World Teachers' Day

Quality Teachers for Quality Education

'Better Working Conditions for Teachers Means Better Learning Conditions for Learners'

We know that every child deserves a high-quality teacher in his or her classroom, but poor working conditions, low salaries, and a lack of preparation and support leads to high turnover in our schools. " -- NEA President Reg Weaver

What Is World Teachers' Day?

World Teachers' Day provides society the opportunity to draw attention to the role of teachers worldwide and their importance in the classroom and society.

October 5, 1994, was inaugurated as World Teachers' Day by UNESCO to commemorate the joint signing of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers on 5 October 1966. World Teachers’ Day also highlights the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel adopted in 1997.

What's NEA doing?

Through its nationwide salary initiative, NEA is pushing for a $40,000 starting salary for all pre-K-12 teachers, appropriate pay for all higher education faculty and staff, and an appropriate living wage as starting pay for all education support professionals.

Learn more about NEA's commitment to ensuring professional pay for K-12 educators and higher education faculty.

Join the voices of teachers, parents, communities, and organizations that support making every public school a great public school for every child.  

Get Involved!

• Submit details of your working conditions in an online survey developed by Education International.
  
  
• Defend the teaching profession and tell Members of Congress to reject proposals that impose test-based pay programs on teachers without their agreement.
  
  
• Who was your favorite teacher or education support professional when you were in school? How did they make an impact on you? Post your comments here!
  
  
• Take the pledge at Education International's World Teachers' Day page.

Fast Fact

A Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll found that 88 percent of the public supports raising salaries to address the teacher recruitment and retention challenge!

Subscribe to the International Newsletter

Stay up to date on education issues around the world. Enter your email address below to receive Global Connections, a free newsletter from NEA's Office of International Relations, published twice monthly.

More News from Education International's 5th World Congress
Berlin, Germany
July 22 - 26

Union Activists Jailed in Colombia Awarded Rights Prize in Berlin to Keep Them in Public Eye 7/26/07

Artists and Educators Fight AIDS Pandemic 7/26/07

NEA President Weaver Elected Vice President of Education International as World Congress Opens 7/23/07

International Issues

Fifth World Congress Web site | NEA Working Around the World

Where's the Best Place in the World to Go to School?

Berlin (July 25) – A great public school for every child is far out of reach when you look at the schoolhouse from an international perspective. Some 115 million children worldwide have no access to an education, according to the Barometer of Human and Trade Union Rights, an extensive research report released by Education International in July.

The Barometer provides country statistics on early childhood education, including student/teacher ratios (in 2005, the average primary school classroom in Afghanistan had 83 pupils), the percentage of girls receiving in an education (in 2004, only 23 percent of the children completing a primary education were girls), enrollment rates, and degree of privatization. The reports include analyses of academic freedom, gender equality, students with special needs, refugee and minority children, and child labor in each country.

On the web, side-by-side country comparisons are available. In 2004, for example, only 0.21 percent of students who graduated from secondary school in the Maldives continued their education; in South Korea, the figure was 88.52 percent.

Not all the news is bleak. In 2000, Thailand spent some 31 percent of its public expenditure budget on education, the most of any nation that year.

But in its reporting, the Barometer doesn't pull punches. On Kenya, where 56 percent of the population live on less than one dollar a day, the Barometer states: "Discrimination on the basis of race, tribe, place of origin, political opinions, colour or creed is prohibited, but the law is not enforced. Government officials are accused of tolerating and, at times, instigating ethnic violence."

"The worst day we have in terms of obstacles in America - they would wish for as their best day," noted NEA Vice President Dennis Van Roekel at EI's World Congress in July in Berlin. "The idea that educators are imprisoned in their effort to educate every student in their country is just amazing." 

NEA, a founding member of EI, continues to advance programs and collaborations with EI to improve conditions for educators and children worldwide.

More News from Education International's 5th World Congress
Berlin, Germany
July 22 - 26

Union Activists Jailed in Colombia Awarded Rights Prize in Berlin to Keep Them in Public Eye 7/26/07

Where's the Best Place in the World to Go to School? 7/25/07

NEA President Weaver Elected Vice President of Education International as World Congress Opens 7/23/07

International Issues

Fifth World Congress Web site | NEA Working Around the World

Artists and Educators Fight AIDS Pandemic

Berlin (July 26) – No beauty can be found in the AIDS pandemic that plagues Africa, but artists and educators internationally are uniting to create art projects that raise awareness – and money – to fight the disease.

Art for AIDS International runs workshops at schools in Africa that educate students on the causes of HIV/AIDS and allows them to create artwork collages. The finest works are reproduced and sold, with the money going to African AIDS education programs.

The organization was invited to Education International’s World Congress in Berlin in July. EI has an extensive AIDS campaign worldwide, with a focus on Africa. NEA is a founding member organization of EI. 

"There's a role for all of us to play in fighting the pandemic," says Wouter van der Schaaf, program coordinator for Education International's EFAIDS campaign. "Art is one such way. Art here at the EI Congress is another way of conveying a message that says there is hope, there’s a way of preventing HIV and AIDS, and there's also a way to be effective."

And there's a great need to be effective.

"Teachers are dying," says van der Schaaf. Twelve percent of all teachers in South Africa are infected – though at least treatment is accessible there. In nations such as Malawi and Zimbabwe, there is no treatment.

"These teachers who die have to be replaced," says van der Schaaf. "Is there enough capacity in the teacher training colleges to train teachers to” replace them?

So is there hope?

"We go, we carry on," says van der Schaaf. "We don't give up."

Related Content

• Learn about Education International's EFAIDS campaign and sign up for an electronic newsletter

Where's the Best Place in the World to Go to School?

A great public school for every child is far out of reach when you look at the schoolhouse from an international perspective. Some 115 million children worldwide have no access to an education, according to the Barometer of Human and Trade Union Rights, an extensive research report released by Education International in July.

The Barometer provides country statistics on early childhood education, including student/teacher ratios (in 2005, the average primary school classroom in Afghanistan had 83 pupils), the percentage of girls receiving in an education (in 2004, only 23 percent of the children completing a primary education were girls), enrollment rates, and degree of privatization. The reports include analyses of academic freedom, gender equality, students with special needs, refugee and minority children, and child labor in each country.

>>Full story and video

More News from Education International's 5th World Congress
Berlin, Germany
July 22 - 26

Adopted EI 5th World Congress Resolutions

Artists and Educators Fight AIDS Pandemic  7/26/07

NEA President Weaver Elected Vice President of Education International as World Congress Opens 7/23/07

International Issues

Fifth World Congress Web site | NEA Working Around the World

Union Activists Jailed in Colombia Awarded Rights Prize in Berlin to Keep Them in Public Eye

Berlin (July 26) – Raquel Castro and Samuel Morales weren't present in Berlin when 1,700 educators from around the world celebrated them as human and trade union heroes at Education International's World Congress this past July.

