Education

Education Is a Fundamental Human Right and the Priority of the 21st Century

By Yasmine Sherif
Education is not a privilege. It is a fundamental human right. Yet, education is undervalued even at the best of times. We often fail to connect the dots between the right to education and the realization of all human rights. As noted by the Nobel-winning economist Amartya Sen, we have failed to give ‘this massive potential in transforming human lives’ the attention it deserves.

Nyagoa’s Long Journey

By Education Cannot Wait
Nyagoa Dak was born to a world in chaos. Her story is one of loss, of redemption, of struggle and of triumph. At a very early age, Nyagoa lost her parents to the conflict in South Sudan. As the conflict escalated, she escaped with her grandmother to Ethiopia in 2014. There they settled in the Pugnido refugee camp in Ethiopia’s Gambella region.

Pacific Data Hub to Make Data Accessible for All

Pacific Governments, agencies, donors and civil society now have a central source of reliable and current data to help them to make decisions that affect Pacific Islanders.

How Did Rural India Learn During Lockdown?

By Upamanyu Das
School closures due to the nationwide lockdown in March 2020 meant that children were disengaged with formal education for a prolonged period. The resulting talks around e-education exposed India’s digital divide, with only 24 percent of households having access to the internet.

Women Empowerment During COVID-19 Through Remote Learning – the Fuzia Perspective

By Fairuz Ahmed
This year, the world commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, instead of celebration; however, its progress has been impeded by the COVID-19.

UN Special Session on COVID-19 Must Recognize Right to Health & Access to Vaccines

By Riccardo Petrella
The holding of this Special Session (the 37th in the history of the UN) is of considerable importance. It is a unique opportunity to define and implement joint actions at the global level to fight the pandemic in order to ensure the right to life and health for all the inhabitants of the Earth. As the President of the UN General Assembly wrote in his letter of convocation: "Let us not forget that none of us are safe until we are all safe".

CARE Offers Policies That Engender Success for Young People in Agribusiness

By Victor Manyong and Kanayo F. Nwanze
Often cited as Africa’s greatest asset, its youth are also among the most vulnerable and volatile. A large and growing population of talented young people has the potential to drive economic growth and well-being of societies across the continent but, as the African Development Bank warns, current conditions of severe unemployment are translating into poorer living conditions, higher flows of migration, and greater risks of conflict – in short, a social disaster in the making.

How UN Helped Benin Become World’s Fastest Place to Start a Business via a Mobile Phone

By Ian Richards
Until recently, Benin was best known for its cotton exports and its vibrant clothing designs. Since this year it is also the fastest place in the world to start a company. By providing a full online service, the government helped entrepreneurs create businesses and jobs during the pandemic. A third of Benin’s new entrepreneurs are women.

My Voice, Our Equal Future! Joining the Chorus of Girls Who Are Speaking up for Change

By Jean Gough and Yasmine Sherif
Girls are change makers and world shapers! When girls speak up, they are a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Youth Demand a ‘Fair Share’ from World Leaders Ahead of G20 Summit

By Alison Kentish
Heads of youth movements and student unions are challenging the world’s richest nations to correct an ‘incredibly unequal’ global response to COVID-19, by considering the plight of the world’s most vulnerable children and young people.

Gordon Brown – Education Cannot Wait

By Education Cannot Wait
"For 75M children & young people trapped in conflict zones, #EducationCannotWait. A lost generation is one where hope dies in those who live. It is our responsibility to rekindle hope." ~ Gordon Brown.

COVID-19 Compounding Inequalities

By Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Anis Chowdhury
The United Nations’ renamed World Social Report 2020 (WSR 2020) argued that income inequality is rising in most developed countries, and some middle-income countries, including China, the world’s fastest growing economy in recent decades. Inequality dimensions While overall inter-country inequalities may have declined owing to the rapid growth of economies like China, India and East Asia, national inequalities have been growing for much of the world’s population, generating resentment.

Reversing the Rohingya Crisis: One Woman at a Time

By Fairuz Ahmed
“This is a crisis without a quick fix that could take years to resolve unless there are concerted efforts to address its root causes”, says Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes.

They Deserve No Less in Central Sahel

By Yasmine Sherif
“I am so happy. This is my success!” says 13-year old Cynthia, beaming proudly as she shows her Primary School Certificate with an average mark of 120 out of 150. Thanks to the Radio Education Programme, she will now graduate on to Grade 6! Cynthia’s sense of pride, joy and achievement can only be fully understood when placed in the context of her circumstances. Cynthia is an internally displaced girl, living in Burkina Faso in Central Sahel.

African Languages Matter: Is There Still Time to Prevent Cultural Genocide?

By Victor Oladokun
As a 10 year-old newly arrived in Lagos from England, I recall listening intently to how the Yoruba language - my father's language - was spoken. I would constantly repeat in my head or verbally repeat what I thought I had heard. I was not always successful. Many times, what would come out of my mouth would throw my friends into fits of laughter.

Promoting Peace in Mali

By Education Cannot Wait
Despite the various challenges they face, teachers are showing incredible dedication to their profession, writes Leandro Salazar-Lievano, our education expert deployed to UNHCR Mali.

Despite Conflict and COVID-19, Children Still Dream to Continue Their Education in Afghanistan

By Guy Dinmore
As if four decades of war were not enough, then came the pandemic. For each of the past five years, Afghanistan has been identified by the United Nations as the world’s deadliest country for children and, despite progress made in peace talks between the government and the Taliban, child and youth casualties from the ongoing conflict continue to mount in 2020.

Education Cannot Wait Interviews LEGO Foundation CEO John Goodwin

John Goodwin joined the LEGO Foundation as CEO in April 2017 to pursue a career where he could combine his business skills with his passion for philanthropy and driving positive social impact.

Television Education in Mozambique

By Education Cannot Wait
"We missed our teachers, they were very friendly and helped us solve the complex exercises, but with the coronavirus, we need to adapt and learn to solve our exercises alone at home," says Alzira Ngomane, 17 years old, and her brother Amilcar Ngomane, 14, from the Albazine district, in the city of Maputo, Mozambique.

Nepal Needs to Bridge the Gap Between Legal Provisions Against Child Marriage and Social Norms

By Karuna Onta
Mohan and Sarita (name changed) studied together in the same school from Grade 6 onwards. They were friends initially, but fell in love and wished to be together, though underage.

$280m ‘Dark Money’ Spent by US Christian Right Groups Globally

By Claire Provost and Nandini Archer
US Christian right groups, many with close links to the Trump administration, have spent at least $280m in ‘dark money’ fuelling campaigns against the rights of women and LGBTIQ people across five continents, openDemocracy can reveal today.
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