The World’s Biggest Lesson

On April 9, we are attempting to break the world record for the largest ever lesson. In countries all over the world, tens of thousands of people will take part in the same lesson. In schools, adult education centres, university campuses, churches and community halls all over the world, thousands of people will be discussing the same topic at the same time: why girls and women must be given an equal chance to learn.

By participating, you will help us to spread the word on girls’ and women’s right to education. And you will become a part of history by setting a new Guinness World Record! Anyone, anywhere, can join in. You can hold the lesson at one of three times: 4 am GMT (best for South and Southeast Asia), 8 am GMT (best for Europe) or 2 pm GMT (best for most other locations). All you have to do is click here to download instructions, a registration form and a copy of the World Record Lesson Plan in English, Spanish or French.

Related Links Teach the lesson to show your support for girls' education! Register online and get up to the minute news on the world record attempt at: http://www.netaid.org/actionweek/

Other ideas for local and national action:

Plan your own events during the Action Week to mobilise the public in support of the right of every girl and woman to a quality education. For example:

• Make the World’s Biggest Lesson part of a programme of lectures, debates, drama, music, etc., on the 9th of April. Give girls a chance to be the ‘teachers’ for the day - telling the adults what they need in order to get a good education!
  
• Hold the World’s Biggest Lesson during a “learn-in” at local schools - where out-of-school children and illiterate youth and adults “occupy” classrooms to symbolise their demand for quality education.
  
• Organise marches of girls and women to parliament or local government offices; present community petitions or declarations to national leaders, calling for specific actions to achieve the 2005 goal.
  
• Ask a famous woman with an interesting life story to write a newspaper article or give a media interview on how education - her own, or her mother’s - changed her own life.
  
• Organise fact-finding visits to schools or adult education centres by local officials and female journalists.
  
• Under the slogan Hands Up for Girls’ Education (or Raise Your Hand for Girls’ Education), create a handprint display: a graffiti wall, school mural or giant banner “signed” with the multi-coloured handprints of schoolchildren and/or famous women, politicians and celebrities. Each person can add their signature and a personal message or pledge underneath their own print. Dipping hands in tubs of bright paint is fun, and creates a lasting public record to keep the message alive.
  
• Organise awareness raising activities in schools and communities for girls' education. Launch a door-to-door campaign to get 100% of your community’s girls into school or mobilise volunteers to spend a day building a boundary wall or latrines to make the local school girl-friendly.