Out of wedlock, into school: combating child marriage through education
By the end of today another 25,000 young children will have been robbed of their childhoods, cheated of their right to an education, exposed to life-threatening health risks, and set on a road leading to a life of servitude and poverty. Almost all of the children in question will be young girls, many of them barely into their teenage years. Their plight is the result of widespread and systematic human rights violations. Yet the source of the injustice they suffer is hidden in
the shadows of debates on international development. These 25,000 children are the world’s child brides.
In his new report on global education, Gordon Brown highlights the plight of the millions of girls who, each year, are forced into early marriage, destroying their potential and reinforcing gender inequalities on a global scale. Early marriage jeopardizes education, is harmful to health and turns millions of girls into second-class citizens, locking them and their children into cycles of poverty. Getting girls into school, keeping them there, and ensuring that they receive a decent quality education is one of the most effective ways of breaking that cycle.
You can view the full report here (pdf).
You can download the zip file here
Delivering on the promise, building opportunity
In the second of his reports on global education, Gordon Brown calls for the 'silent emergency' in education to be addressed through the establishment of an ambitious and effective Global Fund for Education. Despite the known impact that it can have on pulling individuals, families and nations out of poverty, education remains low on the international agenda, making the promise made to millions of the world's children increasingly likely to be broken. Built on four firm foundations of sufficient resources, operational independence, the engagement of the private sector and incentivised, accelerated progress towards 2015, a Global Fund for Education could bring about an end to the education crisis. The report also identifies an interest from emerging economies to become new donors, as well as the potential for the private sector to strengthen its commitment to education through pooled funds and advocacy.
You can view the full report here (pdf)
To download the zip file click here
High Level Panel Update
The Global Campaign for Education's High Level Panel moves to a new stage of its work in the next few months. Following the publication of the report on the urgency of meeting the Millennium Development Goals, and the launch in South Africa with Graca Machel and Gordon Brown, the panel held its first virtual conference, with members joining from London, New Delhi, Johannesburg, Washington DC, Rotterdam and elsewhere. A major policy priority discussed in the meeting was the formation of a Global Fund for Education, to evolve out of the highly successful Fast Track Initiative. Major public campaigning ideas and plans were also discussed. At the same time the panel is seeking to put education on to the agenda of the G20 in France and then the G20 in Mexico in June 2012.
The next stage will be developing countries updating their national plans for education, identify the barriers to achieving universal schooling by 2015 and work with us to ensure that these obstacles can be overcome. 70 million children remain outside school, and the rate of improvement has slowed to the point where it could take 100 years to reach the MDG. In the coming year the panel is determined to remove the barriers to the achievement of the goal and make real progress towards it.
High Level Panel members interviewed by iSchoolAfrica Youth Press Team
Brown launches new report on education
A new report by the former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been released ahead of the G8 meeting. Entitled “Education For All; Beating Poverty, Unlocking Prosperity” it calls on world leaders to tackle the education emergency in the world’s poorest countries that denies millions their right to education. He warns that failure to act will increase inequality, weaken economic growth and slow progress towards reducing poverty.
Please click here to read a copy of the report. The report will be presented to political leaders at the G8 summit in France next week. It argues that while the G8 and G20 leaders understand the value of education, there needs to be engagement in education in a more credible and long term way. To address this, the report calls for the creation of an expanded and reformed Fast Track Initiative (FTI) to back the efforts of national governments in Africa and other regions and achieve Education for All.
The report has been launched today in South Africa with Graca Machel where they will also announce plans for the new High Level Panel for Education.
Click here to download the report
If you want to get involved in the campaign please click here
High Level Panel on Education announced
Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister, and Graça Machel, international advocate for children’s rights, have announced the formation of a global high-level panel on education at an event held at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg. Gordon Brown and Graça Machel are the panel’s co-convenors and will work with the Global Campaign for Education and a group of influential, international figures to boost efforts to achieve Education for All.
The members of the panel to date are:
Panel Convenors
The Right Honourable Gordon Brown MP
Graça Machel, International Advocate for Women's and Children's Rights
Panel Members
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan
Kofi Annan, Seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations
Professor Jan-Peter Balkenende, former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Professor, Erasmus University and Partner, Ernst and Young
Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway
Kevin Cahill, Chief Executive, Comic Relief
Angélique Kidjo, Recording Artist and Advocate
The Right Honourable Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Canada
Belinda Stronach, Business and Public Leader
Kevin Wall, Founder of Live Earth, Founder and CEO of Control Room
More members will be confirmed ahead of its first meeting in July 2011.
The panel was initiated by the Global Campaign for Education to bring education to the fore of the global political agenda. Its members will work independently and together to lobby world leaders and international forums on the current state of emergency under which global education is suffering. With forecasts clearly indicating that the 2015 target to achieve universal basic education will go unmet – condemning generations to a lifetime of poverty – there has never been a more urgent need for the additional support that the members of the panel will bring to this cause, as well as to the work of thousands of campaigners all around the world.
The panel will also work to develop innovative approaches to both campaign and the resolution of the global education crisis.
The panel announcement was made in tandem with the launch of Panel Co-convenor Gordon Brown’s new report, ‘Education for All: beating poverty, unlocking prosperity’. This is the first in a two-part report which identifies the positive impact of universal education on promoting growth in developing countries. It will be presented to the members of the Group of 8 (G8) countries in advance of their meeting in Deauville, France later in 2011.