”Education for all cannot be realised unless education for children in conflict is given top priority,” says NRC education adviser Silje Sjøvaag Skeie.
In 2000, the world’s leaders made a series of promises intended to guarantee education for all by 2015. While there has been significant progress towards reaching this goal, 58 million children are still out of school. 36 per cent live in conflict areas, a larger share than in 2000.
A young girl enrolled in the NRC education program in Kakuma, Kenya. Photo: NRC/Ingrid Prestetun
This year, the world will agree on new frameworks – for education and for sustainable development more broadly – that will help set the tone and the focus for government policy and action from now until 2030. NRC is urging governments to invest more in education in emergencies.
“Despite the fact that children in conflict are among the most marginalised when it comes to being in school, education remain the least funded of all humanitarian sectors,” says Skeie.
Education in emergencies made up just 2% of humanitarian funding last year.
“Humanitarian donors must prioritise education, and dedicate at least 4% of their funding to education in emergencies,” says Skeie, urging world leaders to use the window of opportunity that is available in 2015.
“2015 provides a unique opportunity to make a difference. This is why we are asking politicians, representing their citizens at the World Education Forum in May and the UN General Assembly in September, to Vote for Education,” Skeie says.
Young boys attend class in temporary tents at the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) funded school at Gulan refugee camp in Afghanistan. Photo: NRC/Andrew Quilty
About Global Action week:
Global Action Week is a worldwide annual campaign organised by the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) to raise awareness of the importance of education. During Global Action Week civil society organisations globally engage in advocacy to ensure that progress is made on reaching education for all.
Under the theme "Vote for Education" the 2015 Global Action Week for Education (26 April - 2 May) will focus on the post-2015 era, aiming to ensure that world leaders are held accountable to the promises made in 2000 to secure education for all, and to ensure that education is given weight in the decades to come.
Photo: Global Action Week.