Castro remains jailed in the political wing of the Bogotá Women's Prison in Colombia, where she has been incarcerated since August 2004 after witnessing the assassination of three trade union colleagues. Morales, jailed at the same time, was recently released but was denied an exit visa by the Colombian government. Both teacher activists, members of Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT), had been involved in a peaceful campaign around union activities and protecting the rights of the indigenous and poor in Arauca.

"In the United States, we have the right to speak out and organize," said NEA Secretary-Treasurer Lily Eskelsen from Berlin. "In Colombia, it's a crime."

Castro and Morales are the recipients of the Mary Hatwood Futrell Human and Trade Union Rights Award. Named after one of NEA's past presidents and the founding president of Education International, the award recognizes activists who exhibit exemplary courage to promote human and civil rights.

At an awards dinner at EI's World Congress, Amanda Rincón Suárez of Colombia's FECODE (Federación Colombiana de Educadores) accepted the awards on behalf of Castro and Morales.

Education International, which includes NEA as a member organization, has called for Morales' release from prison.

Keeping Castro and Morales in a public spotlight, one presenter noted, improves the odds that they will not "disappear" in a country where dissent isn't greatly tolerated. And it gives them a voice despite enormous attempts of their governments to keep them silent. "Together we can do what none of us can do alone," says Eskelsen.

More News from Education International's 
5th World Congress
Berlin, Germany
July 22 - 26

Union Activists Jailed in Colombia Awarded Rights Prize in Berlin to Keep Them in Public Eye 7/26/07

Artists and Educators Fight AIDS Pandemic 7/26/07

Where's the Best Place in the World to Go to School? 7/25/07

International Issues

Fifth World Congress Web site | NEA Working Around the World

Reg Weaver Re-Elected Vice President of Education International

EI World Congress Opens with Call for Education for All

Berlin (July 23) – National Education Association President Reg Weaver began his second term as Vice President of Education International, vowing to help bring educators around the globe together around the principles of a great public school for every student.

Weaver was elected to the four-year term by acclamation on the opening day of the World Congress of EI, which comprises 348 member-organizations representing more than 29 million education workers in 169 countries.

He has extensive experience with the world body – as president of NEA, leading the NEA at two World Congresses, sharing his expertise at EI conferences, and serving on an EI  human rights mission to Ethiopia.

"Just as we believe that every student should have access to a great public school, so do our colleagues across the globe," said Weaver.  "But more than that, just as we do, they believe that this access is a basic right."

German President Horst Köhler opened the World Congress with a call that echoed Weaver's call for a great public school for every child.

"A good education is not just a question of luck," said Köhler, addressing the crowd of 1,700 delegates. "It's a human right. It's a right for all of us." Köhler, the second of eight children of an immigrant family, credited the opportunities that a public education provided him for the success he has achieved. 

EI President Thulas Nxesi, of the South Africa Democratic Teachers' Union, offered a call for unity and activism in his opening address: "We are all educators, we are all workers – regardless of any difference in color or creed – and we face common challenges. Where teacher unions do not exist, EI must offer assistance in establishing them. Where unions are weak we must work cooperatively to strengthen them. Where unions are under attack from governments or vested interests we must be willing to provide concrete solidarity and support.

"I must mention the plight of teachers in countries where human and labor rights are not respected: Colombia, Peru, East Timor, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and more."

World Teachers' Day

Quality Teachers for Quality Education

World Teachers' Day provides the opportunity to draw public attention to the role of teachers worldwide and their importance in the classroom and society.

What Is World Teachers' Day?

Each year on October 5, Education International launches a public awareness campaign to highlight the contributions of the teaching profession. This year marks the 40th anniversay of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation on the Status of Teachers.

As a founding member of Education International , NEA works with more than 348 education unions from almost 166 countries to promote every child's right to a quality public education and to advocate for human and trade union rights within the profession.

Quality Teachers for Quality Education:  We must provide teachers and education support professionals with tools and resources to get the job done.

What's NEA doing? NEA supports programs that advance the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' vision of accomplished practice, operating a network of 30 state organizations that provide support to teachers seeking National Board Certification and producing nationally acclaimed materials that encourage and support teacher participation. Learn more about NEA's committment to improve Teacher Quality in the classroom .

Quality Teachers for Quality Education: Shared responsibility and mutual respect will together produce results that will help students suceed in the future.

What can you do?  Get Involved! Join the voices of teachers, parents, communities, and organizations that support making every public school a great public school for every child. 

Action Alert

• Organize a lesson on the theme of quality. For example, "Quality education – what does it mean to me?" Or "What makes a teacher a quality teacher?" Or "What could make school life easier for me and my teacher?"
  
  
• Discuss the problems that face teachers and students in our country. What could be done to improve this situation? Make a wall chart with these ideas to present to local politicians and government representatives.

• Take the Pledge for Professional Pay for Educators
  
  
• Lobby Congress for funding for great public schools

For more details, visit the World Teachers' Day section of the Education International Web site.

Download Education International Statement on World Teachers' Day

Global Campaign for Education

International Goals for Education

There are two important international agreements that are guiding the global effort for universal education. In negotiating these agreements, the United States focused its efforts on providing all children a basic human right to education. The United States promised to help finance these international goals for education in developing countries:

Return to main Global Campaign for Education page

Global Campaign for Education

Free, quality, basic education for every child in the world -- a promise we can keep.

More than 100 million school-age children have never had the chance to attend school. The NEA, together with Education International, is engaged in the Global Campaign for Education. The goal? To increase public awareness and the political will to make education for all a reality.

This promise to provide universal primary education came from the 2000 World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, where world leaders made commitments to education and our world's most valuable resource -- children.

The Promise
No countries seriously committed to education for all will be thwarted in their achievement of the [Education For All] goal by a lack of resources was the commitment made by 164 governments in the Dakar Framework for Action.  It included the endorsement of the World Bank, which has guided education reform in many developing countries. 

Watch the Video: NEA President and Education for the World's Children
Through the Global Campaign for Education, NEA President Reg Weaver describes the importance of education as a human right and how over 100 million children have never set foot in school.  Learn about action that you can take to keep the global promise of education.
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Please help this campaign by sharing the materials below with your colleagues.

Global Campaign for Education

2006 Sampling of International Activities

In many countries, activities are taking place that highlight the importance of teachers in the equation of providing a quality education to all children.  These activities are engaging students, parents, community and political leaders. 

Benin

The West African nation of Benin is hosting a national televised debate about the situation of teachers in the country. A film on the life of teachers in rural areas has been developed and is being shown. Radio programs about teachers are airing in local areas.

Brazil

Converting Brazil's external debt into funds for education is the focus of organizing actions of the Confederçao Nacional dos Trabahaldores em Educaçao (CNTE).

Canada

Members of Parliament are joining leaders of the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF-FCE) in Ottawa for a discussion of the Millennium Development Goals.

