International Day of Education

One of the best tools to eradicate the world’s problems is Education

By Ekemini Etukudo

As the foremost voice for women globally, the Amazons Watch, we have been interviewing and interacting with several female leaders who have emphasised education’s importance. It should not be c an option; it should be something that everyone has access to. The International Day of Education focuses on the right to an education as enshrined in article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration calls for free and compulsory elementary education. The convention of the Rights of the child, adopted in 1989, stipulates that countries shall make higher education accessible to all.

International Day of Education is observed annually to re-evaluate education in the lives of children and identify and address education issues globally. It is also a theme to invest in people and prioritise education.

 This day is envisioned to promote gender equality, inclusivity, and poverty eradication through quality education and democratic participation. Education is an investment that holds the power to change the present into a sustainable future.

A well-known anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa once said, and I quote, ‘Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mine worker can become the head of mine, and that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. What we make out of what we are given separates one person from another – Nelson Mandela.

We can only tackle some of the problems at once; instead, we eliminate them one by one. And one of the best tools to eradicate the world problem is Education. Education is the lighthouse to promote gender equality, diminish poverty by educating people, offer them new opportunities, and solve the global crisis by allowing educated and talented minds to put forward their ideas to make the world a better place.

Today’s children are gearing up to become adult citizens of tomorrow, but poverty is rapidly breaking the ladder and a path to a promising future. The world record has it that over 262 million children and adolescents around the globe miss out on the chance to set foot in a school or even finalise their education.

The right to education is persistently violated as the number of children who cannot read and do basic math increases daily. Less than 40% of the girl child in sub-Saharan Africa get to compete in their lower secondary school, and the number of children and youth refugees out of school is four million, and this is unacceptable.

If all girls and boys completed their secondary Education, about four hundred and twenty million people would be lifted out of poverty.

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as the International Day of Education for peace and development. But a proclamation is not action. We need to act on giving every child a quality education now.

Education is a fundamental human right and a public responsibility. The world simply cannot afford a generation of children who lack the skills to live productive and successful lives.

We cannot afford to leave half of humanity behind. Amazon Watch Magazine will advocate for female education and use its platform to highlight the breakthroughs and achievements of women in education.