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	Bangladeshi children form a human chain around the statehouse in Dhaka during Action Week 2004.
	Action - Support Teachers TEACHERS ARE WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD Zambia is struggling to reduce poverty and improve social welfare for its citizens. One of its few success stories has been in education. The government has made good progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals - more schools have been built, and school enrolments are rising. Yet current IMF policies in Zambia have left children without the teachers they desperately need. The Education Millennium Development Goals, agreed by United Nations member states in 2000, aim to: End gender disparity in education by 2005 Ensure all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling by 2015. 104 million children are currently denied their right to an education. 57% of them are girls. In 2003, the IMF suspended its loans to Zambia after a budget overspend, and insisted on a wage and hiring freeze to reduce budget deficits. This has had a catastrophic impact on the education system. For most of 2004, no new teachers could be taken on, and the average class size has risen to 70. In the meantime, at least 8000 trained teachers have left college, but were prevented from taking up their teaching positions. Embarrassingly the Netherlands government recently had to step in with a short-term rescue package to enable some of these teachers to be taken on. But this is not a sustainable solution. The loan suspension has had further devastating effects, as donor programmes have been suspended, and debt relief delayed. Zambia is set to spend $376 million in 2004 on servicing its debt - $156 million more than its spending on education. Money freed up through debt cancellation could be used to fund the expansion of education and to employ more teachers, since it provides long-term and predictable funding for public sector spending. Meanwhile, the IMF is sitting on a huge gold reserve, which is undervalued to the tune of $30 billion. Revaluing or selling this gold, would enable the IMF to cancel the unpayable debts of the world's poorest countries in full. Even UK Chancellor and IMF Committee Chair Gordon Brown supports this move. "We propose to the international community that we consider anew all options to finance further debt relief for the poorest countries, including making better use of IMF gold" Gordon Brown, 13 July 2004. G7 finance ministers, who bankroll the IMF, should also be held to account for their promises to finance the Millennium Development Goals. Their support for IMF gold revaluation is crucial. IMF Managing Director Rodrigo Rato recently stated that there is: "...a need to ensure adequate financing of development in Africa, notably in the context of efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, but also in connection with the fight against HIV/AIDS and malaria, the Education for All initiative..." Rodrigo Rato, 6 August 2004. If Mr Rato and the G7 finance ministers believe in the Millennium Development Goals and Education For All, now is the time to act. Please speak out against the IMF's policies in countries like Zambia. Urge Mr Rato and his G7 backers to revalue the IMF gold in order to finance the debt cancellation that is urgently needed to provide a quality education for all children. Click here to send an emailto Mr Rato, and to the G7 finance ministers Read the full policy briefing: Undervaluing Teachers. IN THIS SECTION Support Teachers Online Action 2005 Action Week About the Send my Friend Action Planning Timetable Download Planning Pack Register & order materials online Leaflets & Posters Debt, aid and trade Country Info
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