Chad

Rural radio programs, as well as provincial and national print media are focusing on teachers in the "Education For All" goals in Chad.  The messages are developed by students, teachers and parents.

Denmark

Students are creating messages and artwork on the importance of good teachers in the lives of students in Denmark and in the lives of their friends in developing nations.  The children and their teachers are seeking to set the national record for the longest poster.

Haiti

A map pinpointing all of the schools that are run by a single teacher are being presented to political leaders by the education union, Confédération Nationale des Éducateurs d'Haïti (CNEH).

India

A presentation is featuring a panel of academics, media and civil society representatives to raise attention to the "Education For All" challenge.

Philippines

The "Teachers Education Agenda" is being presented to education leaders and the public during global action week.  This position paper is based on interviews and focus groups on common concerns of teachers across the Philippines.  Photography exhibits, "Teachers at Risk" and "One Day in the Life of a Teacher," are traveling the country.

Spain

The Spanish Education International affiliates (F.E.CC.OO, FETE-UGT, and STES-I) are encouraging teachers to use Global Action Campaign lessons in their classrooms. The campaign in Spain is issuing a position paper on teachers and "Education For All."

Sri Lanka

Politicians and education officials are being presented a dossier about "Teachers and Education For All."

United Kingdom

Each member of Parliament is receiving a collage of a teacher, which has been made by students, to emphasize the importance of qualified teachers in the "Education For All" pursuit.

Return to main Global Campaign for Education page

Global Campaign for Education

Quotes from Kids

I have cried several times to go to school.  I have even fought with my brother because he goes to school while I don't.
  - Arti, 11 years old, India

What is the government going to do about access to schools and other public buildings for disabled people?
  - Kebba, who is disabled, questions the Gambia National Assembly

In some families, parents force children to do family matters such as babysitting, cow herding and working at a very young age . . . education is the tree of life so let's reap its sweet fruits.
  - Child, Lesotho

It makes me very sad to see children of my age selling water on the street corners when I'm being driven to school.  Does this mean that they are not important and does the government not care about them?
  - Tobi, six years old, Nigeria

I am luckier than some of my neighbors.  I can go to school but they cannot.
  - Student, Lao Cai Province, Vietnam

We are responsible for proposing alternatives that can change both education and our country's direction.
  - Ivon, 14 years old, Ecuador

Remember that we are poor children but we have a right to a good, or better, education as those who have parents with more resources than ours.
  - Claribel, Dominican Republic

Why do politicians always make promises, yet never keep them?
 - Child's question to Haitian Member of Parliament

Why is the U.S. not doing its duty? Why are we the wealthiest country, yet we are close to the bottom in helping poor countries?
  - Hanna and Maya, 13 years old, questions for United States Senators

Having participated in "Action Week," I realized that a child should attend school. Children shouldn't skip classes, as some of them do, because knowledge, which they gain at school, will help them in their lives.
  - Mitrofanova, 10 years old, Russia

Return to main Global Campaign for Education page

Global Campaign for Education

Education For All and HIV/AIDS Prevention in Schools

Teachers are empowered, through tools, knowledge and skills, to address HIV/AIDS and related issues in schools through the Education International HIV/AIDS Prevention Project.  In a four-year period, this project has reached 17 countries, 133,000 teachers, and 25,000 schools.
 
Affiliate education unions in the 17 countries work with Ministries of Education and Health; the project is funded by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  For more information, to go www.ei-ie.org/efaids/en/index.htm.

The Statistics

Teachers

• For every teacher that dies of AIDS, an entire classroom is left without an education.
• An estimated 860,000 children in sub-Saharan Africa lost teachers to AIDS in 1999.
• If Swaziland hired and trained enough staff to replace the teachers lost to HIV/AIDS, the estimated cost would be $233 million.

 Impact on Children

• 15.6 million children are AIDS orphans-a number expected to double by 2010.
• Girls who are orphaned by AIDS often must to quit school and are frequently forced into prostitution to earn money to support themselves and younger siblings.
• In sub-Saharan Africa, girls are twice as likely to become infected as boys.

Education as Prevention

• Education is highly cost-effective as a prevention mechanism with evidence that young women with basic education delay having sex and are more likely to require partners to use condoms.
• In one study of 32 countries, women with post-primary education were three times more likely than uneducated women to know that HIV can be transmitted between mother and child.

Stats from the Basic Education Coalition.

Return to main Global Campaign for Education page

Global Campaign for Education

50 Key Facts for Older Students

         Why do we say every child has the right to go to school?

1. Every child should have the chance to go to school, but many do not. 
2. Education is a human right, included in international frameworks like the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 
   *  This means that governments have a duty to ensure that every child is able to realize this right to receive a free basic education.
3. The world's governments also committed to the promise that by the year 2015, they would make sure that every child in every country has the chance to finish primary school (known as elementary school in the U.S.).  They also promised to achieve equal numbers of girls and boys in both primary (elementary) and secondary (middle and senior high) school.
   * These promises are part of the six Education For All Goals , to which 164 countries committed at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, in 2000.
   *  They are also part of the Millennium Development Goals  for reducing global poverty by the year 2015, to which 189 countries committed.
   
   Are we keeping the promise to make sure every child goes to school?
   
4. No. Today more than 100 million children around the world do not attend school at all.  More than 95% of these children live in developing countries and the majority is girls.
5. Another 150 million children will drop out before they finish primary school.  In the United States, virtually all children finish elementary school.
6. The majority of countries are not meeting the Education for All and Millennium Development Goals for education. 
   *  94 countries, out of 149 for which there is information, missed the first goal: to achieve gender parity (the same number of girls and boys) in both primary and secondary schools by 2005.
   *  Right now, 67 countries are unlikely to reach the goal, set for 2015, of having every child complete primary school. 
   
   Which groups of children don't attend school?
   
7. Some of the children who have the hardest time attending school are poor children, girls, orphans, children with disabilities, child laborers, and children forced to leave their homes because of war or a natural disaster. 
8. Nearly 55 million of the children who don't go to primary school are girls, and more than 40 million of the children who don't go to primary school live in Africa. 
   *  In Africa, 54% of all girls drop out of school before they finish primary school, and only one out of every five go to secondary school.
   *  In Chad, an African country, only 10% of secondary school-age girls had completed elementary school.  In Burkina Faso, only 20% had.
9. Education is also very difficult for children in South Asia.  There are 25 million children in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh alone who do not go to school.
10. The situation is worse for orphans and other vulnerable children, who may have to drop out of school to help care for their brothers and sisters or to work, or who can't afford the fees and other costs of attending school.
11. Conflict and natural disasters keep millions of children out of school.
    *  In 2002, 27 million refugees and other affected young people ages 5 to 17 had no access to formal schooling.
    *  Only 6% of children who have fled their country as refugees are enrolled in secondary school.  Going to school is even harder for people who have been forced to leave their homes, but who still live in their original countries.
    
    Why is school important?
    
