global challenge: universal primary education
What is "Universal Primary Education?"There are 115 million children who do not attend primary school and three-fifths of them are girls. Over 100 million children around the world have never been inside a classroom. Providing children a basic education is the best investment the world can make in its future. Education reduces poverty by providing everyone with choices and opportunities to create a better life for themselves. Without universal primary education, no real progress can be made on the other Goals.
Why don't children go to school?Child Labor is a major reason children do not attend school around the world. Child labor is work done by children that harms them or exploits them in some way-physically, morally, mentally, or by blocking access to education. There are an estimated 250 million child laborers between the ages of 5 and 14 worldwide. This does not include the millions of children-mostly girls-who work as unpaid domestic servants. Child labor exists on every continent. In the United States, there are over 13,000 children who work in sweatshops and hundreds of thousands who work in agriculture. It is a myth that most of the children in these situations are there because of neglectful, greedy or cruel parents. In fact, most of the children working are doing so to help feed the rest of their family. Being the head of a household or a primary care giver are other major reasons children do not go to school. This is especially prevalent where disease has ravaged a community. AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis are primary examples. Often, the eldest child is left to care for a family when the adults have all died or are too sick to work. It is understandable how quickly a child's options diminish in this situation. School is no longer a priority, but a luxury. War, genocide, and natural disasters also cause children to be out of school. When families are driven out of their communities by one of these causes, they often end up in refugee camps or in an unfamiliar country or territory. Refugee camps are mean to be temporary shelters during an emergency, but they often end up being permanent homes for the world's poorest displaced people. Where can I learn more?A great organization to support is one of our partners, The Global Fund for Children. They are a leading advocate for universal primary education worldwide. They have put out a lot of great material about the lives of children around the world. One of our favorites is a book called Going to School in India. Also, please visit our friends at the Child Labor Photo Project for more information on child labor.
What can we do?If you're a high school student interested in starting a Global Action Club at your school addressing education contact us.
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