{Despite global gains in the number of children enrolled in school, many of the world’s students fail to leave their educational experiences with the skills necessary for them to succeed in life and help their nations develop, United Nations officials said on Wednesday. More than 250 million of the 650.}
Despite global gains in the number of children enrolled in school, many of the world’s students fail to leave their educational experiences with the skills necessary for them to succeed in life and help their nations develop, United Nations officials said on Wednesday.
More than 250 million of the 650 million primary school-aged children in the world cannot read, write or do basic mathematics, whether they have been to school or not.
Though the number of children enrolled in school has increased in the last two decades, many do not leave with the skills they need to succeed in life. Many advocates consider this a `global learning crisis’.
In delivering the keynote address, First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, declared that “when it comes to education adolescent girls, the real challenge isn’t just about resources it’s about attitudes and believes” adding that fathers and mothers need to think that their daughters “are as worthy of an education as their sons.”
The First Lady said that if “we can show just a tiny fraction of courage and commitment” like Malala and girls in Nigeria, as well as all those girls around the world “who walk hours to school each day and who study late into the night because they are so hungry to fill every last bit of their god-given potential” then all the girls would have an educations they deserve.
Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO said that “the global learning crisis as we call it, violates basic human rights, it undermines social cohesion, and threatens stability, throwing a shadow over development of entire societies, condemning generations to despair.”
Gordan Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education invited participants to send a message of support to “250 Nigerian girls who are in captivity simple because they wanted an education, who stay in captivity simply because they didn’t given up their right to education.”
Brown recounted his recent trip to Nigeria where he met parents of kidnapped girls who “are so desperate that they that they wish to organise funerals for these girls”.
“We need to give these parents hope” – said Brown.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon founded the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) in 2012 to accelerate progress towards achieving universal access to basic education, improve the quality of learning and to foster global citizenship.
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