    Reducing Poverty
12. Countries where more people go to school and become literate are able to grow their economies more quickly and become less poor.
13. No country has ever achieved continuous and rapid economic growth without first having at least 40% of its adults being able to read and write.
14. People who have attended school are able to earn more money to support their families.
    *  Studies show that a single year of primary school increases the wages people earn later in life by 5-15% for boys, and even more for girls.  A single year of secondary school increases wages by 15-25%.
15. Education even improves farming, increasing the amount that people are able to grow and harvest.
    
    Improving Health
16. A single year of education for girls can help decrease the chance that their children will die as infants by 5-10%.
17. Mothers with an education are 50% more likely to make sure their children receive vaccines they need to protect them from deadly diseases. 
18. In Africa, children whose mothers received an elementary school education are 40% less likely to die before the age of five. 
19. Educating girls is the best way to reduce fertility resulting in smaller families.  This makes it easier for parents to provide for and care for their children
    
    Fighting HIV/AIDS
20. Education may be the single best way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
21. Women with education beyond primary school are five times more likely than illiterate women to know the basic facts about HIV/AIDS.
22. A study in Swaziland showed that more than 70% of young people in school were not sexually active, while nearly 70% of those out of school were sexually active.
23. Among young people living in rural Uganda, those with no education are three times more likely than those with a secondary school education to be HIV-positive.
24. A Zambian study found that HIV/AIDS spreads twice as fast among uneducated girls as it did among girls who were educated.
    
    Strengthening Democracy
25. Education helps people, particularly women, to speak up and get involved in their communities and their governments.  This makes democracy stronger, and helps make sure men and women are treated equal.
26. A recent study found that educated women in Bangladesh are three times more likely to participate in political meetings than uneducated women.
    
    Why don't some kids go to school?
    
27. In many countries, families must pay fees to send their children to school. These fees can be as much as a month's worth of wages for the family. 
28. Many poor families do not have enough money to pay these fees, or to buy the required uniforms or textbooks.
29. Many children must work-either at home or at a paying job-to help their families survive.  They cannot afford to take time to go to school instead.
30. Sometimes schools are very far apart, so children must walk long distances to get to school.  In rural areas, schools might be five or ten miles apart.
31. The walk to school can be unsafe, especially for girls.  For children in countries with high levels of violence, any walk at all can be dangerous.
32. In some schools, there may be no bathrooms for students to use. This is especially hard for female students, who can face sexual harassment and often do not have private places to use the bathroom.  
33. In some places, there may be up to 150 children in each classroom, and not enough teachers or textbooks. 
    
    What about the role of teachers?
    
34. Many countries just don't have enough teachers.  In Zambia, there is an average of 64 students to every primary teacher.  The international goal student-teacher ratio is no more than 40 students per teacher.
35. The United Nations estimates that at least 15 million more teachers will be needed to meet the goal of getting all children to complete primary school by 2015.
36. It is especially important that many of these teachers are women.  Hiring more women teachers can help increase the numbers of girls that go to school, and can help make sure girls and boys are treated equally in the classroom.
37. Many teachers in developing countries don't have the experience and training they need to teach children effectively.
    *  In Uganda, 50% of primary teachers have no formal training at all.
    *  There is an international trend of hiring "volunteer" teachers, who receive very little training and less pay.
38. Teachers' jobs in poor countries are especially difficult, due to large class sizes, few textbooks and other materials, and schools that do not have bathrooms or other important facilities.
    
    What should developing countries do to put all children in school?
    
39. Countries must make school free for all children.  When governments eliminate school fees like they did in Kenya, Uganda and Malawi, millions of new students turn up at school, as much as doubling the number of students.
40. Governments must make special efforts to help children who face the hardest time getting into school, including poor children, girls, orphans, children with disabilities, and children forced to leave their homes because of war or a natural disaster.
    *  For instance, governments can pay for the uniforms or textbooks of the poorest and most vulnerable children, or could give their families money if they send their children to school.
41. Governments must build more schools in more places so children don't have to travel as far to get to schools.
42. Countries must hire and train more teachers.  They must make sure that these teachers are women as well as men.
43. Schools must provide a quality education that actually teaches children the skills they need.
    
    What can rich countries and international organizations do to help developing countries meet their goals?
    
44. Rich countries should increase their aid to poorer countries to help them improve their school systems.  Many donor countries do not contribute their fair share to fund basic education.
    *  Rich countries now give $2 billion each year to help poor countries pay for basic education.  They need to give $10 billion more each year to put all children in school by 2015.
    *  The United States, for example, gives a total of $465 million each year-the approximate cost of building just 17 U.S. high schools.
45. Rich countries can forgive the debt that poor countries owe them.  Debt payments have kept many poor countries from spending money on important things like education, but debt relief has made a huge difference in those countries that have received it.
    *  Niger is using 40% of the money it would have had to repay to other countries to fund its universal primary education program.
    
    What can I do to help?
    
46. Participate in the 2006 Global Campaign for Education "Send My Friend to School" Week  (April 24-30, 2006). 
47. Make a poster  or a cutout "friend" that helps "Make the Case" for why all children should go to school, and send your poster or friend to Washington, D.C.
48. Host a Congressional-style hearing  in your classroom, school, or community to discuss these issues and educate your classmates, teachers, and politicians or other public figures.
49. Write a letter to your members of Congress asking them to do more to put all children in school.
50. Tell your friends and family about what you've learned!

Return to main Global Campaign for Education page

Global Campaign for Education

25 Key Facts for Elementary Students

Do all children go to school?

1. Every child should have the chance to go to school.  Education is a human right, which means that the world has determined that every person should receive an education.  This is now part of international law.
   
2. The world's governments made a promise in the year 2000 that by the year 2015, they would make sure that every child in every country has the chance to finish elementary school.
   
3. But, today more than 100 million elementary school age children around the world do not get to go to school.  In many cases, this is because their families are too poor to pay to send them to school, because they have to work to help their families survive, or because schools are too dangerous or too far away.
   
   How many is 100 million children?  That's nearly four times the number of elementary school-age children in the United States!
   
4. Another 150 million children will drop out before they finish elementary school. In the United States, virtually all children finish elementary school.
   
5. In Africa, more than half of all girls don't even finish elementary school, and only one out of every five girls goes to high school.
   
   Why is school important?
   
6. School teaches important skills that help people throughout their lives.
   
7. People who go to school are able to earn more money to support their families.
   
8. Countries where more people go to school and learn to read and write are able to grow their economies more quickly and become less poor.
   
9. Education helps people to stay healthy. 
   *  Mothers with an education are much more likely to make sure their children receive shots they need to protect them from deadly diseases. 
   *  In Africa, some children don't live to be five years old.  Children whose mothers received an elementary school education are much more likely to live past the age of five.
   
10. Education helps people, especially women, to speak up and get involved in their communities and their governments.  This makes democracy stronger, and helps make sure men and women are treated equal. 
    
