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"Quality
Education for All - Make It
Happen Now!" A
clear message has been sent
across the world to end the
worldwide crisis on education.
Today, 103.5 million children
are not attending school, unable
to learn to their full potential.
800 million adults have already
seen their lives pass by without
being able to read or write.
The fundamental right to education
is denied to millions, despite
the fact that having a fully
educated society will end economic
exploitation of children and
break the cycle of poverty.
Child labour is a critical obstacle
in the path of children's development
and society's sustainable development.
Children who must spend the
most important stage of their
lives striving merely to survive
are denied the opportunity to
develop to their full potential.
Many of the world's 246 million
child labourers are denied their
fundamental rights, including
the right to education. Discovering
and learning to your fullest
potential during childhood determines
what opportunities will be available
not only to the individual but
also to the generations to follow.
A fully educated society is
assured of breaking the cycle
of poverty.
In
October 1999, on the eve of
the World Education Forum, a
coalition of civil society organisations
joined forces to launch "Global
Campaign for Education".
The GCE was founded by ActionAid,
Education International, Oxfam
International and the Global
March Against Child Labour,
and currently represents developmental
NGOs and teachers' unions in
more than 100 countries. The
Global March's Education Campaign
collaborates closely with the
GCE to take action for increasing
resources for education and
ensuring that education, as
key to ending child labour,
remains high on the political
agenda among the governments
of developing and donor countries.
We firmly believe that providing
free, quality and compulsory
education lies within the states'
responsibilities. At the international
level, our lobbying extends
to various arms of UNESCO, the
World Bank, IMF, G-8 and other
agencies responsible for meeting
developmental needs. At the
national level, our partners,
which include teachers, educators,
civil society leaders and child
activists, continue to lead
activities to demand their rights
to education. The GCE partners
are committed to mobilising
civil society and stakeholders
in ensuring that the governments
fulfill their promises to provide
free, quality and compulsory
education for all by the year
2015.
The
Campaign demands:
-
Free and compulsory, quality
public basic education for
all children, and a second
chance for adults who have
missed out
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Increased provision of quality
early childhood education
and care
-
Increased
public expenditure on education
to, at least, 6% of GNP,
and new resources, through
aid and debt relief, for
the poorest countries; and
an end to child labour
-
Democratic participation
of, and accountability to
civil society, including
teachers and their unions,
in decision making on education
at all levels
-
Reform of International
Monetary Fund and World
Bank Structural Adjustment
policies to ensure that
they support, rather than
undermine, free, quality
public basic education
-
Fair
and regular salaries for
teachers, properly equipped
classrooms and a supply
of quality text books
-
Inclusive and non-discriminatory
provision of services for
all
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A
global action plan for basic
education to mobilise political
will and new resources in
support of national education
plans to realise the 2015
targets
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