As many children return to school this month, it is an exciting time for parents and students. There is an assumption by many that school is a safe place, but there are children around the world, including in the U.S., that will be returning to school and wondering if their school is really safe.
Last September, at the 10th annual Clinton Global Initiative, Advancing Girls’ Education in Africa (AGE Africa) joined a collaboration of 30 civil society organizations, governments, private sector partners, and multilateral organizations in making a historic commitment to improve educational and leadership opportunities for young women and girls.
As a girl that called the Alabama suburbs her home, I never dreamed I would find myself in the heart of the most powerful city in the country.Yet, I was pulled to this unfamiliar place in the name of something greater than the wave of inadequacy I felt. The idea of advocating for international education was one that captivated me, and I knew it was something I wanted to experience in a place that has fought for equal rights since it’s founding: Washington, D.C.
Zambia joined the rest of the world in committing to achieving Education for All (EFA) goals that would ensure quality access to education by 2015. As such, the Zambia National Education Coalition was born to provide a platform for coordinated civil society advocacy for attainment of the goals.
After the introduction of nine year basic education in 2007 and 12 year basic education by the government of Rwanda in 2010, many of the private schools have lost the majority of their students. Some of them even ended up closing the doors. Private schools leaders blame these two programs as the main cause for their collapse, but the government did not intend to close private schools. Through its efforts of bringing positive changes in public and government aided schools, they are making public schools more affordable to parents and students which has made it difficult for some private schools to compete.
We recognize that 2015 is a particularly transformative year for the global education community as we reflect upon the progress made toward meeting Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals and work to position education as central to the emerging Sustainable Development Goals. During this era of rapid change in education at the global and local levels, it is important to promote approaches and initiatives that advance not only educational equity, access, and quality, but also the education sector as a whole.
A lot is going on in the world. The term a lot is not an understatement or an exaggeration—a lot is going on and I am sure it can feel quite overwhelming. A lot going on can make you feel small and insignificant and unsure about whether you really can do anything to make the world a better place.
Since 2013 the school fees charged by public secondary schools in Kenya have risen dramatically--- some schools charging up to USD 1200 per year. This cost was far beyond the reach of many Kenyans.
For over 50 years, Malawi used the 1962 Education Act to govern its education system. This document was created before independence. The need to review the act became clear when taking into consideration the transformations that the education system went through over the years.
Gender-based violence in schools has prevented the world from achieving quality education for all and gender equity, Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3. We must take national and global action to address this crisis and ensure that all girls and boys complete a safe, equitable, quality education.