    Why don't some kids go to school?
    
11. In many countries, families must pay money-- "fees" -- to send their children to school. Many families are too poor to pay fees or buy textbooks or school uniforms.
    
12. Many children must work-either at home or at a paying job-to help their families survive.  They cannot afford to go to school instead.
    
13. Sometimes schools are very far apart, so children must walk long distances to get to school.  This walk may be dangerous, especially for girls. 
    
14. In some places, there may be as many as 100 or 150 children in each classroom, and not enough teachers or textbooks. 
    
15. Teachers may not have enough education or training to teach their students well.  In this case, children may not go to school because they don't learn much anyway.
    
    What must some governments do to put all children in school?
    
16. Countries must make school free for all children, and must try especially hard to help children with the most problems in getting into school, including poor children, girls, orphans, children with disabilities, and children forced to leave their homes because of war or a natural disaster.
    
17. Governments must build more schools so children don't have to travel as far to get to schools.
    
18. Countries must hire and train millions of new teachers to get all kids in school by the year 2015. They must make sure that these teachers include women as well as men.
    
19. Schools must provide a quality education that actually teaches children the things they need to know.
    
20. Rich countries and international groups must help poor countries get the money they need to do all of these things.
    *  Rich countries now give $2 billion each year to help poor countries pay for basic education.  They need to give $10 billion more per year to put all children in school by 2015.
    * The United States, for example, gives a total of $465 million each year -- the approximate cost of building just 17 U.S. high schools.
    
    What can you do to help?
    
21. Participate in the 2006 Global Campaign for Education "Send My Friend to School" Week  (April 24-30, 2006).
    
22. Make a poster or a cutout "friend"  that helps "make the case" for why all children should go to school.  Display your posters or "friends" at school and then give them or send them to your Congress members' district offices.
    
23. Host a hearing in your classroom or school to discuss these issues.  A hearing is a meeting where panel members listen to other people argue for why education is important.
    
24. Tell your members of Congress to do more to put all children in school.
    
25. Tell your friends and family about what you've learned!

Return to main Global Campaign for Education page

Global Campaign for Education

Education and Gender

Of the children worldwide who are not enrolled in primary school, some 57-65% are girls.  The barriers for girls' access to their human right to education include poverty, domestic and child labor, lack of safety and sanitation, and cultural attitudes favoring boys over girls. The "Education for All" goals include the 2005 benchmark goal for gender parity in enrollment.  By the end of 2005, only 55 of 149 countries met this goal.  Extensive efforts are still needed to ensure gender equity in education.

Country Focus-Afghanistan

Gender and Out of School Children

Mothers' Education-The Generational Impact

Country Focus: Afghanistan

• In 2006, the primary school enrollment rate for girls is just 40%; the remaining 60% of girls have no access to education.
  
• Only 14% of women in Afghanistan are literate.
  
• Recent news reflects a continuing extreme opposition to students and female teachers, including school closings and beheadings of women educators.
  
• Education International continues to exert pressure on the Afghanistan government to ensure the education of girls. (Link to Education International is www.ei-ie.org/en/news/show.php?id=65&theme=gender)

Gender and Out-of-School Children

• A survey of 80 countries found that for every 100 boys of primary school age who are not in school, there are 117 girls out of school.  By country, the most extreme differences by gender of the children not in primary school include:
  
  

  Country	Boys	Girls		Country	Boys	Girls
  Yemen	100	184		Nepal	100	135
  Iraq	100	176		Egypt	100	131
  Benin	100	136		Pakistan	100	129
  India	100	136		Togo	100	126

  
  
• In contrast with the out of school ratio, girls in the Caribbean and Latin American region are more likely to be enrolled in primary school than boys.  For this region, for every 100 boys in the out-of-school category, there are 96 girls in the same category. The national exceptions of this trend in the Caribbean and Latin America are Bolivia, Guatemala, and Peru, where more girls are out of school than boys.

Mother's Education: The Generational Impact

• Two-thirds of illiterate adults in the world are women.
  
• Parents' level of education impacts the likelihood of children's attendance in school:
   - In Nigeria, while 57% of primary school age children have a mother without formal education, 86% of children out of school have a mother who did not receive formal education.
   - In India, mothers who are educated have a stronger positive influence on school attendance than educated fathers.
   - In Mali, 93% of children who are excluded from school have a mother with no formal education while still the vast majority of children (86%) have mothers who have never attended school.

Sources: 
Children Out of School: Measuring the Exclusion from Primary Education, UNESCO/UNICEF, 2005
"Afghanistan: UNICEF Official Calls for Special Focus on Girls Education," United Nations,     
UNnews@un.org, March 23, 2006

"Afghanistan: Girls' Schooling Under Threat," Education International, www.ei-ie.org, January 31, 2006

Return to main Global Campaign for Education page

EVERY CHILD IN SCHOOL BY 2015

Global Action Week

April 24 – 30, 2005

Each year the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) sponsors Global Action Week, when people around the world work toward the goal of a free, quality basic education for every child by 2015. YOU CAN HELP. All the materials necessary for your school campaign are available below.

• Message from NEA President Reg Weaver ( PDF, 1 p.)
• Global Campaign Educators' Packet ( PDF, 16 pp.)
• Global Campaign Presentation ( PDF, 23 pp.)
• Send My Friend to School Web site
• Classroom Quiz  ( PDF, 2 pp.)
• Global Campaign Posters ( PDF, 1 p. each): African Child; Latin American Girl; African Woman
• Global Action Brochure ( PDF, 6 pages)
• Register Your Activity

Other Resources

• Education International (EI)
• Global Campaign for Education (GCE)
• USA Global Campaign
• Girls' Education

Questions? Contact the NEA Office of International Relations, oir@nea.org.

Help Tsunami Victims

Education International (EI) has established the  Tsunami Relief Program, which will provide assistance directly to teachers, students and schools in the devastated areas of South Asia.

If you're looking for a way to help victims of the tsunami disaster, send checks, in any amount, made out to NEA with "EI Relief Program" in the memo line. Mail your checks to :

NEA International Relations
1201 Sixteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036

Donations are not tax-deductible.

Inquiries may be sent to oir@nea.org.

International | NEA Resources | Other Resources

NEA Resources

Find the information you need to stay current on global issues and the tools necessary to take action.  Enter your email address below to receive Global Connections, a free newsletter from NEA's Office of International Relations, published twice monthly.

Calendar of Events

"What in the world is going on?" The answer to that question and more is right here. Get the details on international commemorations and celebrations.

Fast Facts

Did you know that Southern Africa is experiencing the worst famine in a decade? The World Food Program estimates that 7 million people require food immediately, and in the first quarter of 2003 the figure will rise to 14.4 million. The worst hit countries are Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. There are more interesting international facts where this came from.

Global Issues and Actions

Child Labor
Children's human rights are violated through child labor, which disproportionately impacts girls.

