World Action Week, April 2008: Universal quality education

Global Action Week 2008 is coming soon! In a little over a month, Education International affiliates and national coalitions of the Global Campaign for Education will highlight the need for universal quality education.

The theme for this year is "Quality Education to End Exclusion." About 72 million children are excluded from schooling and over 700 million adults are illiterate worldwide. Some are excluded due to disability or gender, others because of conflict in their countries, still more because of poverty or child labour. Whatever the reason, millions are being denied a fundamental human right - we can no longer passively accept this!

Part of the plan this year is to send as many politicians as possible back to school, and to involve so many people in teaching them about the need for quality education that a world record will be set for the biggest lesson in history! All participants are demanding that world leaders take urgent action to include all children. Developing countries must agree to implement long term education plans, and rich countries must support these plans and make much-needed resources available.

The World's Biggest Lesson will take place on 23rd April 2008. Let's make it a learning experience that children and adults around the world will never forget!