TakingITGlobal - Panorama - Education for All...

Published on: Dec 21, 2003

Topic:

Type: Opinions

https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=2611

There was a child form a poor developing country that is just little above seven years old. Everyday this child watches big brother go to school but this child can't go to school because this child is FEMALE and must stay at home to help the parents do exhausting work at home.

There are 120 million children around the world who have NEVER gone to a school. Most of them will grow up to join the one billion people today who cannot read or write. These kids desperately want to get ahead and work their way out of poverty but most of them don't stand a chance.

ARE GOVERNMENTS HELPING?
In 1989, to protect the rights of all children, the United Nations General Assembly approved an international treaty called the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). 191 countries ratified the CRC committing them to bring their national legislation in line with the legally binding obligations of the CRC.

Article 28 of the CRC commits governments to “make primary education compulsory and available free to all.” Governments have promised the funding to meet this goal but most of them aren't delivering.

Unfortunately since 1992, development assistance that is taken from rich countries and given to poorer countries - part of which goes to education - has decreased by more than 20%. Governments around the world are breaking their commitments to children

WHAT WOULD IT TAKE?
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) estimates that it would cost an additional $9 billion a year for thee next 15 years to provide primary education for all the world's children. This is just over 1% of last year's world military spending of $756 billion. For less than what American spend annually on cosmetics or what Europeans spend on ice-cream every child on the planet Earth age six to twelve could go to school.

CAN IT BE DONE?
Sure. One way to help ensure spending goes to education is for governments to participate in the international 20:20 initiative proposed by UNICEF and other UN agencies. This plan calls on governments in developed countries to commit 20% of their development assistance and those in developing countries 20% of their national government budgets to meeting basic human needs including education.

YOU CAN HELP
Please write, fax or e-mail one or more of your representatives in your national parliament asking them to live up to the commitments made in the CRC and they should also provide sufficient funds and enact policies that will ensure free, compulsory and quality education for all the children.

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by Timmy
Published on: Dec 21, 2003
Topic:
Type: Opinions
https://www.tigweb.org/express/panorama/article.html?ContentID=2611


There was a child form a poor developing country that is just little above seven years old. Everyday this child watches big brother go to school but this child can't go to school because this child is FEMALE and must stay at home to help the parents do exhausting work at home. There are 120 million children around the world who have NEVER gone to a school. Most of them will grow up to join the one billion people today who cannot read or write. These kids desperately want to get ahead and work their way out of poverty but most of them don't stand a chance. ARE GOVERNMENTS HELPING? In 1989, to protect the rights of all children, the United Nations General Assembly approved an international treaty called the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). 191 countries ratified the CRC committing them to bring their national legislation in line with the legally binding obligations of the CRC. Article 28 of the CRC commits governments to “make primary education compulsory and available free to all.” Governments have promised the funding to meet this goal but most of them aren't delivering. Unfortunately since 1992, development assistance that is taken from rich countries and given to poorer countries - part of which goes to education - has decreased by more than 20%. Governments around the world are breaking their commitments to children WHAT WOULD IT TAKE? The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) estimates that it would cost an additional $9 billion a year for thee next 15 years to provide primary education for all the world's children. This is just over 1% of last year's world military spending of $756 billion. For less than what American spend annually on cosmetics or what Europeans spend on ice-cream every child on the planet Earth age six to twelve could go to school. CAN IT BE DONE? Sure. One way to help ensure spending goes to education is for governments to participate in the international 20:20 initiative proposed by UNICEF and other UN agencies. This plan calls on governments in developed countries to commit 20% of their development assistance and those in developing countries 20% of their national government budgets to meeting basic human needs including education. YOU CAN HELP Please write, fax or e-mail one or more of your representatives in your national parliament asking them to live up to the commitments made in the CRC and they should also provide sufficient funds and enact policies that will ensure free, compulsory and quality education for all the children. « return.