Global Campaign for Education
The Campaign holds nations and international institutions accountable for progress--or failure--in ensuring that every primary school-aged child attends school.

Help Iraqi Children
Operation Iraqi Children engages grassroots support to send school supply kits to Iraq, delivered by the US soldiers to Iraqi students.  Organize your school or community on behalf of Iraqi children and their educational needs.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
NEA offers tools to help you educate others about this comprehensive treaty and its work toward equality.

Women and Girls

Afghanistan, Human Rights, and the Future
NEA supports efforts in Afghanistan to ensure that political and resource decisions are made that respect the human rights of all citizens. Learn more about the history, politics, and future of this former British colony. The report also outlines the challenges facing the country including health, education, and women's rights.

Petition of Freedom
Take Action!  Sign on to the Amnesty International petition to free teacher Ma Khin Khin Leh, a prisoner of conscience.  Mah Khin Khin Leh, was imprisoned in 1999 becaue of her peaceful political activities.  The Myanmar court sentenced her to life imprisonment after an unfair trial. Download the petition and background flyer for additional information.

Education Access for Girls: Plotting Progress in Developing Nations
Girls comprise the global majority of children excluded from basic education. UNICEF has identified seven steps critical to assuring females a quality environment for teaching and learning.

Education: Gender Gap and Economics
Find out how investment in girls' education in developing nations raises a country's economic growth.

Girls' Lives
Young women from tribal communities and remote villages share some of their stories.

International Women's Day, March 8
NEA each year joins the global community to recognize the importance of equity for women.

Maternity Protections and Employee Rights
Women teachers make up the largest number of unionized female workers in the world. Take a look at the nine points that make up the International Labour Organization Maternity Protection Act. In addition, compare maternity benefits of U.S. women with counterparts in other countries.

Men's Roles in Stopping Violence Against Women
NEA believes that men can help eliminate violence against women by acknowledging and addressing the problem.

Protection for Children Against Sexual Exploitation

The Optional Protocol on Sex Trafficking to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child raises the international standards for protecting children from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. Learn more about the issue and the provisions of this protocol, and find out which countries have ratified it. The United States has not.

Education International

Education International (EI) promotes the right to quality public education, the protection of human and trade union rights, and the improvement of the status of education employees. The National Education Association is a founding member of EI, which was created in 1993 as a result of a merger of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP) and the International Federation of Free Teachers Unions (IFFTU). It is the world's largest International Trade Secretariat and represents over 30 million members from 348 member organizations in 169 countries and territories.  EI is based in Belgium with five regional offices around the globe.

Thulas Nxesi of South Africa serves as president and Fred van Leeuwen serves as General Secretary of Education International (EI). NEA President Reg Weaver serves as Vice President of Education International and is also a  member of the EI Executive Board. 

The program and budget of EI are adopted every four years by the member affiliates at the World Congress.

Education International aims to:

• to further the cause of organizations of teachers and education employees;

• to promote peace, democracy, social justice and equality through the development of education and the collective strength of teachers and education employees;

• to seek and maintain recognition of the trade union rights of workers in general and of teachers and education employees in particular;

• to enhance the conditions of work and terms of employment of teachers and education employees, and to promote their professional status in general, through support for member organisations;

• to support and promote the professional freedoms of teachers and education employees and the right of their organisations to participate in the formulation and implementation of educational policies;

• to promote the right to education for all persons in the world, without discrimination through pursue the establishment and protection of open, publicly funded and controlled educational systems, and academic and cultural institutions, aimed at the democratic, social, cultural and economic development of society and the preparation of every citizen for active and responsible participation in society;

• to promote the political, social and economic conditions that are required for the realization of the right to education in all nations;

• to foster a concept of education directed towards international understanding and good will, the safeguarding of peace and freedom, and respect for human dignity;

• to combat all forms of racism and of bias or discrimination in education and society due to gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, religion, political opinion, social or economic status or national or ethnic origin;

• to give particular attention to developing the leadership role and involvement of women in society

• to build solidarity and mutual cooperation among member organizations;

• to encourage through their organizations closer relationships among teachers and education employees in all countries and at all levels of education;

• to promote and to assist in the development of independent and democratic organisations of teachers and education employees, particularly in those countries where political, social, economic or other conditions impede the application of their human and trade union rights, the advancement of their terms and working conditions and the improvement of educational services;

• to promote unity among all independent and democratic trade unions both within the educational sector and with other sectors; and thereby contribute to the further development of the international trade union movement.

Subscribe to the International Newsletter

Stay up to date on education issues around the world. Enter your email address below to receive Global Connections, a free newsletter from NEA's Office of International Relations, published twice monthly.

Send questions or comments to oir@nea.org.

World AIDS Day:  Education is Prevention

December 1st is World AIDS Day.   the day that the issue of HIV/AIDS to the forefront globally for one day. However, Education International  (EI) and its affiliates have been involved in the fight against the pandemic since 1995. The EI/World Health Organization program on HIV prevention is currently implemented by the EFAIDS Programme. 

The EFAIDS Programme is a collobarative initiative of EI and its partners in advocating for Education For All (EFA) at the national level with their commitment to HIV/AIDS prevention in schools locally.  Currently, the EFAIDS Programme is being implemented by unions in 25 countries , all of whom had previously participated in the EFA or the HIV Prevention Programme.

Education International is convinced that "Education Is Prevention."  Furthermore,  EI urges teachers unions worldwide to spare no efforts to ensure that, on the basis of the fundamental right to education, no child — boy or girl — affected by the pandemic is barred from attending school.

EI also recommends education unions advocate for and defend the labor rights of teachers and education staff living with HIV or affected by AIDS.

NEA is a member of EI, which counts more than 348 education unions from 166 countries and territories among its affiliates.

ACTION ALERT

What can you do to "Educate for Life" ?

•  distribute Education International’s posters and stickers on World AIDS Day 2006: Education for life!

