More than 50 years after education was affirmed by governments as a fundamental human right, 125 million children are still out of school, and one in three adults is illiterate. Determined to end this injustice, aid agencies, non-government organizations, child rights activists, and teachers' and public sector unions operating in 180 countries have joined forces to launch the Global Campaign for Education (GCE).
The GCE believes that free, quality basic education for every girl, boy, man and woman is not only an essential right, but an achievable goal. It would cost the world an extra 10 billion USD per year - equivalent to only 4 days of global military spending. But the costs of failure are far higher. Each year of schooling gained by each child increases her chances of escaping from poverty, contributes to economic growth, and strengthens the fabric of democracy. Each year of schooling helps a mother to protect her children from malnutrition and disease, and enables young people to defend themselves from infection with HIV.
With so much to gain, there can be no excuse for further delay. The GCE therefore demands that the international community and governments of the South take immediate action to implement the Education for All goals and strategies agreed by 185 world governments at Dakar in April 2000. In particular, we call: