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| Gordon Brown in Maputo/David Fish/ActionAid | Nelson Mandela greets GCE campaigners/David Fish/ActionAid | Paul Weinberg / Oxfam / South Africa |
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Past Issues - July 2006 Note: Most hyperlinks will open in a new window. Please close the new window in order to be automatically returned to the GCE site. GCE URGES WOLFOWITZ TO DISCUSS EDUCATION AT THE WORLD BANK / IMF ANNUAL MEETINGS Download GCE's letter to President of the World Bank 23 July 2006 G8 SUMMIT ISSUES WARM WORDS BUT NO PROSPECT OF CASH FOR EDUCATION FOR ALL At last weekend’s G8 meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, leaders came with their notebooks, not their chequebooks, offering little in the way of concrete assistance to deliver on promises made last year. Education campaigners were particularly disappointed, as hopes were running high of a breakthrough on education for the poorest following a small but significant pledge to the Education For All Fast Track Initiative by Summit hosts Russia earlier in the year. This was followed in April by the announcement of a massive increase in aid to education by the UK in the period up to 2015 which clearly commits them to deliver their part of the promise to enable all children to complete ‘free and compulsory education of good quality by 2015’ made at last year’s G8. However, despite education featuring strongly on the agenda for this year’s G8, rich nations steered well clear of any commitments to earmark aid increases for specific sectors. Kailash Satyarthi, President of GCE, called on leaders to do more as the deadline for getting all children into school approaches: ‘All children must be able to start school by 2009 at the latest if even the single target of universal primary completion by 2015. The sand is running through the hourglass but G8 leaders are looking the other way. A massive effort is needed right now if we are to avoid condemning another generation to a life of poverty and ignorance.’ Lobbyists found some comfort in the progressive wording of the leaders’ statement on education which firmly embraces the entire Education For All agenda and makes mention of the missed target on gender equality in education for 2005. They noted that the document recognises the interdependence of the EFA goals and the need to look beyond the education sector to tackle the obstacles to all children going to school. Following this year’s Global Action Week ‘Every Child Needs A Teacher’ GCE welcomed the statement on teachers which recognizes the pivotal nature of their contribution: ‘We will work within our national systems to make teaching an attractive career choice, to develop teachers' knowledge and skills, and to retain effective teachers in schools. The teacher lies at the heart of education. Fundamental to improving student learning and achievement is the presence of highly qualified teachers in every classroom. Teachers must have good knowledge of content and instructional methods to be effective educators and mentors. Effective teachers instruct their students in critical content knowledge, and help develop the desire and ability to excel and to pursue life-long learning.’ However, they expressed regret that no country had come forward with extra funds to all0w countries to recruit and train the extra 18 million teachers estimated by the UN to be needed between now and 2015 if Education For All is to be achieved. ‘There is a looming global crisis in the teaching profession,’ said Thulas Nxesi, President of Education International ‘it must be tackled now if we are to give all children the chance to go to school and know the love and care of a qualified teacher.’ 19 July 2006 PRESIDENT CHIRAC REMINDED OF HIS PROMISES ON EDUCATION AS HE LEAVES FOR THE G8  Whilst
packing up to leave for the G8 summit in St. Petersburg the President
of France will have plenty of reminders of one thing he is not to
forget. GCE's coalition in France, Solidarite Laique has
written a giant yellow post-it reminder with the words: "Mr Chirac,
agissez pour les 100 millions d'enfants privés d'école!" Progress
must be made at the G8 to help ensure all children have the chance
to go to school. On Thursday 13th July, the giant post-it will be stuck on the UNESCO headquarters, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc D' Triumphe, and the Palais de l'Elysée. Hundreds of smaller post-its with the same message will be stuck on the President Chirac's house to accompany the giant one. He will have no excuse not to notice education campaigners demands! The other G8 leaders will have similar reminders stuck on their resident buildings across the world. The post-its, created by the Global Call for Action Against Poverty (GCAP), will remind leaders to pack their conscience when going to the G8. They must keep their promises and take real action against poverty and education. View Press Release View Itinerary 13 July 2006 UK CHILDREN URGE TONY BLAIR TO TAKE ACTION ON EDUCATION AT THE G8 July 4th: Joined by the popular young band McFly and heavily laden with cut-out 'teachers', UK school children met the Prime Minister at his residence, 10 Downing Street. In recent months children in 8,000 schools have been busy drawing, painting and cutting out their 'teachers' that symbolise the extra 18 million real teachers needed worldwide. With the cut-out teachers came three GCE challenges for Tony Blair:
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