International News and Actions Archive

• TeachUNICEF is developing six lesson plans per grade level that help students in grades 6-8 and 9-12 gain a deeper knowledge of the issues facing youth throughout the developing world.  Teachers are needed to use the new TeachUNICEF lesson plans. Interested?  Sign up by sending an email to TeachUNICEF@unicefusa.org and put "I want to join the pilot" in the subject line!
• The Milestones Project is a new initiative to help parents teach their children to value and respect cultural diversity. Learn More
• NEA is involved in the Global Campaign for Education , an international initiative to increase public awareness and political pressure to educate the world's children.  Educators and activists from many countries participate in bringing the message to children and policy makers.
• Petition of Freedom
  Take Action!  Sign on to the Amnesty International petition to free teacher Ma Khin Khin Leh, a prisoner of conscience.  Mah Khin Khin Leh, was imprisoned in 1999 becaue of her peaceful political activities. The Myanmar court sentenced her to life imprisonment after an unfair trial. Download the petition and background flyer for additional information.
• On May 21, the World Day for Cultural Diversity,  Education International highlighted the urgent need for Indigenous Peoples to get access to quality education. EI is working to ensure the educational success of their children as well as the survival of their knowledge, languages, and cultures. Learn about the education issues facing Indigenous Peoples.
• Tsunami Relief Assistance: Education International (EI) has established a relief fund for the victims of the tsunami. Find out how you can help.
• Oct. 5, 2005 marked the 10th anniversary of World Teachers' Day. View video commentaries by NEA leaders..
• NEA responds to recent tragedies affecting EI Affiliate colleagues in Belsan, Russia; Grenada; and Jamaica.
• Support UNICEF's efforts to help children in Grenada and the Caribbean following the destruction of Hurricane Ivan.
• In Darfur, Sudan, UNICEF is on the ground providing care for children caught in the midst of this human rights crisis.
• At Education International's 2004 World Congress, the world's education unions met in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and included a large NEA delegation. NEA's President Reg Weaver was elected to the Education International Executive Board. 165 delegations voted on resolutions impacting education, trade union and human rights.
• UNICEF continues to provide first aid supplies, blankets, water purification tablets, generators, School-in-a-Box kits and tents to earthquake victims in Bam, Iran. Learn how you can support UNICEF's efforts to establish schools and provide aid for Bam's children.
• NetAid invites you to make a resolution for the world in 2004 by committing to help fight global poverty. Send a free New Year's Resolution e-card to five of your friends, and NetAid's partner will donate $1 to help AIDS-affected girls in Zimbabwe get an education.
• Court TV's "We Are Family: Educating Our Children for a Safer World" initiative offers a free resource guide for teachers and students on diversity and acceptance.
• Nov. 16 is Global Learn Day VII, which this year showcases the 10 Founding Members of Friendship Through Education. Global Learn Day kicks off International Education Week, Nov. 17-21.
• It's a new school year — but not for 115 million children around the globe. Learn how you can help.
• NEA and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF work together in promoting USF's Trick-or-Trick for UNICEF program.
• Celebrate World Teachers' Day Oct. 5, 2003. This year's theme: Teachers — Opening Doors to a Better World.
• UNICEF, Amnesty International and Heifer International can help you with gift giving.
• NEA supports the BluePack Project to reconnect Afghan children to learning by providing basic education and hygiene supplies.
• Set a World Record for Girls' Education April 9, 2003
• Celebrate International Women's Day March 8, 2003
• NEA Participated in the U.N. General Assembly Special Session on Children.
•  NEA Supports UNICEF 'Trick or Treat' Program
• NEA Members Lobby for CEDAW Ratification
• New Report Says U.S. Textbooks Misrepresent United Nations
• NEA Celebrates World Teachers' Day on Oct. 5, 2002
• UN Convenes Special Session on Children May 8-10, 2002
• Candlelight Vigil for Children’s Rights May 8, 2002
• AFL-CIO Solidarity Center Launches Child Labor Web site
• NEA Marks Beginning of School in Afghanistan, March 22, 2002
• International Women's Day, Afghanistan is Everywhere, March 8, 2002

Other Resources

Check out these international resources (below) for teachers and students. They include ideas for professional development, teaching abroad, travel and home exchange,and lesson plans. We've grouped them into three main categories. If you have a terrific resource to share, contact us.

Opportunities for educators

TeachUNICEF.org is a new online resource created to help teachers engage students as active global citizens in learning about UNICEF's efforts worldwide.

Trick or Treat for UNICEF provides service structured learning opportunities for students that address values, self-reflection, and knowledge about the lives of children around the world.  For free materials, visit UNICEF  or call 800-4-UNICEF.

Globalization 101  features cross-disciplinary lessons for high school students which address globalization through different perspectives.  The issue briefs, news reports and video clips are important resources for educators wanting to address this hot international issue.

The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program provides American primary and secondary school teachers and administrators with opportunities for fully-funded short-term study programs in Japan.

The Fulbright Scholar Program for faculty and professionals is offering more than 70 awards in education for lecturing and/or doing research abroad.

The Japanese School Teaching Assistant Program provides Japanese volunteer interns to elementary, middle, and high schools in the United States. The interns introduce students to Japanese culture, language and arts at no charge to the U.S. hosts school or students.

Teach beyond our borders

AFS International is an international, voluntary, non-governmental non-profit organization that offers exchange programs in 55 countries. Programs present a variety of choices, allowing nearly 10,000 participants annually to develop a program focus that meets their individual needs.

European Council of International Schools is a non-profit membership organization helps recruit professional staff for international schools.

In the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program, qualified teachers participate in a 1-year (sometimes 1-semester) direct exchange of positions with teachers from other countries during an academic year. Or they may attend seminars abroad during the summer.

Hands Across the Water is a teacher exchange program where an American teacher spends several weeks in another country living and working with a teacher, traveling with a small delegation of other American teachers.

The University of Northern Iowa Overseas Placement Service for Educators program connects international K-12 schools with certified educators year round. Services offered include the a recruiting fair, credential and referral services, and related publications.

International home exchanges

Home exchange is a way to have an affordable, exciting vacation anywhere in the world.

• Global Home Exchange
• Home Base Holidays
• HomeExchange.com
• Homelink International
• International Home Exchange Network
• Teachers' House Swaps
• Trading Homes International
• Vacation Homes Unlimited Home Exchange

Curricula and lessons

Choices for the 21st Century Education Project  was established in 1988 to encourage American public interest in global issues through teaching and professional development.

New materials on the World Trade Organization and Globalization are available from the American Forum for Global Education.

NEA International Relations

The Office of International Relations manages NEA membership in  Education International (EI), articulates NEA policy in international forums, and maintains communication with EI affiliated national education unions around the world.  The office analyzes international educational experiences and incorporates relevant learnings to NEA's strategic priorities. 

The Office of International Relations monitors and works with the United Nations, intergovernmental agencies, and international non-governmental organizations on issues that affect children, education, the education profession, women, and human and trade union rights. 

Subscribe to the International Newsletter

Stay up to date on education issues around the world. Enter your email address below to receive Global Connections, a free newsletter from NEA's Office of International Relations, published twice monthly.

Send questions or comments to oir@nea.org

Child Labor Impedes Education

Classroom Resources

The International Center on Child Labor and Education (ICCLE) has resources and avenues for student learning about global child labor issues across the country adn the world.  Explore the link between poverty, child labor, and education through a spectrum of student materials.

Child Soldiers Protocol
Warring nations, paramilitaries and guerilla groups use children under the age of 18 as soldiers. There are approximately 300,000 children in over 40 countries currently in military conflict.

NEA Speaks Out Against Child Slavery

NEA has partnered with prominent Haitian Americans to speak out against child slavery in Haiti. NEA President Reg Weaver is committed to advocating for the basic right for all children to receive a free, quality public school education.

