on teacher salaries, which for most developing
countries is the biggest cost on their books. The Global Campaign for Education
estimates that less than 25% of aid to basic education can be spent on this vital element
of education provision.
This miserliness has left poor countries, many of which have made considerable strides
forward themselves, without the funds they so desperately need to extend the chance
for education to all. Millions of children will miss out on education because of their
broken promises.
12.
Making Education For All a Reality
Mid-table
Australia, Spain, France and Canada have made notable efforts in recent years,
but still need to do more to deliver on their pledges to ensure a breakthrough in
education in 2010.
2010 sees a unique opportunity to put Education For All back at the top of the political
agenda and secure for a breakthrough in funding and policy during this critical year. As
campaigners join forces with the world of football during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, we
will demonstrate massive public support for global action on education. We can, and we
must, make sure that no future generation grows up without the opportunity to contribute
to their country’s development and transform their lives forever. Join 1GOAL and make
sure that the 2010 FIFA World Cup turns today’s children into tomorrow’s champions.
13.
To read a fully referenced version of this manifesto
please visit: www.join1goal.org