As a member of the Executive Board of Education International (EI), President Weaver fully supports EI's comprehensive program opposing child labor and encourages NEA members to get involved by signing and returning the petition to end child slavery in Haiti. Click here to download the petition. (  PDF, 462 KB, 1 pg.)

For more information, please contact Nikki Barnes in the NEA Minority Community Outreach Department at nbarnes@nea.org or (202) 822-7333.

Wanted: Quality Teachers
to be Recruited and Retained

Join NEA and Educational International in celebrating World Teachers' Day on Oct. 5, 2004.

Each year, Education International launches a public awareness campaign to promote the importance of educators around the globe. This year, 345 education unions from 165 countries will mobilize to ensure that all children have access to quality schools and qualified teachers.

NEA's Connection

NEA works to ensure that qualified teachers are recruited and retained in every classroom. As a founding member of Education International, NEA continues to advocate internationally, for human and trade union rights within the profession.

So, join NEA and Education International in wishing educators world-wide a Happy Teachers' Day!

Take Action

• Watch video commentary featuring NEA and International leaders.
• Send an e-greeting card to to your favorite teacher!
• Learn more about global issues affecting teachers and education at the Education International Web site.

Related Articles

• Sakina's Story
• United Nations Message  (PDF, 1 page)

World Wise

Test your knowledge about world issues and concerns. Share it with colleagues and friends! There is a new World Wise each month.

Education International is:
 
A global movement to unify all the education systems in the world.
A method of teaching geography, political science and history.
An organization representing 294 education unions and associations in 152 nations. 
 
NEA sends delegates to the Education International World Congress. The next one will take place in...

2002
2003
2004
 
It is estimated that one out of every ___ children ages 5-14 works. This comprises

250 million children, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO).
22 
13 
4 
 
What percent of child workers are in Asia compared to other parts of the world?

60% 
45% 
16% 
 
Of the estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide living in poverty, what percent are girls and women?

82% 
70% 
45% 
 
In developing countries, what percent of students complete 4 years of primary school?

99% 
70% 
45% 
 
In the United States, education spending composes 5.8 percent of the Gross National Product (GNP).  In Zimbabwe, what percent of the GNP goes to education?

0.9% 
2.3% 
8.5% 
 
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified by 191 nations. Two nations have not yet ratified it.  When did the United States ratify it?

1989 
1991 
U.S. has not ratified it 
 
Check out the answers.

International | NEA Resources | Other Resources

Access to education around the world

There are more than 100 million children around the world not in school — but what does this really mean? What are the statistics for individual regions and countries? What are some of the complex issues that keep children from getting a quality education? Take a closer look at the state of education in the developing world with this fact sheet. (Stats are compiled from United Nations agencies, including UNDP, UNESCO and UNICEF.) You'll see that, while some countries are making notable progress, there is still a great deal of work that must — and can — be done to ensure that all children have access to education.

Africa

+ In Kenya, new government regulations have made education free, allowing 1.3 million more children to go to school in 2003.

+ Tanzania, like Kenya, has made education free, enrolling an additional 1.6 million children into school.

- Studies from West Africa report that, due to the effect of AIDS on teachers, 119,000 school-age children in Côte d’Ivoire received no education in 1997-98.

- An estimated 860,000 children lost their teachers to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa in 1999.

Arab States

- The ratio of students to teachers has been rising in recent years, to a regional average of 25 students per teacher.

- In Iraq, nearly one in four children age 6-12 is not in school.

+ In Afghanistan, since the fall of the Taliban in 2002, an estimated 3 million children now attend some form of school, the vast majority at the primary level.

+ The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar have committed to making major improvements to their educational systems, including increased teacher training and the construction or repair of schools.

South Asia and the Pacific

- Of the world's 862 million illiterate adults, 61% live in India, China, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

+ Throughout most of China, primary education enrollment rates are as high as 97%.

- There are 1.5 million girls out of school in Bangladesh.

- Although enrollment rates for boys and girls are equal in Cambodia, only 38% of girls complete at least four years of schooling.

Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia

+ Countries such as Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Bulgaria have 95% primary school enrollment rates.

- In Turkey, one in eight girls is not in school.

- While Turkmenistan's overall enrollment rate is reported to be around 95%, enrollment rates are declining and drops-outs are on the rise.

- Although 98% of Kazakhstan is literate, primary-age children face major teacher and supply shortages.

Latin America and the Caribbean

- In Haiti, a vast majority of children — about 65% — do not attend school; the country's adult literacy rate is less than 50%.

- About 80% of primary-age children are in school in Nicaragua; however, only 29% complete primary school.

- Although Jamaica claims a high enrollment rate, nearly 30% of boys are functionally illiterate by the time primary school ends.

+ In Cuba, Belize, Brazil, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina and Mexico, 100 percent of children are enrolled in primary school.

Quotes

Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.

--Nelson Mandela, African statesman.

Only the educated are free.

--Epictetus, citizen of Ancient Rome.

If I were head of my school I would go around the whole country telling parents about the benefits of educating their children, to increase literacy levels in my country.

--Akosua Asaah Tioum-Barimah, 13, Ghana

I would set up education for the poorer children which would cost them nothing. Sometimes education is not about money but about good will.

--Anita Pernatasari, 17, Indonesia

Everyone has the right to education.

--Article 26, The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, 10 December 1948

(Children's quotes are from Stand Up, Speak Out, Peace Child International, 2002, ISBN 1-85434-887-6.)

NEA President Bob Chase
at the White House

NEA President Chase discussed the Global Campaign for Education at the White House Conference on the New Economy on a panel with Bill Gates and World Bank President Jim Wolfensohn, on April 5th, chaired by President Clinton. Below is the transcript of the conference:

PRESIDENT CLINTON: I'd like to now call on Bob Chase, who is the President of the National Education Association, and has been a leading advocate for closing the educational divides in our country. Bob.

MR. CHASE: Thank you very much, Mr. President. And thank you for the opportunity to share some thoughts today. I can't help but remember the comment that was made by Secretary Summers this morning, when he spoke and talked about the importance of social policy on the whole issue of the economy. And certainly the panel this afternoon must deal with that issue very directly.

This conference on the new economy and closing the global divide on education could not be more timely. This week, more than 200 teacher organizations and children's interest groups around the world are launching a campaign to advocate for free and compulsory education for every child. Both the NEA and the AFT are part of this global campaign for education in a global economy -- an economy that demands more highly educated and skilled populations than ever before. And certainly all of the panelists on this panel have spoken to that, as well as Chairman Greenspan and the panelists this morning.

Obviously, every parent -- whether in Tokyo, Topeka or Togo -- knows that education is the critical factor in determining the future of our child. Ensuring that every girl and boy on this planet has the opportunity to attend school, to learn the basic needs of reading and numeracy, as well as an understanding of science, will make them much better in whatever opportunities they have, as well as being, eventually, better parents and citizens.

It's a little bit disconcerting that a decade ago representatives from more than 150 nations met in Thailand and pledged th